The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

566: Seed Saving Class October 2020.A chat with an expert on Seeds.In This Podcast: At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman. This is the October 2020 class discussing gardening hacks, hybrid seeds, natural seed saving methods, and so much more about having fun making a mess in the garden.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/2020/11/10/566-seedchat/ for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Donna Kilpatrick on Bringing Food Closer to Home.Helping others understand the value of small farms.In This Podcast:Large-scale farming is known to be labor-intensive and supports practices that are harmful to the natural environment However, Donna Kilpatrick has spent much of her life’s work as a land steward, facilitating regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices to bolster small-scale farmers and a thriving local ecosystem. Listen in to learn about how Donna made a career out of her passion, what she does to educate her community, and the importance of training new farmers.With over twenty years of experience in agriculture, Donna is a land steward, specializing in regenerative agriculture, and ecosystem health and abundance. She has been with Heifer USA since 2007, overseeing all agriculture enterprises on Heifer Ranch since 2017. Prior to returning to farming full-time, Donna was a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Ecuador, working with cattle and dairy farmers. She holds a degree in sustainable agriculture and literature from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC, where she worked on the college farm; and a masters in non-profit management from The New School in New York, NY. She is currently working toward her accredited professional status with the Savory Institute.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/11/03/565-donna-kilpatrick/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Pia Maffei on Exploring Clean Eating.Teaching people to recognize clean, healthy food.In This Podcast:Most people perceive food as healthy based on popular buzz words and special labels such as grass-fed or non-GMO, yet, never questioning the source of ingredients. However, Pia Maffei says we should absolutely be asking ourselves this question. Listen in to learn about understanding clean eating, getting smart about deceptive marketing practices, and finding the right path towards living a healthy lifestyle by making the right food choices that work best for us. Pia used to think she was eating clean because she didn’t eat fast food or go to chain restaurants, she cooked mostly at home, ate beef about 3 times a year, and would only go out to eat at fine dining restaurants. In 2013, after a successful 25 years in technology, she opened a small, curated market called Artisan’s Palate in Temecula, California. It quickly attracted many local artisans who were making their products ‘fresh’ and ‘with love’. However, she soon realized they were using the same inexpensive ingredients commonly found in mass-produced processed foods, and they wanted to charge double the price. Just because they were making it from ‘scratch’ didn’t mean it was clean. From that day forward she started to scrutinize both the ingredients used and the processes that were implemented in the foods she carried at the market and began to work only with suppliers that were conscientious when sourcing ingredients and farming practices.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/10/27/564-pia-maffei/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library

563: Seed Saving Class September 2020. A chat with an expert on Seeds.In This Podcast: At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman. This is the September 2020 class discussing the importance of seed diversity, the value of farm direct seeds, building regional relationships, and so much more about seed adaptation.Join the class! Register anytime for the next event.Register Here for the Seed Saving Class with Live Q&ABill 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/2020/10/20/563-seedchat/ for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Benjamin Page on Interacting with The Earth.Building a relationship with your soil.In This Podcast: In today’s society, we as humans are provided with various ways to virtually connect with each other. However, Benjamin Page, recent author of two books, points out one key area humans lack a connection with: The Earth. Listen in to learn about the importance of building a relationship with earth, Ben’s definition of healthy soil, and why playing in the dirt can support overall human health and wellbeing. Benjamin is a chiropractic physician and avid urban gardener who works in the wellness paradigm. Going beyond spinal care, he uses a holistic approach as he helps his patients return to health by encouraging nutrition through chemical-free food grown in fertile soils, adequate rest, sufficient movement, and the development of proper internal dialogue. Benjamin is the author of The 4 Pillars of Health: Your Health and Well-being Made Simple, and Playing in the Dirt: The key to Sustainable Health. He is also the creator of The Wellness Farmer Podcast and Pastos verdes farm YouTube channel, where he shares his journey gardening in his little urban garden.To see show notes and links visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/10/13/562-benjamin-page/

Frances Parsons on Farming, Fitness, and Finance.Helping a community find a healthy balance.In This Podcast: Food choices, fitness routines, and spending habits can be difficult to manage. However, Frances Parsons has discovered the importance of balancing these key areas and is on a mission to help others embrace those everyday challenges that will better support a healthy life. Listen in to learn about her inspiration behind forming her nonprofit organization, the correlation between health and finances, and how she is broadening horizons for her community at Spaces of Opportunity. Frances had a cosmetology license while being a flight attendant with a major airline. Her life was great – she traveled the world doing hair. Then she went to Australia to be with her brother who was dying of cancer during his final months and learned that food could keep you alive or kill you. Changing his diet extended his life a little and her crusade began to learn about healthy food.She moved to Arizona to open a hair salon and chatted with her clients about the importance of eating healthy. She began growing food in her backyard and selling to her neighbors. Connecting the dots of her farming with physical and financial health pushed her to start a nonprofit with a couple friends to teach people in her community how they can grow their own healthy food, be fit, and get financially smart! Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/10/06/561-frances-parsons/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Ben Kilbride on The Garden Guide and More.Time-tested and trusted planting resources from the Old Farmer’s Almanac.In This Podcast: The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been used as a guide mainly by farmers to aid in predicting weather patterns. Ben Kilbride, who is the editorial assistant for the Old Farmer’s Almanac discusses the variety of publications and guides available to all types gardeners from novice to expert. Listen in to learn about the history of the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the prediction methods used, and the various gardening guides covering topics from growing techniques to battling pests.Benjamin is an editorial assistant with The Old Farmer’s Almanac. While he doesn’t own any land, he gets creative gardening every year in pots, in small mobile green houses, and under lights in his pantry.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/09/29/560-ben-kilbride/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

559: Seed Saving Class August 2020.In This Podcast: At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman. This is the August 2020 class discussing various seed exchange resources, finding heirloom seeds, supporting organizations, and so much more on how to connect people to local seed sources.Bill McDorman is past 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/2020/09/22/seed-saving-class-august-2020/ for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Jason Johns on Saving Our Bees.Creating a relationship with tiny garden workers.In This Podcast: Bees are an essential worker in our agricultural ecosystems, yet their habitats are threatened everyday. Jason Johns is the author of several books, including his new book Save Our Bees, which shares valuable insights on how home gardeners can enhance bee populations. Listen in to learn about the importance of biodiversity, planting native flowers, urban impacts, and the inspiration behind Jason's new book.Jason is the author of Save Our Bees: Your guide to creating a bee friendly environment, as well as seventeen other gardening books on everything from greenhouse gardening to growing giant pumpkins. Jason is passionate about gardening, having grown his own produce for over twenty years.  He started with a secondhand greenhouse and an 8’ by 6’ patch of his mother’s garden, and since then has worked his way through various allotments and gardens, growing everything from radishes to carrots to giant pumpkins.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/09/15/558-jason-johns/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Kim Eierman on Pollinator Victory Gardens.Calling bees, butterflies, and more to your landscape.There is a lot of focus on the importance of pollinators, yet there is still a concerning decline in populations. Kim Eierman, author of The Pollinator Victory Garden, specializes in environmental horticulture, and is encouraging gardeners to enhance pollinator pathways. Listen in to learn about the various types of pollinators, understanding native ecosystems, and how to connect your yard to a pollinator pathway. Kim is an Environmental Horticulturist specializing in ecological landscapes and native plants. She is the founder of EcoBeneficial LLC in New York. Kim teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Native Plant Center in NY, Rutgers Home Gardeners School and several other institutions. She is an active speaker nationwide and also provides horticultural consulting to homeowners and commercial clients. In addition to being a Certified Horticulturist through the American Society for Horticultural Science, Kim is an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional, a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center, and a member of The Ecological Landscape Alliance and Garden Communicators International, and designs pollinator victory gardens for both home owners and commercial clients. Kim is the author of the new book, The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/09/08/557-kim-eierman/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!Don't forget to check out Kim's blog article on Ten Tips for a Thriving Pollinator Victory Garden