The Forest Garden

You spoke up and we listened! Responding to a survey we put out earlier this year on our instagram page, which is @forestgardenpodcast, we decided to do an episode on ground covers in the forest garden. And who better to talk about this topic than the man who wrote the book on forest gardens in North America, Dave Jacke (with co-author Eric Toensmeier, who we have previously interviewed... and you should check out that episode too). Today's episode discusses ground covers, but also dips into a range of topics related to forest gardens and Dave's experience writing the book Edible Forest Gardens Volumes 1 & 2. Stick with us for an episode jam packed with useful info.

Dave's links:

Chelsea Green link to purchase the books:

Today's episode dives into the community fridge model, a concept that became common in the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic as more and more people in urban areas across america became food insecure. Join us today, as we learn about the origins of Fridgeport, the community fridge project based in Bridgeport, CT. Be sure to check out the links below, and consider making a peapod delivery donation to the fridge itself at the location listed here:

Today's episode is all about the winter harvest, and the reality of starting a farm in New England where land is not affordable. Tune in for our interview with Dakota Rudloff-Eastman of River Ridge Farm to learn about what the land acquisition process looks like for a new farmer trying to set their roots, leasing vs. owning, how four season farming with the double cover method works, which vegetables produced through this method do best at the market, advice for young farmers trying to get started, and much more. Find us on instagram @forestgardenpodcast and Dakota & Matt at the links below:

Starting a farm resources mentioned by Dakota:

How many of y'all have heard of the long root ale? Climate smart honey oats cereal? How about Kernza? The main ingredient in these products, and the perennial grain that has the potential to revolutionize our modern agricultural system. Tune in today for a deep dive into Kernza and the other perennialization projects taking place at the land institute. Tessa Peters fills us in on the history of perennial grain research in the U.S., what Kernza is, where it grows, what conditions it prefers, what hurdles perennial grains have to overcome in our current agricultural model, and much more. Don't touch that dial! Find our guest at @thelandinstutue and us on instagram at @forestgardenpodcast.

Links:

Welcome back podcast listeners! This episode is jam packed with information about fruit and nut trees. We consider ourselves very lucky to have Buzz Ferver of Perfect Circle Farm on the podcast today, sharing his wealth of knowledge with us. Tune in to learn about Buzz's backstory, his introduction to tree crops and regenerative systems, the history of tree crop selection in the early 20th century in North America, and much more. If you stick around until the end of the episode, we dive into specifics on several nut and fruit trees. It's really worth the listen! We hope you enjoy the episode, and remember you can always get in touch with us via a direct message on our instagram page @forestgardenpodcast. 

Buzz's links:

Hey there podcast listeners. Today we have a very interesting interview for you with Henry Lappen, a member of the Cherry Hill Cohousing community based in Amherst, Massachusetts. Henry has been a part of this unique community in western Massachusetts for the past thirty years - ever since its establishment in the early 1990's. For those who aren't familiar, the cohousing model is a Danish concept that originated in the 1960's. If you're trying to imagine what cohousing looks like, think of an intentional community of private or semi-private homes laid out in a clustered design around shared communal spaces. Shared meals and shared work are an integral part of the model, and often these communities have many gardens or agricultural spaces integrated in the landscape. In this episode, we’ll learn all about the cohousing model, how the vast food forest at Cherry Hill came to be, and what day to day life is like at Cherry Hill. We'll also get some insight into how folks interested in establishing their own ecovillage or cohousing community can get started. Stick with us, and remember that if you have a question about the episode you can always reach us via a direct message on our instagram page @forestgardenpodcast. 

Relevant Links: