The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Getting Excited About Sharing Gardening Stories.In This Podcast: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.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2021/08/17/626-kevin-espiritu/ for shownotes and links.Epic Gardening Growth.

A Farmer Friday Interview with Zach Loeks.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.Do you ever wish you could catch those tidbits of wisdom that some people throw out without warning? Well, in our new Farmer Friday episodes - Farmer Greg shares quick thoughts, revelations, tips, and general farming advice in bite-sized and fun episodes. Sometimes it might be Greg just sharing a thought that hit him while working in the yard, or a really cool inspiration from the garden, and occasionally he’ll answer some listener questions. Other times he will catch a moment with a farming friend or podcast guest to share educational farming tidbits.  This quick podcast episode is designed to be brief and not take up your day. So… listen in and enjoy this Garden snack… Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2021/08/13/625-farmer-friday/ for shownotes and links.Old Growth in a Food Forest.

Encouraging Children to Eat More Colorful Foods.In This Podcast: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 https://www.urbanfarm.org/2021/08/10/624-sharon-pesner/ for shownotes and links.Eating the Rainbow.

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!Do you ever wish you could catch those tidbits of wisdom that some people throw out without warning? Well, in our new Farmer Friday episodes - Farmer Greg shares quick thoughts, revelations, tips, and general farming advice in bite-sized and fun episodes. Sometimes it might be Greg just sharing a thought that hit him while working in the yard, or a really cool inspiration from the garden, and occasionally he’ll answer some listener questions. Other times he will catch a moment with a farming friend or podcast guest to share educational farming tidbits.  This quick podcast episode is designed to be brief and not take up your day. So… listen in and enjoy this Garden snack… Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2021/08/06/623-farmer-friday/ for shownotes and links.How to Grow Potatoes.

Working to Protect the Land That Produces Our Food.In This Podcast: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. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2021/08/03/622-leon-kolankiewicz/ for shownotes and links.Leon Kolankiewicz on Preserving Quality Farmland.

A Farmer Friday Interview with Laura Allen.In This Farmer Friday Podcast on How to Grow Healthy Plants with Greywater:Greg welcomes back Laura, from Greywater Action, this time to teach us some specifics about using greywater.  While the concept of greywater is fairly straightforward, there are some basic rules.  Laura tells us how to easily recognize and avoid things that should not be in the water, what happens if one of them should make it into the water, and what types of plants are suitable for greywater. She also shares some very handy resources.Do you ever wish you could catch those tidbits of wisdom that some people throw out without warning? Well, in our new Farmer Friday episodes - Farmer Greg shares quick thoughts, revelations, tips, and general farming advice in bite-sized and fun episodes. Sometimes it might be Greg just sharing a thought that hit him while working in the yard, or a really cool inspiration from the garden, and occasionally he’ll answer some listener questions. Other times he will catch a moment with a farming friend or podcast guest to share educational farming tidbits.  This quick podcast episode is designed to be brief and not take up your day. So… listen in and enjoy this Garden snack… Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2021/07/30/621-farmer-friday/ for shownotes and links.How to Grow Healthy Plants with Greywater.

A chat with Don Titmus.  In This Garden Chat: Greg, co-host Janis Norton, and Don discuss how to apply permaculture concepts to address water issues in our landscapes.  They dive deep to reveal the natural systems that protect plants from climate extremes, and they explore ways we can replicate these systems in our landscapes.  Whether your local climate is wet or dry, hot or cold, you will appreciate the many practical tips for identifying, observing, and managing the water available on your property.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.Our Special Guest:Don 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/2021/07/27/620-garden-chat/ for shownotes and links.Water In and For Our Landscape.

A Farmer Friday Reflection by Greg Peterson.In This Farmer Friday Podcast on Margaret the Condo Gardener:Greg tells the story of Margaret, who simply walked around her neighborhood and began her transition from food consumer to observer, and finally to gardener.  She thought she was looking for a place to grow food.  What she found was a renewed relationship with nature and stronger bonds within her community.  Learn what Margaret did on her walks that allowed her to discover an abundant source of fresh, healthy food... and so much more!Do you ever wish you could catch those tidbits of wisdom that some people throw out without warning? Well, in our new Farmer Friday episodes - Farmer Greg shares quick thoughts, revelations, tips, and general farming advice in bite-sized and fun episodes. Sometimes it might be Greg just sharing a thought that hit him while working in the yard, or a really cool inspiration from the garden, and occasionally he’ll answer some listener questions. Other times he will catch a moment with a farming friend or podcast guest to share educational farming tidbits.  This quick podcast episode is designed to be brief and not take up your day. So… listen in and enjoy this Garden snack… Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2021/07/23/619-farmer-friday/ for shownotes and links.Margaret the Condo Gardener.

618: Wildflowers.In This Podcast:At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman.  This is the June 2021 class discussing wildflowers.  Bill draws on his 28 years of careful observation as he shares expert tips for successful wildcrafting and planting of wildflower seeds, including mistakes to avoid.  He also clears up some common misconceptions about wildflowers and discusses problems in the wildflower industry. 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/2021/07/20/618-seed-chat/ for shownotes and links.

A Farmer Friday Reflection by Greg Peterson.In This Farmer Friday Podcast on Water Harvesting at the Urban Farm:Farmer Greg’s sustainable, regenerative water harvesting system has him singing in the rain, even in the desert.  Greg explains where the water comes from and where it goes, and he gives details about how he collects and distributes it.  He also gives a formula for calculating the amount of water available for harvesting on your own site, along with other helpful tips and resources for getting started safely and legally.Do you ever wish you could catch those tidbits of wisdom that some people throw out without warning? Well, in our new Farmer Friday episodes - Farmer Greg shares quick thoughts, revelations, tips, and general farming advice in bite-sized and fun episodes. Sometimes it might be Greg just sharing a thought that hit him while working in the yard, or a really cool inspiration from the garden, and occasionally he’ll answer some listener questions. Other times he will catch a moment with a farming friend or podcast guest to share educational farming tidbits.  This quick podcast episode is designed to be brief and not take up your day. So… listen in and enjoy this Garden snack… Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2021/07/16/617-farmer-friday/ for shownotes and links.Water Harvesting at the Urban Farm.