The Beet: A Podcast For Plant Lovers

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Cucamelons: Grow Cute “Mouse Melons” Aug 13, 2019

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It’s cute. It’s crisp. It’s slightly pungent. It’s the perfect, bite-size snack on a hot, muggy day. What could this garden snack-bite be? If you guessed cucamelon, you’re right! Affectionately referred to as the “world’s smallest watermelon”, the cucamelon is a vine that bears edible mini-melons about the size of grapes. The cucamelon tastes like a cucumber with a burst of citrusy tartness from the skin. Commonly known as dandita or “little watermelon” in Mexico, Melothria scabra was a domesticated crop in Central America before the Americas were colonized by Europeans. While they look like they’re a cross between a cucumber and melon, the cucamelons are their own unique plant species within the Curcurbitaceae family…and they’re an exceptionally fun crop to grow in your edible garden…so let’s learn how! Learn More: Cucamelons: Grow Cute “Mouse Melons” Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

EPIC Raised Beds I'm carrying Birdies Garden Products raised beds, the ones I use exclusively in my front yard garden. They're a corrugated Aluzinc steel, powder-coated raised bed designed to last a lifetime.

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A Lifetime of Aquaponics Aug 12, 2019

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Aquaponics has come a long way in its storied history...and Greg Peterson has been around for most of it! Hear his history of aquaculture and aquaponics, and what he thinks of the growing method today. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealth of experience shows in his incredible courses and you’re going to absolutely love this week with him on the podcast. Learn More: Aquaponics Basics This episode is a primer on aquaponics. If you're curious about it and want to give it a try, check out today's explainer episode. Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

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Its All About Building Community Aug 11, 2019

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When it comes to gardening, the importance of building a community network to support one another is paramount. Today you’ll learn how Greg Peterson cultivated a thriving community in his local area and got some pretty epic tools together for the entire growing network in Phoenix, AZ to use. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealth of experience shows in his incredible courses and you’re going to absolutely love this week with him on the podcast. Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

Buy Birdies Raised Beds at my online store

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Sustainable vs. Regenerative Aug 10, 2019

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Sustainability is the hottest topic out there right now...so what’s wrong with it? Isn’t it the wave of the future? Not quite. Today I talk with Greg Peterson on why sustainability may be the wrong lens to look at gardening through. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealth of experience shows in his incredible courses and you’re going to absolutely love this week with him on the podcast. Learn More: Sustainability in the Garden There are plenty of unsustainable practices we employ as gardeners, but today Siloé Oliveira of Suburban Homestead and I focus on the ways to bring a more sustainable mindset to your gardening practice. Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

Buy Birdies Raised Beds at my online store

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3 Ways to Kill Your Fruit Trees Aug 09, 2019

Show notes

What...who would want to KILL their fruit tree?! In today’s show, we talk about the things first time fruit growers often do that lead them to destroy their precious trees, in an effort to help you avoid these critical mistakes. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealth of experience shows in his incredible courses and you’re going to absolutely love this week with him on the podcast. Learn More: Growing Fruit Trees From Seed David the Good and I talk about how it's not THAT scary, how you'll probably get some good fruit even if it's not 'perfect', and the joy of harvesting something you've grown all the way from a tiny seed! Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

Buy Birdies Raised Beds at my online store

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Nature Always Bats Last Aug 08, 2019

Show notes

We need to pay attention to the nuances of nature more, and “surf its wave” rather than try to reengineer the ocean so perfect waves are created every time. In today’s show with Greg Peterson, we learn exactly how to do that. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealth of experience shows in his incredible courses and you’re going to absolutely love this week with him on the podcast. Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

Buy Birdies Raised Beds at my online store

Follow Epic Gardening

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, You Wanna Be An Urban Farmer? Aug 07, 2019

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Urban farming sounds like a dreamy way to live, and it’s certainly something I’ve been interested in for quite a while. But what’s the reality? How much work does it actually take. Today we hear from Greg Peterson on his urban farming journey. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealth of experience shows in his incredible courses and you’re going to absolutely love this week with him on the podcast. Learn More : Easiest and Hardest Parts of Starting an Urban Farm In this episode he talks about the surprisingly easy parts of starting an urban farm as well as the things that gave him a much harder time than he expected. We also talk about his plans for the future. Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

Buy Birdies Raised Beds at my online store

Follow Epic Gardening

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Components of Healthy Soil Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

Soil is not one thing, it’s the sum of many parts, and in an ideal world that whole is greater than the sum. Here are Greg’s 5 components for healthy soil. Connect with Greg Peterson:

Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealth of experience shows in his incredible courses and you’re going to absolutely love this week with him on the podcast.

Learn More: What Makes a GOOD Potting Soil? We bring on Dr. Bethke, a soil scientist and consultant for Pitt Moss, which is a new type of sustainable potting medium made from recycled paper. He explains the process of "building" a good potting soil from the ground up. Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

Buy Birdies Raised Beds at my online store

Follow Epic Gardening

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing Australian Finger Limes Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

I recently picked up one of the fruit trees I’ve had my eyes on for YEARS - the Australian finger lime. This quirky and spiky citrus tree produces oblong limes that have a ‘citrus caviar’ appearance when you cut them open and squeeze out the pulp. Connect With Marie Viljoen: Marie Viljoen is a forager, writer, and cocktail master (that last one is my own personal opinion - Kevin). She’s the author of Forage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild-Inspired Cuisine and an urban gardener as well.

Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

Buy Birdies Raised Beds at my online store

Follow Epic Gardening

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pokeweed: A Forgotten Foraging Classic Aug 04, 2019

Show notes

Pokeweed is known for - you guessed it - being a weed, but in the South fried poke was a classic dish that has been forgotten a bit. Marie and I talk about how to forage for it, use it, and even cultivate it again in the garden. Connect With Marie Viljoen: Marie Viljoen is a forager, writer, and cocktail master (that last one is my own personal opinion - Kevin). She’s the author of Forage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild-Inspired Cuisine and an urban gardener as well.

Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is available for sale! It's a complete guide to growing plants, no matter where you live. Here's how to order:

Buy Birdies Raised Beds at my online store

Follow Epic Gardening

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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