the ruminant...sharing good ideas for farming and gardening

This episode: Aaron Quesnel of Sky Harvest Edibles dishes on the promises and challenges of rooftop agriculture

This episode: University of British Columbia Graduate Student Jessica Dennis talks about her research on biochar and its potential as an effective amendment for agricultural soils and a carbon sink for climate change mitigation

This episode, seed producer Dan Brisebois shares his advice on how to market your veggie seeds once you've learned how to produce them.

This episode: Part 1 of 2 of my conversation with Dan Brisebois. In this part, Dan talks about the basics of vegetable seed production and suggests how to begin incorporating it into a small scale farm business.

This episode, I speak with Frederic Theriault of Tournesol Farm about his choice to pay his farm interns a minimum wage that's paid over the table; that is, with all appropriate deductions made and submitted to the government. Frederic talks about the pros and cons of doing so before explaining how to do it efficiently and properly.

This episode I have a really helpful conversation with WSU Veggie Extension Specialist Carol Miles about grafting tomatoes, eggplants, and other veggies. We cover definitions, the reasons for doing it, and a few techniques.

This episode: Dr. Oleg Daugovish of the University of California Agricultural Extension Service speaks with me about diagnosing plant problems in the garden, with a focus on pathogens and nematodes.

This episode: I speak with entomologist Tamara Richardson about strategies for insect pest control in the garden. We discuss the merits of crop rotation, the importance of knowing your pests' overwintering habits, and what to do with plant debris that's infested with insect pests.

This episode: Irrigation expert Troy Peters talks about best practices in crop irrigation. This man can make your garden more productive.

This post: more audio! Part two of a two part series on the use of cover crops in a small-scale garden. This episode: living mulches.