The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

They planted their first fruit tree on a 1/10th-acre urban home. Prompted to look for something healthier, Duane Hebert moved to property just outside of Phoenix, or as he calls it – The Edge of Nowhere. On a semi-urban farm, they focused on growing healthy food and sharing with family, friends and a few customers. With a holistic mindset focused on healthy growing in all areas of the farm, even the chickens get the healthiest diet.  And he shares what he has learned. www.urbanfarm.org/edgeofnowhere

In 1988, Eliot Coleman literally wrote the book on being an organic grower and has been an invaluable resource for organic gardeners and farmers for three decades. He only started growing food because it sounded like an adventure; and he learned how through books and making friends with farmers around the world. We learn who inspired and taught him, how he uses livestock on his farm, how he virtually moved his farm 500 miles to the south for the winter, and more. www.urbanfarm.org/eliotcoleman

It was not your typical birthday gift but a small collection of home cleaning products, and they changed Diann Peart’s direction in life. She found a path that filled her passion and allowed her to truly make a difference. When she realized the products were chemical free, her passion for the environment and her desire to help others took over and she knew these products needed to be brought to market. She has a special offer for listeners today.

After several years of contradictory and confusing medical advice, Brandi Doming was worn out trying to help her husband escape the pain of gout. As a new mom and a concerned wife, she sought out the next possible answer and found information on a plant-based vegan diet. This was the first one to give her husband some relief. She started blogging recipes and recently authored a cookbook designed to make vegan meals easy and delicious! www.urbanfarm.org/vegan8

He was starting off on a vacant property with lots of Johnson Grass, almost no money, and no way to cut it down and remove it, yet this was not going to stop Michael Bell from building his urban farm. He got creative and found a resource to not only help remove the grass but turn it into an asset and deep rich soil in one season. Relying on his creativity, he now has a half-acre farm and more customers than produce. All this and he only farms part-time! www.urbanfarm.org/dallashalfacrefarms

Her curiosity, her love of gardening, and her creativity in the kitchen, come together beautifully and for our benefit when Marie Viljoen compiled recipes for her new cookbook. She shares how she moved from gardening in 66 square feet to foraging all over New York City. If you are ever in her city, you will want to take a foraging walk with her! www.urbanfarm.org/66squarefeet

Growing up and becoming a ward of the state, then becoming emancipated at 17 left a lifelong mark on Karin Fields, so when she started learning how to grow food in one of the most challenging and unique areas of the country, she wanted to help other young girls like her gain those skills too. For twenty years she has been the Edible Gardening Gal and a valuable resource for education about growing food in South Florida. www.urbanfarm.org/ediblegardeninggal

The desert is full of amazing native plants that provide a rich, delicious bounty of food, IF you know what to look for and how to harvest it, and Brad Lancaster wants you know these secrets. He is excited about a new cookbook that shares delicious and tested recipes for native trees and plants. And these plants are suited to thrive in the hot and dry climates, so they tolerate drought conditions better, while giving other great benefits to all desert residents. www.urbanfarm.org/eatmesquite

Joining farming through his wife’s family, Gabe Brown learned the standard, commercialized, industrialized way of farming. Then when disaster struck four times in a row, he reached out to the past for some inspiration. He learned the value of a healthy soil ecosystem, how it affects many of the issues we are facing today, and the best ways to rebuild the soil. Now he shares what he learned in 5 principles that work anywhere in the world. www.urbanfarm.org/brownranch

The story of how organic produce and food became mainstream in our grocery stores is shared by Tonya Antle who was actively driving this change before most of us even knew we needed it. She found her passion in the early stages of the organic movement and helped propel it across the nation. Now there is a new focus with the Organic Grower Summit happening in December, and she shares some very useful tips as a highlight of what will be available then. www.urbanfarm.org/opn

A chat with an expert on Seeds.  In This Bonus Podcast: We are harvesting even more seed information in this chat with Bill McDorman. This is the September 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - seed names, medicinal plants, plant knowledge, landrace, and so much more. www.urbanfarm.org/bonus21

A fascination with jungles and forests began at an early age for Catherine Bukowski, and she has studied these ecosystems throughout her education. Then narrowing her focus just on the food forest aspect, she found similar regenerative patterns that work. She brought this to her new book and shares some of what she discovered with us. www.urbanfarm.org/foodforests

Her background is in studying the connections of religion to many aspects of daily life and Professor Lena Roos is now focused on how religion and gardening are interwoven in our past and what that looks like in our present. She discusses several key religions of the world, the garden connections, and even how some myths built upon gardening and creation themes. She is asking for input on her current research and wants to know of active faith-based community gardens. www.urbanfarm.org/lena

Children who grow up in the foster care system often become young adults on the street with no help, no resources, and forced to make desperate choices to survive. Dawn Folsom was caught stealing food when she was hungry; now she's a major force behind urban farming projects that teach & empower a community of aged-out foster kids dumped into the world. She offers models of village farms & supportive housing projects to help communities do better with their forgotten children. www.urbanfarm.org/heartvines

Jess is a Farm & Environment Organizer for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, a 5,000-member non-profit. She organizes with local communities to develops statewide strategies to stop corporate factory farms from building.  In 2013-2015 Jess worked with a 10-state coalition of farm and ranch groups to develop a new narrative around Food and Ag Justice.