
The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson
Welcome to The Urban Farm Podcast, your partner in the Grow Your Own Food revolution! This audio only podcast features special guests like Rosemary Morrow, Zach Loeks, and Andrew Millison as we discuss the art and value of growing food in urban areas. We'll explore topics such as gardening basics, urban beekeeping and chicken farming, permaculture, successful composting, monetizing your farm, and much more! Each episode will bring you tips and tricks on how to overcome common challenges, opportunities to learn from the experience of people just like you, and plenty of resources to ensure you're informed, equipped, and empowered to participate more mindfully in your local food system... and to have a great time doing it!
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Latest episodes

Nov 3, 2023 • 31min
776: Maria Rodale on Love, Nature, Magic
776: Maria Rodale on Love, Nature, MagicSharing enlightening conversations with the living world around usIn This Podcast: Maria Rodale comes from three generations of organic gardeners and farmers. Her grandfather founded the Rodale Institute, so at a very young age she was gardening. Throughout her entire life she has advocated for growing organic and even penned a best selling book called Organic Manifesto. Maria calls herself ‘an explorer in search of the mysteries of the universe.’ She is the author of Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden, as well as Organic Manifesto and Scratch, and she writes children’s book under the name Mrs. Peanuckle.. Visit www.urbanfarm.org/MariaRodale for the show notes and links on this episode!Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 800 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 6min
775: Margaret Bruning on Homesteading as an Artist.
775: Margaret Bruning on Homesteading as an ArtistBuilding community vitality through art, food, and natureIn This Podcast: Imagine for a moment...you have a successful career that is on an upward trajectory but something just doesn't feel right. So you decide to move onto your next life by packing up your belongings and hitting the road in a teardrop camper for three years! Exploring the outer world and the inner world and then landing on a homestead in West Virginia! Come along for the ride as Margaret shares the ride of her life!Margaret and her husband David Long have operated Poe Run Craft and Provisions in West Virginia since 2018. The working homestead is dedicated to community vitality through art, food, and nature. Offerings include homestead experiences and artisan foods. Margaret has a master’s degree in art history and 25 years’ experience in arts administration. She completed her Permaculture Design Course while living in Phoenix in 2007.Visit www.urbanfarm.org/PoeRun for the show notes and links on this episode!Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 800 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Oct 20, 2023 • 59min
774: Our Secret to Tree Planting Success - a Garden Chat
774: Our Secret to Tree Planting Success.A Garden Chat with Janis Norton.In This Garden Chat:Did you know that plants and trees need to eat every day, but we are taught to plant them in the dirt you have and feed/fertilize them once or twice a year. THAT is NOT a recipe for success. Join Greg & Janis as they share the pathway they discovered over the past 24 years to make our fruit trees, and other trees and plants for that matter thrive!Our Special Guest:Janis is the General Manager at The Urban Farm. Here she oversees several major projects including the Fruit Tree Education Program, The Urban Farm Podcast, the annual Permaculture Design Course, as well as the online educational classes, chats, and summits. She came to the Urban Farm as an intern while earning her degree in Sustainability from Arizona State University. Using her organization and project management skills to help facilitate a couple of The Urban Farm’s larger events, she also took on managing the 2nd Annual Great American Seed Up. She was motivated to learn all she could about gardening and urban farming, eventually becoming a Master Gardener and PDC trained. While Greg is the visionary at The Urban Farm, Janis is the Implementer – using her superpowers as a project manager to make things happen and keep them on task.Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg or choose one of the senior members of our Urban Farm team to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 775 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more. *Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Oct 13, 2023 • 33min
773: Seed Journaling - A Seed Chat
773: Seed Journaling. A chat with an expert on seeds.In This Seed Chat:This is the September 2023 Seed Chat about busting the myths around seed journaling. Join Janis Norton and Farmer Greg as they walk you through all the different ways to journal about your garden. Most importantly why it is so valuable to keep track of the myriad of things that you do in your garden and how that can lead to future successes.Visit www.urbanfarm.org/seeds23sep for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!What is the Seed Chat?At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman, the former Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013. Come join us for the next live class, or catch up on our previous classes through our podcast episodes. Either way you will expand your seed knowledge and gain new perspectives on your food system. Register anytime for the next event.Register Here for the Monthly Seed Saving Class with Live Q&ABecome an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 775 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Oct 10, 2023 • 38min
772: Don't Throw That Away, Compost It - A Rosie Replay
772: Don't Throw That Away, Compost ItA Rosie on The House Radio Show Replay"Rosie on the House is a father and son weekly radio show on home-improvement advice that is found on several key Arizona radio stations. It is a trusted source of home-improvement advice and know-how. Rosie and Romey Romero consider that an honor and a responsibility, a feeling that Greg shares."In This Show:Join Greg on his monthly Rosie on the House radio show episode as he discusses various and sometimes easier ways to compost before you get to traditional hot composting. Rosie on The House: On the fourth Saturday of each month, Farmer Greg will talk with Romey about all aspects of gardening and urban farming in the Arizona climates…7Gardening Tips * Chickens * Composting * Smart Watering Tips * Fruit Trees * Seed Saving * Sonoran Desert Weather * Permaculture TidbitsVisit www.urbanfarm.org/Rosie23sep for the show notes on this episode and broadcasting information!Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 800 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.

Oct 6, 2023 • 40min
771: Chris Nycz on My Organic Farming
771: Chris Nycz on My Organic Farming Expanding self-reliant skills, one step at a time.In This Podcast: Join Greg as he chats with Chris Nycz about his journey from college student to weekend farmer to owning his own acres and running a farm to benefit the community. Chris says “It's been a laboratory where I got to try out all sorts of different ideas that I had read about. I think one of the things I would say is I wasn't precisely certain what I wanted to do, so I tried to do a great many things, probably too many things.”Chris was born in Dallas Fort Worth and after deciding that he was interested in organic farming he bought many books on the subject and studied the basic ideas. Using a small portion of father’s land, he created an organic garden and for two years he drove 300 miles round trip to the property almost every weekend. About a decade ago, he realized that he was truly passionate about organic farming, sold his house in the suburbs and bought some land in Southern Oklahoma. Here he has developed the Nycz Organic Farm with work trade opportunities, open-to-the- public visits, and even some organic farm experience vacations.Visit www.urbanfarm.org/NYCZFarm for the show notes and links on this episode!Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 775 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.

Oct 3, 2023 • 27min
770: What is Backyard Orchard Culture with Tom Spellman
770: What is Backyard Orchard CultureA conversation with a Fruit Tree ExpertIn This Podcast: Greg interviews Tom Spellman with Dave Wilson Nursery about Backyard Orchard Culture. We learn more about Tom's three simple guidelines for your back or front yard orchards: 1. Keep the tree to a manageable size so that it's easy to harvest. 2. Plant what you love and will use. 3. Grow trees that successively ripen.Tom has been involved in the nursery business since 1973. At that time, he was a freshman in high school and rode his skateboard to work. Since then he has worked for several different nurseries including Nogales Nursery where he learned landscape design, installation, irrigation and construction. Armstrong Nurseries where he worked with hybridizers, growers and retail on the weekends. La Verne Nursery which specializes in Avocado, Citrus, Sub-Tropical fruit trees and grafted ornamentals, where he was general manager for 20 years. And currently is the southwestern sales manager for Dave Wilson Nursery.Visit www.urbanfarm.org/TomBOC for the show notes and links on this episode!Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 775 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Sep 29, 2023 • 33min
769: Bevin Cohen on Seeds and Weeds
769: Bevin Cohen on Seeds and WeedsChanging the landscape one seed at a timeIn This Podcast: Greg chats with fellow podcaster Bevin Cohen about the exciting work that he is up to. Bevin is a national speaker and host of the podcast Seeds and Weeds. Has traveled the world looking at local food systems and his favorite thing to do is go someplace and just walk the neighborhoods looking for food growing.Bevin is an award-winning author, herbalist, owner of Small House Farm and host of the popular Seeds & Weeds podcast. Bevin offers workshops and lectures across the country on the benefits of living closer to the land through seeds, herbs, and locally grown food. He is a food and garden writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications including Mother Earth News, Modern Farmer Magazine, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company catalog. Bevin is the author or editor of more than ten books, including The Artisan Herbalist and Saving Our Seeds.Visit www.urbanfarm.org/Seedsandweeds for the show notes and links on this episode!Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Sep 22, 2023 • 38min
768: Integrated Pest Management - A Garden Chat
768: Integrated Pest Management.A Garden Chat with Teresa Watkins.In This Garden Chat:Integrated pest management is a concept that looks at all the ways of managing pest pressure and uses the least impactful one first. Greg talks with Teresa Watkins about how to use the least harmful method of pest control to the environment first, which could mean picking off insects off the plants, or even spraying aphids off a plant with water. It means using the best management practices to help prevent pests or diseases before they arrive.Our Special Guest:Teresa is a garden author, landscape designer, horticulturist and radio personality. She had the honor of designing the landscape for the first certified green home in Florida. Theresa taught Florida friendly principles for the University of Florida and was instrumental in developing the Florida Water Star Water conservation and certification program. She is the host of the podcast, Better Lawns and Gardens, plus her first gardening book series A Gardener's, compendium: Gardening in a Twitter world in 140 characters or more is available at bookshops, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and on Theresa's website.Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg or choose one of the senior members of our Urban Farm team to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 775 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more. *Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Sep 15, 2023 • 43min
767: Bugs, Disease, Weather, and Animals - A Seed Chat
767: Bugs, Disease, Weather, and Animals. A chat with an expert on seeds.In This Seed Chat:This is the August 2023 Seed Chat discussing the impact that climate change is having on our crops. With all the excitement in the world Bill proposes to get all the diversity you can into your yard, into your neighborhood, into your community. That means more different kinds of varieties of the favorite crops that you wanna grow and more different kinds of crops off the scale. The more genetic and crop diversity that we have in our communities the better.Visit www.urbanfarm.org/seeds23aug for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!What is the Seed Chat?At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman, the former Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013. Come join us for the next live class, or catch up on our previous classes through our podcast episodes. Either way you will expand your seed knowledge and gain new perspectives on your food system. Register anytime for the next event.Register Here for the Monthly Seed Saving Class with Live Q&ABecome an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 775 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.