The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Latest Episodes:

286: Emily Rockey on How Life Begins in the Soil Sep 12, 2017

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Breaking down the recipe for good, healthy soil.

In This Podcast: The ingredients for healthy soil make up an essential recipe for gardeners and farmers, and is worth describing a few times until the perfect connection is made. Emily Rockey appreciates good soil so much that she earned the nickname "The Dirt Girl" and she loves helping others appreciate compost and soil. She has something important to say to those who think they have a ‘black thumb’!

Emily received her degree in Plant Sciences from the University of Arizona. In the past, she worked at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, Walt Disney World's Epcot Center, and the Tucson Botanical Gardens. She is currently the Director of Sales and Marketing for the tank's Green Stuff in Tucson, which specializes in "green" landscape debris recycling, construction debris recycling, and more.

Emily brings her passion for both plants and recycling to the company’s composting operation. This is where they convert landscape debris into organic compost which is then returned to gardens and green spaces. They offer an entire line of organic garden and landscape materials which are “Good for People, Plants, and Planet”; and are available under the name ‘Tank’s Green Stuff’.

With her nickname ‘The Dirt Girl’, it is not hard to see that Emily loves talking about the importance of compost, microbes, and soil.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/09/12/286-emily-rockey/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

#UrbanFarmPodcast #goodsoil #TanksGreenStuff

Bonus 6 - Ask Jake & Greg - August 2017 (285.5) Sep 11, 2017

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An August 2017 Q&A session with two experts on Gardening and Fruit Trees

Jake Mace the Vegan Athlete and Greg Peterson of The Urban Farm are both gardening educators offering classes, podcasts, and videos on a large variety of gardening topics. Every month they get together for a monthly gardening chat to discuss what is going on in their gardens and answer your questions. This is the August 2017 Q&A episode with a variety of questions addressed from planning for planting, building healthy soil, and much more.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/09/11/bonus-episode-6/ for more information and links on this bonus podcast, and to find our other great guests.

285: Cyfrin Barefoot on Moving from Poverty to Paleo Sep 09, 2017

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Cyfrin Barefoot on Moving from Poverty to Paleo.

In This Podcast: She had a feral childhood in the ghetto of Detroit and entered the foster care system at age 7. Later, as a young mother Cyfrin Barefoot wanted good food for her own children and became an organic farmer. Then, she fought for better food options for poor families on WIC and won. And, after a significant and heartbreaking business setback she rebounded to create a health-food business offering delicious foods that even fit paleo diet preferences. Go to www.urbanfarm.org/savortooth for more information

Cyfrin's childhood was rooted in deep poverty in the Detroit ghetto. As an adult, she raised six children and found an avocation of fighting for food justice. She made her living as an organic farmer for seven years, and later founded a non-profit that established and ran a 32-acre organic farm.

Spurred by memories of childhood hunger and informed by years of farming, Cyfrin’s creative instincts came together in the creation of the Free Farms project. She obtained a business degree and then created Savor Tooth Paleo, a gluten-free and paleo bakery. Company profits will be funneled into the acquisition and development of land in impoverished neighborhoods, as well as funding ongoing food production. The fresh organic food produced on these Free Farms will be available to area residents for free.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/09/09/285-cyfrin-barefoot/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

284: Lynn Williams on the Decline of the Honey Bees Sep 07, 2017

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Engineering a solution to a real threat affecting honey bees worldwide.

In This Podcast: Having spent decades as a problem solver, Lynn Williams was not going to let a devastating influx of a tiny but effective killer mite threaten the existence of his beloved bees. He engineered a new tool for beekeepers is proving itself as a mite killer without damaging the hive, the honey or the bees. All this and he still has another ace up his sleeve as the profits from this new product will be used to help under-privileged kids go to camp.

After a long career on both the engineering and sales sides of industrial supply, Lynn started the hobby of beekeeping to increase the productivity of his family’s gardens. A decade and a half later, and with many more hives he was frustrated to find the Varroa Destructor Mite had entered the local area. Unwilling to use pesticides, he elected to use his engineering background to find a solution. 2½ years later Lynn has an all-natural organic product that terminates the Varroa Mite without harming the bees.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/09/07/284-lynn-williams/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

283: Elizabeth Murphy on The Importance of Healthy Soil Sep 05, 2017

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Understanding the living matrix that affects the quality of our food.

In This Podcast: Having been drawn to the wonders of soil quality early on, Elizabeth Murphy has studied this living matrix in great detail. She wants to make soil care an intuitive concept that all growers have. Today she shares some of the basics and with us including the make-up of soil, why cover crops are important and a few important DOs and DON’Ts of creating healthy soil.

Elizabeth has a passion for growing food which led her to a master's degree in soil science from University of California, Davis, where she researched soil's organic matter storage and a farmer's ability to improve it. She was a faculty instructor for Oregon State University Extension's Small Farms Program, where she taught and consulted with gardeners and farmers about best management practices to build healthy soils.

Since 2006, Elizabeth has owned a half-acre garden in southern Oregon, which she considers her laboratory for experimenting with sustainable soil management and gardening practices for landscapes and vegetables. She is the author of Building Soil: A Down to Earth Approach and currently, she lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/09/05/283-elizabeth-murphy/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

282: Stephanie Elson Bruneau on Benevolent Bees Sep 02, 2017

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Understanding a gentle and helpful creature essential to our food production.

In This Podcast: It was a simple and unexpected class that ignited Stephanie Elson Bruneau’s passion for beekeeping and many others are benefiting from this as well. She takes the time to explain some of the key aspects of bees and beekeeping, as well as clear up some common misconceptions about a gentle and helpful creature of the natural world. Her story includes a couple of EPIC moments that hopefully will inspire you to seek out something for your own passion!

Stephanie is a beekeeper, herbalist, and artist. She runs The Benevolent Bee, where she spends her time educating all of us about bees. At the Benevolent Bee "Teaching Apiary" Stephanie observes, learns, and teaches about bees and bee behavior to students of all ages.

Stephanie also teaches classes about bees and their products at Northeastern University, The Cambridge Center for Adult and Community Education, The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, The Boston School of Herbal Studies, and Temple University. She is also the author of an aptly named book titled The Benevolent Bee.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/09/02/282-stephanie-elson-bruneau/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

281: Shawna Coronado on Gardening Hacks Aug 31, 2017

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Making gardening easier through a series of simple shortcuts, and changing your life through gardening.

In This Podcast: Initially we thought this might be an episode that focused on gardening hacks, and Shawna Coronado has over 100 hacks to share, so we did get to hear some cool ideas. Yet there was so much more to the conversation as important mindsets to help make gardening and life in general less stressful and more enjoyable became a topic that stole the show. Her infectious attitude is sure to help put you at ease and might help you focus on the things you love too!

Shawna is an author, columnist, blogger, photographer, and spokesperson for organic gardening, green lifestyle living, and culinary preparation, as wells as and avid campaigner for social good. Her goal in authoring gardening and green lifestyle books is to promote a world initiative to encourage healthy and sustainable living. Shawna was featured as a Chicago Tribune "Remarkable Woman" and speaks internationally on building community, simple urban garden living, and green lifestyle tips for the everyday person.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/08/31/281-shawna-coronado/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

280: Nancy Lawson on Humane Gardening Aug 29, 2017

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Using native plants to creatively interact with wildlife and avoid landscaping conflicts.

In This Podcast: If you are a person who really cares about all wildlife and creatures great and small then it probably bothers you a lot if an animal is killed through human carelessness. This is the podcast for you. Nancy Lawson writes about smart gardening choices that can reduce the problems of invasive animals and insects, thereby reducing the need to cull or harm bothersome animals. Even if you are not particularly protective of animals, she has ideas that can help reduce problematic visits and save your garden plants and veggies.

Nancy is a columnist for All Animals magazine, as well as the founder of Humane Gardener - an outreach initiative dedicated to cultivating compassion for all creatures great and small through animal-friendly, environmentally-sensitive landscaping methods.

She speaks frequently to local & national audiences, and volunteers as both a master naturalist and master gardener in central Maryland.

Nancy is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife, published by Princeton Architectural Press in April 2017 and highlighted in Oprah magazine, the Washington Post, and Library Journal

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/08/29/280-nancy-lawson/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

279: Cindy Tran on The Moreland Food System Strategy Aug 26, 2017

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Helping one city understand the realities of food insecurity.

In This Podcast: Finishing her master’s degree required a semester project and Cindy Tran’s had fallen through since the city food policy she was going to evaluate had not been passed yet. Realizing the city leaders either did not fully understand what food security was or how significant the issue of food insecurity was for their own citizens, she developed a new project to fix this. Cindy spent her semester gathering all the evidence, including what city already commissioned, and helped frame it in a report that convinced them there was an issue and that it could be tackled. This helped the city take action and the resulting food system strategy is one worth emulating in many other cities.

Cindy completed a Bachelor of Biomedicine degree at the University of Melbourne with a major in Pathology and matured her quantitative research skills at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute as a research student.

She subsequently completed her Masters of Public Health at the University of Melbourne. Cindy specialized in health policy & promotion, and developed a good understanding of the Australian Health Care System. She has a strong interest in obesity and diabetes and how these are influenced by our cities and food system.

Cindy produced a background report collating local evidence about the issue of food security within the City of Moreland. This report contributed to the endorsement of the Moreland Food System Strategy in May 2017.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/08/26/279-cindy-tran/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

278: Margret Aldrich on Little Free Libraries Aug 24, 2017

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Inspiring creativity in communities everywhere.

In This Podcast: It was a lucky find that inspired Margret Aldrich to change her direction and motivated her to write a book about how the finding or creating that same thing has affected many others. The Little Free Library project is going worldwide and with each little one there is more community building, inspiration ignited, and enlightenment coming to pass. Learn how you can partake of this through the Little Free Library Movement!

Margret is the author of The Little Free Library Book through Coffee House Press, and has published her work with The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Experience Life, and beyond. From Little Free Libraries to tiny houses, integrative medicine to introverted kids, digital detoxing to co-op bookstores, her writing hunts for happiness, community, and what makes humans thrive.

A former editor at Utne Reader, longtime book editor, and seasoned news producer, Margret is now the programming manager at the Little Free Library nonprofit organization and is a regular contributor to Book Riot. She lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, two entertaining young boys, a little garden, and of course her own Little Free Library.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/08/24/278-margret-aldrich/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

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