The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

696: Cool Season and Warm Season Crops.A Chat with an Expert on Seeds.In This Podcast: This is the August 2022 Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman discussing cool season and warm season crops.  Do we plant cool season crops in the fall and warm season in the spring? How is it that cool season varieties get sweeter as the weather gets colder? Can warm season crops last through blistering heat? Can we strengthen the genetics of any crop through selection and adaptation? Come play with us and find out the answers to these questions and more with Bill McDorman and Greg Peterson on Seed Chat.  At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class. Join the class! Register anytime for the next event. Register Here for the Seed Saving Class with Live Q&ABill McDorman is 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.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/09/16/696-seed-chat/for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Making Growing Fruit Trees Easy and Affordable for Beginners In This Podcast:Joshua Burman Thayer believes everyone can and should grow food, but with so much to learn, it is easy for a beginner to get overwhelmed.  Where do you start?  What do you really need?  Where should you spend your time and money to get the best harvest?  Joshua has used his experience with his clients to write the book he couldn’t find… a book especially for beginners.  He shares some tips from the book and gives us a preview of his next book.Joshua Burman Thayer has always had his hands in the earth as he has traveled extensively working with communities around plants and food. He started out as a W.W.O.O.F. volunteer on organic farms throughout Latin America, worked as a laborer on organic C.S.A. farms back home in California, apprenticed and worked in ecological landscape design, and did native plant field research with renowned mentors. With all that experience Joshua has become a lead designer and advocate for uniting ecology with aesthetic, creating beautiful, productive natural systems that work with nature to foster bounty.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/09/09/695-joshua-thayer/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!Food Forests for First Timers.

Making a Connection Between Jazz and GardeningIn This Podcast: Like many people during the pandemic, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Shapiro suddenly found herself at home staring at an empty calendar.  To fill the time, she turned her attention to decorating the unattractive cement spaces outside her home.  One potted plant led to another and another, and they grew into a gardening obsession which, at first, seemed so different from her jazz roots.  But the deeper she dug into gardening, the more she discovered that nature held lessons that transposed beautifully into music.  Lizzy's garden changed not just the view outside her home, but also her view of the world.Elizabeth "Lizzy" Shapiro is a screenwriter, actress and musician. As a screenwriter, she has created TV shows alongside Hollywood heavyweights like Ben Stiller and Joey Soloway, as well as creating and starring in "The Crossroads of History" which received 2 Emmy nominations.As a musician, she trained as an opera singer and is currently the front woman of Lizzy & the Triggermen. Dubbed "10-piece jazz sensations" by LA Weekly, the band's debut album, "Good Songs for Bad Times," hit #3 on iTunes Jazz Charts (just behind Miles Davis).Their music simultaneously transports you to a prohibition speakeasy while feeling arrestingly modern, thanks to the powerhouse vocals and songwriting of Lizzy. Their eerily prophetic original song, "Dance Song (for the End of the World)" garnered international press for its music video which featured dancers all over the world at the beginning of lock down. The band has been forging exciting new paths for modern big band and swing music: headlining some of the top music venues in the country, opening for the UK rock band Squeeze, and being selected as Official Artists of SXSW.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/09/02/694-lizzy-shapiro/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!Discovering Music in a Container Garden.

Worms Are People TooIn This Podcast: When his previous industry ground to a sudden halt, Paul Horner decided to farm worms, and this unusual decision turned his life in a completely unexpected direction. His enthusiastic appreciation for the humble worm has fueled a passion for educating others about the value of these tiny creatures, creatures that can magically turn food waste into one of the best plant foods on the planet.  Paul openly shares his story, encouraging us to have positive feelings not just about worms, but also about ourselves.Paul Horner is a worm farmer, published children’s book author, and Co-Founder of Our Silent Partners - a grass roots effort focusing on transforming waste diversion into chemical-free soil amendments. An organic gardener and avid composter for over 20 years, Paul has only recently been awakened to what he calls “the true magic that is vermicomposting”.  His first book, an illustrated children’s book titled “Worms Are People, Too”, was published in April 2022.  He is a member of the U.S. Composting Council, the North Carolina Composting Council, and the Carolina Farm Stewards Association.  Paul currently resides in Harrisburg, NC with his wife and three children.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/08/26/693-paul-horner/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!Paul Horner on Vermicomposting.

A chat with Scott Murray. In This Garden Chat: Watering your gardens is a step that we all need to do. Fertilizing is just as important, although sometimes not as easy to remember. Both of these chores can be done in a variety of ways and too many choices might prevent us from starting. Join us as we chat with our friend and mentor Scott Murray about combining those two processes into one easy step to minimize our energy output and boost our harvest and garden health. Fertlizing with your irrigation is the solution to many gardening and orcharding questions.On the last Tuesday every month we host The Urban Farm Garden Chats where Greg Peterson has a relaxed conversation in a Zoom room with a special guest to cover useful gardening topics, and they answer questions from the live listening audience.To join us for the next event, go to www.GardenChat.org or Click HERE to register for the Monthly Garden Chat with Live Q&AOur Special Guest: Scott Murray has 48 years of organic agriculture production experience in the United States & Mexico.  He has served in a wide variety of roles within conservation, food production, and environmental leadership, including as an elected California conservation official for the last 27 years.  Scott also specializes in farmland preservation projects utilizing smart growth principles.  These days his primary work is on farm creation and consulting, including his work on a farm growing coffee in southern CA which had its first harvest and sold out in one day...at an unbelievable $796 a pound.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/08/19/692-garden-chat/ for show notes and links.

691: Seed Harvesting. A Chat with an Expert on Seeds.In This Podcast: This is the July 2021 Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman discussing seed harvesting.  Before you know it, all your crops will be going to seed. Rather than deadhead and “clean everything up,” learn how to be your own best seed detective. What are the characteristics of the plants from which you should be saving seed? How do you decide when and how to harvest your seeds? What are some simple strategies that can be applied to most plants when saving for seed? What are the benefits from saving your own, locally cultivated and adapted seed? Bill McDorman is 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.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/08/12/691-seed-chat/ for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Setting an urban farming goal and then making it a reality.In This Podcast:When Dr. Jolene Kuty and her husband were ready to start planting on their bare new property, they spent a lot of time planning what they wanted to do in the space and how they wanted it to look in 10 years.  They wisely took even more time to plan the space accordingly.  Now, 10 years later, hear how they are enjoying the fruits of their labor, both literally and figuratively, and proving that the best time to plant a tree really is 10 years ago!Chiropractic physician and health educator, Dr. Jolene Kuty, built an idyllic sustainable urban farm as a role model for her patients and her family.  Her home and on-site chiropractic office is surrounded by 800 square feet of raised organic vegetable gardens and over 20 trees from the Urban Farm fruit tree program. They live, work, and play on a half-acre in the city where their five children swing beside seedlings and are surrounded by fresh growing fruit. They eat farm-to-table, sharing recipes and inspiration with all who visit.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/08/05/690-jolene-kuty/ for show notes and links.Creating a 10-Year Vision.

An Ask a Farmer Session with One of Greg's Mentors.In This Podcast:Scott Murray shares his four-step plan for starting a farm.  If you have gardened, you have likely learned how to grow a thing or two, and maybe you are considering stepping it up and becoming a farmer.  Do you know how to start a farm?  What does it take to go from gardener to farmer?  What questions should you ask before you start and where do you find the answers?  Start right here with the answers and inspiration you’ll find in this session!Gardening advice and inspiration from a mentor.Even those of us who have been farming for decades can gain insight and inspiration when we have a more experienced farmer as a mentor.  For Greg, one of those people is his good friend, Scott Murray.  One of the best things about Scott is that he is so willing to help others learn how to grow food successfully.  Every now and then we'll have a live Ask a Farmer webinar where the audience can submit questions for Scott to answer.This podcast episode is a recording of one of those sessions with information so good, we couldn't help but share!Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/07/29/689-scott-murray/ for show notes and links.Scott Murray on Being a Farmer.

A chat with Don Titmus.  In This Garden Chat: The biggest and most basic concern when maintaining a garden is water.  In these uncertain times of drought and rising costs, how can you ensure your garden will not wilt just when you need it most?  Don Titmus shares his secrets for finding free water right where you are, no matter where you live.  Using his expert tips, your garden will be stay green and healthy, and you will be a better steward of our most precious resource.  Best of all, watering your garden will be easier than ever!The Water Harvesting Summit mentioned in this episode was amazing!  Click HERE for the replays...and a lot more! On the last Tuesday every month we host The Urban Farm Garden Chats where Greg Peterson has a relaxed conversation in a Zoom room with a special guest to cover useful gardening topics, and they answer questions from the live listening audience. To join us for the next event, go to www.GardenChat.org or Click HERE to register for the Monthly Garden Chat with Live Q&AOur Special Guest: Don Titmus grew up in London and at age 16 spent 4 years being trained in horticulture through an apprenticeship and a college course. From there he continued landscaping in his hometown until he moved to Arizona in 1981, where he worked in landscaping and then started his own business in garden maintenance.  In 2003 he attended a Permaculture Design Course, which was life-changing for Don. He knew right away that this was the path he’d been waiting for, and later attended two Permaculture Teacher Trainings.  He co-founded the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, started a Permaculture design company, redesigned his home site into a permaculture design destination, and helped develop a thriving permaculture community in the Phoenix, Arizona area. He has presented in 5 cities, worked in several states, attended classes in 5 states, and pretty much lives and breathes permaculture.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/07/22/688-garden-chat/ for show notes and links.

687: Squashes, Summer & Winter.A Chat with an Expert on Seeds.In This Podcast: This is the June 2022 Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman discussing squashes.  Help! How can we tell the difference between summer and winter squashes and why is it important? What are the challenges with cross-pollination and why don’t the three different species of squash cross? And what are they? What are the pitfalls of planting and planning for harvest? So many questions and so many answers can be found on Seed Chat with Greg and Bill. At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class. Join the class! Register anytime for the next event. Register Here for the Seed Saving Class with Live Q&ABill McDorman was 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.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/07/15/687-seed-chat/for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!