Small Scale Life

As I drove through southern Minnesota this week, I saw a lot of great farms and homesteads on my journey.  Some of these folks lived on Century Farms (100-year old family farms) while others were just starting to homestead. My friend Jay and I can relate to those new homesteaders: we both purchased properties in 2018.  We want to create new homesteads on our respective properties, and we figured it would be great to talk with someone who actually had a homestead and was further down the rabbit hole on this journey. Fortunately, I know a few people who do some great things due to this little podcast and blog!  I called on my friend Captain Lumbersquatch Greg Burns, and he agreed to bring his contrarian perspective (and jar full of fermented goodness) to the discussion. For more information, show notes and links to other podcasts and information, check out the post on Small Scale Life!

In this episode, I am on the road and talking about building community.  Humans are social creatures.  We are not meant to live in this world alone.  Sometimes we do need to “have a little help from our friends.” My questions to you are: Do you have some friends that have your back? Have you spent some time building community around you? Unfortunately in modern Western Civilization, the answer is probably no.  I have to admit: I need to work on this as well.  We are going to make some changes to Small Scale Life to help you build community around you, where ever you are.  For more on that, please head over to Small Scale Life to read the post that has more thoughts, information and links.

Canning is a method of saving that nutritious food for later seasons. You fill your own jars and know what exactly you are eating. That is so critical these days where we seem to have a food advisory, recall notice or flat out parasite infestation (hello McDonald's, Trader Joe’s, Krogers and Walgreens) almost daily. By growing and preserving your own food, you will have the satisfaction of knowing just what hands have handled your food and what is in your jars. To learn more about canning, go to [Small Scale Life](www.smallscalelife.com) for more.

Today’s podcast, post and YouTube videos are particularly timely.  In the Small Scale Life Facebook Group, our friend and new gardener Alex has a great question: “My tomatoes are so out of control and are completely shading my peppers. I have at least 10 peppers that have stopped growing and those are my favorite.  Can I cut back the tomatoes? Can I attempt transplanting the peppers? At this rate the peppers are not going to grow so these are my only two options besides just pulling them.” – Alex from Illinois. There is no need to pull the peppers!  I think we can figure out a way to aggressively prune tomatoes and get more sunlight to those peppers. Be advised: by aggressively pruning, you will get more tomatoes from your plants!  I think you can handle it though. For more information about How to Prune Tomatoes, head over to Small Scale Life ([smallscalelife.com](www.smallscalelife.com)) for the post, videos, pictures and more!

It has been a while since I have been on the Small Scale Life Podcast. I have been a busy boy doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, traveling around the country taking care of business. I look forward to staying home and getting some of my own projects done. I want to have a level of success getting those projects done too! One thing that I have been finding is that a lot of us (myself included) can get bogged down and struggle to get things done. It can just be overwhelming at times with a long to do list. I don’t know about you, but when my list gets too long, none of it gets done. I punt on the whole list and just shut down, and then nothing gets done. This creates conflict with others including your boss, your partner, your spouse and all the other people who depend on you? How do you get through that shut down mindset, get things done and achieve some level of success? To read more, please go to the article on [Small Scale Life](www.smallscalelife.com) titled Midweek Motivation Lesson – 3P’s of Success

We have hit Mid-July, and we are well beyond that old farm saying “knee high by the 4th of July” for corn.  We are on the back half of Stage 2 of the 2018 Garden Season, and it is time for another Garden Update.  There is a lot happening in the garden, and I can really see a difference in my plants due to soil treatments and plants I grew in 2017.  There is a lot to see in this Mid-July Garden Update including a discussion about the main garden, new fence, vertical garden, the patio herb garden, and perennial plants.  Keep in mind that August is just around the corner, and it is going to get very busy as we start preserving our harvest! For more on this podcast and lots of pictures and videos of the garden, head over the [Small Scale Life](www.smallscalelife.com) and see more!

I find myself traveling more and more these days for work and for life.  As I travel, I see things that capture my eye and interest as I roll over the back roads and explore towns of all shapes and sizes.  In an effort to capture some of my thoughts, observations and adventures on the road, I am going to start recording and posting "On the Road" podcasts.  This podcast is focused on my observations and thoughts as I explored in the areas around Tomah, Wisconsin. Recently, I went to Tomah, Wisconsin, and spent a few days in the area.  I had the opportunity to explore a number of towns in Monroe County.  I had such a great trip to that part of Wisconsin that just recharged my batteries and took me back to my roots.  Driving home, I had time to reflect about the trip, our house in Minneapolis and the future. For pictures and thougths about my trip to Tomah, please go to the article at Small Scale Life!

Last week during the garden update, I discussed my new vertical garden planters made from two vinyl gutters.  After I posted the article and podcast, I realized that it had been a while since I discussed this topic, and I have never discussed how to build vertical gardens on fences before. In this post and episode, I will discuss the following topics: What is a vertical garden? Benefits and challenges of a vertical garden planters Materials needed to build a vertical garden planters Step-by-step guide for building vertical garden planters What is a Vertical Garden? Vertical gardens are growing techniques that take advantage of unused vertical space to grow vegetables, herbs or flowers. There are several types of vertical gardening techniques that can be used effectively in any garden: Trellises - Making use of trellises for certain plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, sugar snap peas, grapes, squashes and gourds, etc. Hanging Planters – Using elevated planters that put plants in the air and specifically grow in used vertical space. I have used both techniques effectively over the years. I am a huge fan of trellis gardening, and I use trellises exclusively for a number of plants in my garden. I will have another article that discusses my trellis and technique. Hanging planters are another way to let plants grow in the air and maximize unused space. I discussed vertical gardens before in the following articles and podcasts here on [Small Scale Life](www.smallscalelife.com): Vertical Garden 101: Introduction to Vertical Gardening Vertical Garden 102: How to Build a Vertical Garden Vertical Gardening with the Plant Charmer Part 1 Vertical Gardening with the Plant Charmer Part 2_ There has been a lot of change since those articles and podcasts! The Plant Charmer has expanded his farming operation using vertical gardening techniques exclusively, and I have relocated from St. Louis Park to the current homestead in Minneapolis. For more about How to Build Vertical Garden Planters on Fences including a step-by-step guide and material list for building a vertical garden, check out Small Scale Life!

We are rapidly rolling through June, and by now your plants should be really starting to grow.  In this episode, it is time for another Garden Update, and while our gardens might be growing, our plants are under siege from common garden pests of all shapes and sizes.  I am dealing with some common garden pests here in my small raised beds, and I wanted to give you a head’s up about some common, and one unusual, pest before too many of you lose productive plants. In addition, I expanded my garden space by adding two vinyl gutters two weeks ago!  I have discussed these kind of gardens before in the Vertical Garden 101: Introduction to Vertical Gardening and Vertical Garden 102: How to Build a Vertical Garden posts.  I provide some thoughts about these type of gardens in this podcast in this environment. Introduction: Common Garden Pests How are your plants doing so far this season?  We are  moving into a point of no return for the 2018 season.  What do I mean?  With us getting into late June, there is a point where plants like tomatoes, peppers, squash or zucchini cannot be replaced and still generate a decent harvest this season.  The bottom line is that if you lose a plant any later in the season, it will be difficult to replace it. This is why pests are so difficult when they show up in the garden.  I am sure pests have their place in the world; however, they do not have a place in my gardens where I have been working hard to create healthy and happy plants and produce to feed my family. Without much ado, I am going to discuss how the garden is doing and some of the common garden pests I am dealing with this season.  Some of these pests have been more destructive than others, but regardless, you have to check your garden daily and make sure that you address and dispatch each pest quickly. For more information, please see the article on Small Scale Life.

Midweek Motivation is a weekly episode featuring the wisdom and stories of host Tommy Cakes. This week, Tommy is on the road in Central Wisconsin and up to his neck in cranberry bogs. In this episode, Tommy discusses his busy life on the road and how he is trying to adjust to it. For more information about this episode, please read more on [Small Scale Life](www.smallscalelife.com).

June is moving right along, and I hope you are doing well! A while back, I had a great conversation about Homesteading in Ohio with Daniel Bokros. Daniel is one of the Ohio Get Stuff Done Crew, and he has his own homestead called the Red Dog Ranch. In this podcast, we discuss his journey from the Marine Corps to the homestead in the Ohio countryside including real community, land, Joel Salatin, building soil, bees, pressure canning, chicken pigs and cows. That is a lot to pack into an hour! Check out more and get more detail on [Small Scale Life](www.smallscalelife.com)e!

In this episode of [Small Scale Life](smallscalelife.com), Michael Bell and Scott Hebert return to discuss urban farming advice and best practices. Topics discussed during this podcast includes their farms, their markets, typical yields, watering crops, harvesting product, successfully marketing products and potentially expanding their operations. For those of you don’t know who these gentlemen are, Scott Hebert owns and operates Flavourful Farm in Chilliwack, British Columbia.  Michael Bell owns and operates Half Acre Farm in Dallas, Texas. Both have uniquely different operations, but they are facing some of the same issues.  Both have been great guests on Small Scale Life, and I am thrilled to have them back on the show. If you are currently an urban farmer or are considering starting a small business, you might want to grab a drink, a pad of paper and a writing utensil.  There is a lot of good information and advice in this podcast.  Michael and Scott have tried a lot of things and found out what does and does not work on their farms and in their markets. As part of the discussion, Michael Bell, Scott Hebert and I provided some thoughts about a new type of urban farming and marketing recently discussed on Larry Hall's YouTube Channel.  Each of us had some comments (pros and cons) about this kind of small business, and there are some logistical and price point questions that will need to be explored.  As Michael Bell puts it, "It hasn't been done like this before, so why not give it a try?" You can view the video and get all the show notes on [Small Scale Life](smallscalelife.com)

Midweek Motivation is a weekly episode featuring the wisdom and stories of host Tommy Cakes. This week, Tommy is back and broadcasting outside a lounge somewhere in the Minneapolis, Minnesota.  In this episode, Tommy discusses feeling overwhelmed and how to eat an elephant. In case you are having trouble understanding the audio file, the following is a translation of the audio file from host Tommy Cakes. Who is Tommy Cakes? Live on the Small Scale Life Podcast, it is Midweek Motivation featuring Tommy Cakes. Hey, how are you?  I am Tommy Cakes.  Who am I?  I'm a guy from someplace, friends with some people and doing some things.  Don't worry about it! What I can tell you is that I am in the import and export business. I import knowledge I export that information at premium prices! I will give you a little coastal cosmopolitan insight and motivation weekly on Small Scale Life. Introduction – Feeling Overwhelmed As many of you know, I have been on the road a lot recently.  When you are gone from your home and family, things start to pile up.  Sure, you might be meeting excellent people and doing great things on the road, but life feels out of control.  Things break, the lawn grows, and business needs attention. These things start to weigh on your mind and bog you down.  Returning home, you suddenly have a lot to do before you reload and head out again.  As that to do list grows and the tasks get more complex, so does that feeling of panic and dread. You can easily feel overwhelmed by the demands of family, work and life.  That feeling can wash over you, and if you are not careful, you will get nothing done because you feel paralyzed by the amount of work on your plate. That is how I am feeling as we roll into this weekend.  How are you doing? To read more about how to Remedy Feeling Overwhelmed, head on over to read the rest of the story on Small Scale Life!

Midweek Motivation is a weekly episode featuring the wisdom and stories of host Tommy Cakes. This week, Tommy is on the road and is broadcasting from somewhere near the Front Range in Colorado.  In this episode, Tommy is going to discuss how you should always stop distractions and focus on the people and places around you. Consider this a little public service/community service on Tommy Cakes' part, if you know what I mean! In case you are having trouble understanding the audio file, the following is a translation of the audio file from host Tommy Cakes. Who is Tommy Cakes? Live on the Small Scale Life Podcast, it is Midweek Motivation featuring Tommy Cakes. Hey, how are you?  I am Tommy Cakes.  Who am I?  I'm a guy from someplace, friends with some people and doing some things.  Don't worry about it! What I can tell you is that I am in the import and export business. I import knowledge I export that information at premium prices! I will give you a little coastal cosmopolitan insight and motivation weekly on Small Scale Life. Story Time If you look at modern Western Civilization today, and we have never been more distracted in our lives. Don’t believe me? Look around you: there are people who are tuning out of reality around them and completely tuning into the computer in their hands. A great example of our distracted lives plays out every day on our nation’s roadways.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,450 people died in 2016 due to distracted driving.  391,000 were injured in motor vehicles crashes involving distracted drivers in 2015. Many of those injuries and deaths are from talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, or fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system. On a given day during daylight hours, the NHTSA states that more than 481,000 people are using their cell phones while driving. You have seen these people, haven’t you?  They weave and bob in their lanes, correcting radically when they realize they are drifting into other lanes. The sad reality is: at 55 mph, texting on your cell phone for 5 seconds is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.  That is alarming! Midweek Motivation Lesson - Stop Distractions: Focus! Compared to our parents and grandparents, we live our lives at an incredibly hectic pace.  We are constantly on the go between work, school, activities, and kids’ activities (especially 24/7/365 sports).  Western Civilization has embraced and promoted multitasking and “on-the-go” hectic lifestyles in this modern age.  We push the limits to find one extra minute to send a text or make a phone call. How often are you eating a meal in the car “on-the-go” to another event or obligation? What are we really accomplishing and are we really happy with this lifestyle? There is no reason we need to live like this.  We can take some time, feel the sunshine, walk in the hills and mountains and breathe some fresh air.  Stop distractions by slowing down and focusing on the people and things in your surroundings. Make the time by taking the time. You cannot change Western Civilization, but you can change how you act and behave in it! Source Sources for today’s Midweek Motivation include: Statistics and cover photo courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Special Thanks from Tommy Cakes I would like to thank Greg Burns from Natures Image Farm and Doneil Freeman from Freeman Family Farms for the INSPIRATION to do this Midweek Motivation Podcast.  You two ARE the wind beneath my wings! Also I would like to thank Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) for the "Kool Kats" theme music. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Badda boom, badda bing!  Dat's how we do it!

This past month has been ridiculously busy, but Julie and I took some time last week to work in the garden. This podcast is all about starting my 2018 vegetable gardening season, and if you think that everything is rainbows and unicorns, you are wrong. I had immediate trouble including rotting raised beds, dead plants and rabbits. Can anyone relate to this? Even when there are troubles and challenges, there is no place I would rather be. Digging in the dirt and planting new seedlings is therapeutic and relaxing, and these small setbacks are easily overcome. A rabbit eating a zucchini and some peppers are easily replaced with new seedlings or geraniums, and fences and raised beds can and will be replaced. To read more, please see smallscalelife.com.