The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

The idea of growing 20% of your own food at home can be intimidating, but Jason Pechenik found a way to make it attainable, affordable, and fool-proof. He shares how his hydroponic Farm Stand saves water, energy, shortens time to harvest, and extends growing seasons. The most amazing part of the program is the plant suggestions by zip code and continuous coaching and reminders to add water and nutrients. Listen in for a promo code and free app that helps all food growers! www.urbanfarm.org/lettucegrow

Dry, arid regions make for some creative watering strategies. Sara El-Sayed has taken the traditional olla method of watering to a new level by incorporating drip irrigation tubing. The Clayola system creates a hands-off watering system that only needs monthly attention. She also shares about how food creates culture and identity, how to consider the whole food system beyond the grocery store shelves, the growing conditions in Egypt, and how to regenerate areas using biomimicry. www.urbanfarm.org/clayola

Explore the abundance of the desert with Cactus Kelly Athena. Normally a teacher and wild desert cuisine harvester, Kelly will open your eyes to ways you could be eating the native plants in your area or harvesting them and selling to local chefs and restaurants. After this episode, you'll be harvesting your neighborhood trees to try desert edamame, mesquite flour, nopales, and prickly pear! Also, she explains the environmental and social benefits of hyperlocal cuisine. www.urbanfarm.org/cactuskelly

If the term active carbon sequestration has you picturing scientists in hazmat suits, you aren’t alone! Returning guest Scott Murray shares how to harness the power of nature and use home landscaping to reduce carbon in the environment. Listen in for an easy to understand explanation of the impact of carbon on our global environment, how capturing it helps the growth of our plants and trees, and what we can do right now to create microsystems that reduce your carbon output. www.urbanfarm.org/activecarbon

AOVS Urban Farm is much more than CSA and Farmers Market produce. The farm is home to veterans, and Christopher Peterson discusses the immense benefits for the veterans who work and walk through the farm. This unique model has its challenges, and he shares how they planned a regenerative, ADA accessible space that produces food, but also acts as landscaping for the on-site residents. Listen in to learn about this unique approach to helping our veterans and the surrounding community! www.urbanfarm.org/aovs

Sometimes it just doesn't feel like we have enough space in our gardens! Returning guest, Jason Johns, shares his solution that increased the yield per square foot from his garden, different styles of vertical gardens, and design tips. He also recommends his favorite plants and how to customize the soil and watering schedule when you are planting upward. Listen in for details on how to win his newest book to help you start creating your own vertical garden. www.urbanfarm.org/vertical

Do you know the difference between a cucumber and a cucumber melon? Neither did Jay Tracy, but a conversation with a desert gardening guru helped him discover this tasty, drought-tolerant plant that is easy to grow in hot climates. Learn all about how to grow cucumber melons, how he avoids cross-pollination, and why landrace varieties are more resilient. Jay also shares some of his favorite varieties, his secrets for pre-sprouting vs direct seeding, and how to win some seeds! www.urbanfarm.org/cucumbershop

What is your first thought when you think of using urine as fertilizer? Abraham Noe-Hays from the Rich Earth Institute may change your mind. Urine contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, all things that we look for in a fertilizer. They create pollution in our wastewater system, but when added to the agricultural cycle they benefit our plants. Listen in and learn about urine diversion, and you'll honestly start to contemplate if you should begin peeing in your yard! www.urbanfarm.org/peecycling

Returning podcast guest, Chris Smith, updates us on his Okra Trials, everything he learned, and how they determined the best variety of okra out of over 60 contestants! He also shares how The Utopian Seed Project is focusing on bringing seed and food diversity to the south. They are currently testing southern crops such as cowpeas, heritage beans, corn, and groundnuts. Listen in to learn about growing tropical perennials in the south, open-sourced seeds, and much more! www.urbanfarm.org/utopianseed

This is the September 2019 episode of a live Seed Saving Class discussing genetic modification, the current advances, what that means for our food, the truth behind the scientific studies, hand pollination, and so much more. There is always a bounty of information available in conversations with Bill McDorman. www.urbanfarm.org/bonus31

What would you eat if all the grocery stores in your area closed? Peggy Sorensen found her answer in the native trees, shrubs, weeds, and cacti of the southwest! Hear how she got into foraging edible desert plants, which southwest plants are her favorite to harvest, and some of the ways to process and prepare them. If you've ever wondered about making your own prickly pear juice, mesquite flour, purslane pickles, or mallow chips, you'll love this intro to wild foods! www.urbanfarm.org/desertkitchen

Most people in Arizona are familiar with Hickman's eggs, but there is so much more to this family-run business than eggs! Clint Hickman shared with us the evolution of egg farming, and how his family business grew enough to feed Phoenix. He also explains all the side businesses that came out of egg farming: organic fertilizer, recycling programs, and animal feed. They even formed a mutually beneficial program with local prisons that gives farm-work-release inmates a leg up. www.urbanfarm.org/hickmanseggs

Wholistic living has taken on a whole new meaning for Jolene Kuty! Through learning about health, she went from eating cheese infused hot dogs to working as a chiropractic physician surrounded by her half-acre urban farm. She created a full circle system using compost, chickens, mealworms, and contributions from neighbors. Hear how she engages her kids and educates with no element overlooked as she creates a thriving space that allows her to get outside and engage with the world. www.urbanfarm.org/kuty

Eco-edible landscaping sounds like a cool new method, but it incorporates many of the tried and true methods of permaculture. Kristie Kapp educates on building a food forest and how to incorporate 7 layers, supporting plants, mineral accumulators, and beneficial insects. She teaches stacking plant functions, and how to build the ideal soil for your food forest in just one year. Listen in to learn these principles and how to start creating regenerative, resilient ecosystems. www.urbanfarm.org/resilientroots

How does an having adventurous spirit, practicing yoga and following your intuition lead someone to start a farm? As Tiffany Panaccione learned, those experiences teach you to follow your heart and try new things! Listen in to learn how she plans to turn her dream of farming into a profitable business. She discusses her plans for her first crop, and how she plans to build a customer base. Healthy soil, drip tape, and saving seeds are all part of the strategy she discusses. www.urbanfarm.org/heartworkfarms