The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Returning guest, Brad Lancaster, recently taught us about Harvesting the Rain and is back to teach about Planting the Rain. If you've ever considered capturing rainwater directly in your landscape, this episode will teach you about rainwater planting methods and strategies, how captured water impacts thermoregulation, and water as a lubricant for exchange. Get inspired by a village in India that changed their water planting culture and learn how to create healthier soil. www.urbanfarm.org/plantrain

Organic matter builds soil, and Bryan Kappa has a free service that allows nationwide users to quickly build the quality of their soil. Learn about ChipDrop, the program that connects gardeners with tree companies and benefits everyone. Not all mulch is created equal, and you'll learn the difference in mulch options, how to properly wood chip your yard and improve your soil Ph. There are some exciting improvements coming to ChipDrop, as well as creative ways to use it! www.urbanfarm.org/chipdrop

Some people know their mission from a young age. Others, like Erin Douglas, find their direction as they go. With a desire to travel as her guide, Erin left her corporate job and traveled through Africa. An epic moment in Ghana inspired this novice farmer to create a non-profit farm that feeds residents, provides jobs, funds education, and supports an orphanage. Erin shares how she created a sustainable community model that could benefit societies all over the world. www.urbanfarm.org/learngrowlead

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! www.urbanfarm.org/soilmyths

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. www.urbanfarm.org/laughingcrow

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! www.urbanfarm.org/johnwmoody

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! www.urbanfarm.org/favoriteherb

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. www.urbanfarm.org/vernonmarket

Hospital food isn't always the best cuisine, but Lindsay Allen is working to change that at Boston Medical Center. Listen in to learn how a hospital rooftop farm is improving hospital food to make it more nourishing as well as feeding the community through their farmers market and food pantry. This 7,000 square foot space produces about 6,000 pounds of food and is not without challenges. Lindsay shares how they overcome unpredictable events, situations, and weather. www.urbanfarm.org/rooftoplindsay

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. www.urbanfarm.org/jbrown

The world is changing almost daily around us. With change comes new needs, focuses, and learning. Greg Peterson and 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. www.urbanfarm.org/changes

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. There is always a bounty of information available in conversations with Bill and Kari. www.urbanfarm.org/seedchat2020feb

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. www.urbanfarm.org/seedchange

Have you ever wished for more gardening space? So did Ray Speakman when he took early retirement. But instead of just wishing, he recruited neighbors for their land and made his farming dreams a reality! Listen in to learn how he went from 1 garden bed to a half-acre of productive land and started a neighborhood CSA and weekend produce stand. Ray shares what it was like becoming a farmer in retirement, abundant food production in smaller spaces, and making it happen. www.urbanfarm.org/greencityharvest

Sustaining a community garden that is successful for over 10 years is not an easy endeavor. In this update from repeat podcast guest, Darren Chapman, we gain insight into the organizational growth of a community garden, how they stay relevant, and continue to serve the needs of the community. Listen in for some of the challenges in the neighborhoods surrounding the community garden and how TigerMountain addresses and heals some of those disparities. www.urbanfarm.org/tigermountain