Clearing up illusions about the substances we use to grow our food.

In This Podcast: We've all bought plant-specific fertilizer or used leaves to diagnose what additives we need for our plants. But according to Robert Pavlis, building great soil needs a different approach. After all, how can you know what to add if you don't know what's already there? Listen in for common soil and fertilizer myths, the easy additive that fixes anything over time, your ideal soil ratios, and how to distinguish fact from urban legend. You'll never think the same about fertilizer!

Robert is a well-known speaker and educator with over 40 years of gardening experience. He is the author of three books,  Building Natural Ponds, Garden Myths, and Soil Science for Gardeners  and publishes the popular gardening blogs;  GardenMyths.com  and  GardenFundamentals.com. As the owner and head gardener of Aspen Grove Gardens, a six-acre botanical garden, he grows 3,000 varieties of plants.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/05/05/537-robert-pavlis/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

537: Robert Pavlis on Garden Soil Myths.

Farming for yarn and more.

In This Podcast: Not all farmers produce food. Some farm flowers, plants, or seeds. Others use their animal herd to produce fiber crops for yarn and textiles. Chris McLaughlin is a fiber farmer and educator who shares all about the fascinating world of raising goats, sheep, rabbits, and alpacas for their fibrous coats. Listen in to learn about angora, cashmere, and all the products from animal fibers. Then, gain insight into the fiber farming business, breed conservation, and spinning yarn.

Chris is the author of eight books written about her life passions: gardening, small livestock, and the family farm. Her work can be found in Fine Gardening Magazine, Hobby Farm Home Magazine, Urban Farm Magazine, and more. Online, she's been a staff blogger for vegetablegardener.com, About.com, and many more websites. Chris is currently secretary of The Colored Angora Goat Breeders Association. She and her family enjoy an entertaining, and exhausting life in the Northern California foothills on their flower and fiber farm, Laughing Crow & Company.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/04/28/536-chris-mclaughlin/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

536: Chris McLaughlin on Raising Animals for Fiber.

Controlling unwanted volunteers in our farms and gardens.

In This Podcast: Could weeds be friends? In some cases, John Moody thinks they are! John shares some of the knowledge from his book and experience on his homestead to help you determine what are beneficial weeds in the right area of your garden. Listen in to learn about using weeds as an understory to benefit plants, designing your growing space to minimize weeds, when to utilize their benefits, or how to safely remove them. If you've ever seen a weed in your yard, this is an episode for you!

John does not consider himself a typical farmer. Farming and homesteading were not something he ever planned to do. Growing up, he enjoyed a varied diet of video games, cartoons, and processed foods. Dental decay, seasonal allergies, and constant sickness were the inevitable result – one that doctors denied was connected to food and lifestyle choices.

In his early 20s, he was waylaid by duodenal ulcers, his body’s warning that some things were dreadfully awry. Over the course of a year, he and his now wife Jessica completely changed their understanding of food, asking – what is food? How should it be raised? and How should it be prepared? This eventually led to moving out to a farm of their own, and writing several books including The Frugal Homesteader Handbook, The Elderberry Book, and Winning the War Against Weeds.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/04/21/535-john-moody/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

535: John Moody on Weed Suppression.

Growing most anything you want to in a Desert Garden.

In This Podcast: Herbs are a wonderful way to begin gardening and get a lot of bang for your buck! Catherine Crowley, or "The Herb Lady" as many people know her, shares some of her favorite, unique plants to grow and how she uses them. This episode will help you plan your garden like an experienced gardener. Catherine highlights her experiences and thoughts about sun orientation, plant height, light needs, and other considerations so your plants and herbs will thrive!

Catherine "The Herb Lady", is an expert in edible landscaping in the desert, an author, and a lecturer. She has been gardening for over 3 decades, initially focusing on just culinary herbs. Then her garden journey expanded to growing anything she ate or drank as a base for experimenting with new-to-her and common edible herbs, vegetables, fruits, and flowers.

These days Catherine blogs and writes on gardening and cooking with the garden bounty she harvests from her garden and community.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/04/14/534-catherine-crowley/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

534: Catherine Crowley on Her Favorite Herbs.

Building community and local food resilience through a Farmers Market.

In This Podcast: Have you ever thought about selling at a Farmers Market, but the whole process seemed intimidating? We spoke with Amanda Fallis, assistant manager of the Vernon Farmers Market to understand what it takes to get started selling at a market. Learn about the certifications, insurance, how the vendors pay for their place in the market, and the community markets build. You'll quickly realize it's not as hard as it seems and after the initial set up all you have to do is have fun.

Amanda grew up doing home renovation with her father. She did a quick stint as a mechanic right out of high school before returning to renovations. She moved to British Columbia from Toronto at age twenty-five and started embracing simpler living which included Market Life. One thing led to another and since May 2019, she has been the Assistant Manager to The Vernon Farmers Market in Vernon, BC.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/04/07/533-amanda-fallis/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

533: Amanda Fallis on Market Life.

Growing food on top of a hospital.

Lindsay is a farmer and educator, from Boston, Massachusetts. She has been farming for the past 10 years and managed farms in both rural and suburban locations around and outside the United States. She currently works with Higher Ground Farm as the Operations Director, and as the Farm Manager of the 7,000 square foot Rooftop Farm at Boston Medical Center. A strong ethic towards food justice, climate change mitigation and a passion for getting creative in how we grow and distribute food in our urban landscapes brought Lindsay to work with Higher Ground Farm. Outside of the direct farming working she is a certified Permaculture Designer and Educator and teaches courses a few times a year on the subject. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Agroforestry. When Lindsay is not teaching or growing food, she can be found happily experimenting with fermentations, communing with chickens, spending time outdoors, crafting, or sharing a good home-cooked meal with family and friends.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/03/31/532-lindsay-allen/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

532: Lindsay Allen on Rooftop Farming.

Watching the world of yoga change from underground to mainstream.

In This Podcast: Many of our listeners find inner peace in their gardens but after this interview with J. Brown, you may find yourself wanting to explore the therapeutic nature of yoga. Not all yoga involves the complicated pretzel twists that have become popular images in social media. In fact, simple movements can have a profound impact on feeling good. Here, we discuss yoga's evolution, benefits, finding the right teacher, and its deeper purpose that leads to enlightenment.

J. is a yoga teacher, writer, and podcaster. He is at the forefront of a quiet yoga revolution based in healing, that seeks to change the dialogue and direction of yoga practice in the west. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, The International Journal of Yoga Therapy, and across the yoga blogosphere. His podcast J Brown Yoga Talks is internationally renowned for raising the level of conversation.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/03/24/531-j-brown/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

531: J. Brown on Yoga’s Evolution.

Addressing the significant conversations happening in the world.

In This Podcast: The world is changing almost daily around us. With change comes new needs, focuses, and learning. Urban Farm's Proprietor Greg Peterson and General Manager Janis Norton, discuss how The Urban Farm is adapting their programs to better support their listeners and community. This means changes to the podcast, but also new educational opportunities that will help everybody build their food resilience. Listen in to learn about past podcasts and our new daily classes that will help you start your food journey.

Greg Peterson is the Proprietor of The Urban Farm and Host of The Urban Farm Podcast.  He is a green living and sustainability innovator who is well-known regionally. His mission is inspire people to embrace their own greenness, which he does daily by living what he speaks.

Janis is the General Manager and Podcast Producer for The Urban Farm. Her passion to make The Urban Farm a truly valued resource for our listeners, readers, and in-person participants is obvious in all that she does. 

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/03/21/530-changes/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

530: The Urban Farm's Response to COVID-19.

529: Seed Saving Class February 2020.

In This Podcast: You don't want to miss the February 2020 episode of a live Seed Saving Class discussing how to start plants from seed with special guest Kari Spencer. Listen in for methods of starting seeds, things to consider, and the number one reason seeds don't sprout. Greg, Bill, and Kari share some of their tips and tricks as well as answer listener questions about specific plant seeds.

Bill McDorman is Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail-order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013.

Kari Spencer is a popular local gardening & homesteading speaker. As a Master Gardener and a Master Farmer, she enjoys sharing her passion for growing and raising food with others. In addition to teaching classes all over the city of Phoenix, she is the creator of Urban Farm U’s Growing Food the Basics & Backyard Livestock courses. She and her family operate The Micro Farm Project, a small farm in North Phoenix, where gardens and livestock animals provide her family with fun and food. Her book is City Farming: How-To Guide to Growing Crops & Raising Livestock in Urban Spaces.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/03/17/529-seedchat/ for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Transforming the food systems of the world through good seeds and sustainable practices.

In This Podcast: Did you know that seeds help communities rebuild after a crisis? Here, we speak with Jane Rabinowicz about her work with the Canadian organization SeedChange. Their support for grassroots projects, farmers across the world, and global seed policy impact everyone worldwide. Listen in for how the organization began, how they protect seed diversity and work with local agriculture to preserve endangered plant varieties through seed saving.

Jane was appointed as an Executive Director of SeedChange in 2016, after joining the organization in 2011. Jane has dedicated her career to community-led change. She is co-founder of the Silver Dollar Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of Tides Canada. Jane was named one of the 53 most influential people in Canada’s food system by The Globe and Mail, and one of Canada’s leading women changing the way we eat by Châtelaine Magazine.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/03/14/528-jane-rabinowicz/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

528: Jane Rabinowicz on Global Seed Work.