Now displaying: August, 2021
630: Small Space - Big Potential 0
A chat with Niki Jabbour.
Great things come in small packages, even in gardening! Niki Jabbour's enthusiasm for corners, windowsills, and balconies will have you reconsidering the growing potential of your tiniest spaces. Niki tells us what makes a good space, giving examples of some places that are often overlooked. Learn how to decide which foods to grow and where, how to plant them, and how to ensure your plants thrive in their small space. You'll never look at a driveway the same way again!
Niki is the author of four books on food gardening including The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and Growing Under Cover. She's also a two-time winner of the prestigious American Horticultural Society Book Award. She writes for newspapers and magazines and has hosted a weekly radio show for the past 14 years. Niki gardens in zone 5B in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
629: Wrap Up of Roundup 0
A SPECIAL Farmer Friday Interview with Jeffrey Smith.
In This Farmer Friday Podcast on Wrap Up of Roundup:
Jeffrey Smith joins us to discuss the astonishing news that Bayer will discontinue sales of Roundup to residential consumers in the US. Jeffrey is a passionate advocate for people and nature in the fight against Roundup and GMO's. He explains the significance of this announcement by discussing both the history leading up to it and the opportunities created by it. There is still much work to do to protect our health and safety, but this is a monumental step forward!
Wrap Up of Roundup.
628: Brazen Brassicas 0
628: Brazen Brassicas.
This is the July 2021 Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman discussing brassicas. Sassy, unpretentious and unapologetic, the brassica family covers some of the easiest and trickiest plants to grow, and from which to save seeds. Break through the mystery, the challenge, and myths and learn how to grow and save seeds from this family of diverse species which includes kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, arugula and broccoli. At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class.
Visit www.urbanfarm.org/brazenbrassicas for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!
627: Ecosystem Mimicry and Layering. 0
A Farmer Friday Interview with Zach Loeks.
In This Farmer Friday Podcast on Ecosystem Mimicry and Layering:
Greg welcomes back Zach Loeks to discuss how to simplify the process of ecosystem design by observing and mimicking the natural layers and patterns of existing ecosystems. Zach details what to look for when observing. He also explains how to create a more complete ecosystem by using layering to fill a space vertically and patterns to fill it horizontally. You will enjoy the fun examples he gives. Don't miss hearing Zach explain how to jazz up your design!
Ecosystem Mimcry and Layering.
626: Kevin Espiritu on Epic Gardening Growth 0
Getting Excited About Sharing Gardening Stories.
Kevin is passionate about gardening and driven to find ways to help others grow plants. We are excited to have him return, this time to give us updates about both his personal and professional gardening endeavors. Kevin shares stories of new digs, new products and a new book. All of his stories share the common themes of ease and sustainability, and all of them are generously sprinkled with epic tidbits of gardening wisdom.
Kevin Espiritu began his business Epic Gardening as a way for him to present gardening information in a more modern, updated way to friends and family. First came the website, followed by YouTube, a daily podcast, and finally his social media presence on Instagram, and Facebook. Kevin is the author of Field Guide to Urban Gardening, and his new book is Grow Bag Gardening, both from our friends at Quarto Publishing.
Epic Gardening Growth.
625: Old Growth in a Food Forest. 0
In This Farmer Friday Podcast on Old Growth:
Greg talks with Zach Loeks about old growth. Most of us think of redwood forests or the Amazon, but Zach explains how the concept of old growth also applies to food forests. Learn what old growth is and listen as Zach paints a beautifully vivid picture of what it looks like. He takes us on a journey through time, traveling back to the food forests of our ancestors, and forward to imagine what his planting will look like hundreds of years in the future.
Old Growth in a Food Forest.
624: Sharon Pesner on Eating the Rainbow 0
Encouraging Children to Eat More Colorful Foods.
Sharon Pesner was just an ordinary mom, struggling to get her children to eat healthy foods, until she bravely presented her ideas at a PTA meeting and they grew into a program called Eating the Rainbow. Sharon shares how the program developed, the contagious excitement it generated, and the impact it had on the entire school community. She also reflects on the personal growth she experienced while working on the program, and she tells us where she volunteers now.
Sharon Pesner is the creator of the Eating the Rainbow School Nutrition Program. A parent-led, community supported, principal & PTA endorsed, school-wide program that ran successfully at the Chestnut Hills Elementary School in Dix Hills, NY until it closed. Eating the Rainbow was an inspired idea that with the help of three other moms, and numerous volunteers, evolved into an EPIC program reaching far into the community and school district and impacting hundreds of kids and their families. Sharon is a mother of two 'almost-adults', and knows that a mom's dedication to the health of her kids can move mountains when it needs to.
Visit www.UrbanFarm.org/eattherainbow for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!
Eating the Rainbow.
623: How to Grow Potatoes 0
A Farmer Friday Interview with Kevin Espiritu.
In This Farmer Friday Podcast on How to Grow Potatoes:
Greg dishes with Kevin Espiritu about potatoes. Bake them, mash them, or boil them in a stew…. There are many ways to eat the versatile potato and, as Kevin discovered, there are several ways to grow them as well! He gives us the steps for two common methods, and then he tells us what happened when he experimented to see if he could make the process even simpler. The result is what Kevin calls his "lazy potato" method, and it couldn't be much easier!
How to Grow Potatoes.
622: Leon Kolankiewicz on Preserving Quality Farmland 0
Working to Protect the Land That Produces Our Food.
Leon Kolankiewicz defines the problem of urban sprawl, and he describes the alarming rate at which it is permanently destroying farmland and our future food security. What is driving this sprawl, and what can we do about it? Leon is optimistic that farmland can be saved if long term trends are addressed. Hear the solutions he recommends, based on his decades of research, and the changes he believes can be made at both the individual and government levels.
Leon is a consulting environmental scientist and planner. He has managed Environmental Impact Statements (EIS's) on projects ranging from dams and reservoirs to flood control facilities, roads, parks, power plants, oil drilling, and mines. He has assisted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the preparation of management plans at 50 national wildlife refuges in many states. Receiving his B.S. at Virginia Tech and M.Sc. at the University of British Columbia, during his career he has worked for several agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, National Marine Fisheries Service, as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, and as a consultant.
Leon Kolankiewicz on Preserving Quality Farmland.