Podcast appearances and mentions of urban farms

Artisan Bread Recipe mentioned:https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2013/10/22/the-new-artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-is-launched-back-to-basics-updated/ 

We catching up on all the Spring farm stuff this week, from starting seeds to tanning hides, listen to all the fun we're currently having on our farms.

Native Americans and south Minneapolis neighbors testify to state lawmakers, about funding for the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute. An organization leading the peaceful demonstrations against the Roof Depot warehouse demolition. They are advocating for their plan to create an indoor urban farm, and prevent increased pollution-related illnesses for people living nearby, including those living in Little Earth.

Hey everyone, it's Alex Ball, and on today's episode of the podcast we talk to Liana Glass who, along with her partner Duncan, run City Beet Farm on leased yards and lots in urban Vancouver. These first generation farmers are actually the third owners of this farm! We dig deep on buying & valuing their farm business, partnering with local organizations & businesses, & mobile wash/pack solutions. Mentioned in the show... Take Podcast Host Natalie's Survey! The Super Rad City Beet Farm Mobile Wash/Pack Trailer (PDF of the build process, costs, and tons of photos) The City Beet Farm for Sale on Young Agrarians Follow City Beet Farm on Instagram The City Beet Farm Website Folks who make the show possible... RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends. Orisha for wireless greenhouse+ automation, get 15% off with code "No Till Grower" Real Organic Project for a whole farm certification program to distinguish crops grown in health soils. ... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Edible landscapes can create your own food forest.  From simple things like growing herbs to berries and fruit trees, Farmer Greg gives you ways to get started by understanding permaculture, thinking like nature.  Explaining the layers of a food forest, starting simple using containers and other tips to harvest what you like to eat! 

Meet American Farmsteadher, Sarah, who shares her story of homesteading on a small scale in an urban neighborhood. She explains how she's making her homestead work with what she has, and where she's at, using renewable resources.

The city of Minneapolis wants to demolish a neighborhood warehouse to build a toxic truck yard in the historic Native and immigrant community of East Phillips. Residents are fighting back against the racist environmental pollution, proposing an urban farm instead of rebuilding a truck depot. Watch the video edition on The Red Nation Podcast YouTube channel. Rachel Thunder: @rachel_thunder Joe Vital: @AnishinaabeFC Twitter: @epni_urbanfarm Website: www.defendthedepot.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/eastphillipsneighborhood/ Donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/protect-east-phillips-from-city039s-pollution Support  www.patreon.com/redmediapr

Once on the outside of Hamilton sits an urban farm keen to deliver vegetables that don't cost the planet. Run by five women, Earth Stewards practices poly-cropping on their organic vegetable beds.

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Gary Pilarchik of The Rusted Garden about home composting. The plant profile is on Stinking Hellebore and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with Greg Peterson of The Urban Farm podcast, who shares the Last Word on Observation. BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support. Show Notes will be posted here after 2/7/2023. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 123: Cover Crops and Winter Bed Prep https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-123-cover.html ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 103: Mulching and Weeding Tips https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-103-mulching.html We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode. And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too! Episode Credits: Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz Editing and Show Notes: Jessica Harden Recoeded on 2-4-2023. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support

Farmer Greg Peterson discusses the best and worst directions of sunlight in placing your garden, water sources and irrigation besides your garden hose, building healthy life into the soil because just dirt ain't gonna cut it.  His proven techniques can lead to a beautiful BODACIOUS garden! Original broadcast archive page with expanded content https://rosieonthehouse.com/podcast/outdoor-living-hour-bodaciousgarden-with-the-urban-farm

Have a Cow brings in some of the best food we've had in The Press Box! Check them out on 2742 Lafayette Avenue.

Staying Open to PossibilitiesIn This Podcast:In this special episode, Greg Peterson shares an update from his new home in North Carolina. There are lots of exciting possibilities created by starting from scratch in a completely new and different place and Greg is taking the time to explore them all. He also confirms that the Urban Farm programs are not going anywhere, and he replays the very first episode of the Urban Farm Podcast.Don't miss an episode!visit UrbanFarm.Org/blog/podcast Visit www.UrbanFarm.org/Podcast-by-episode-titles for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!The Future of the Urban Farm and 000 Relaunch.

Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (00:00): Thanks for joining us. I think you're going to find this first episode of 2023 as fascinating as I did. It's about a pair of farmers named Derek and Brad, who grow about three acres worth of produce in just 320 square feet. They're using hydroponics to, as Derek put it, replicate Mother Nature at its finest. And for an old dirt farmer like me, it was really fun to talk with them about the science behind this technology. But in between all of the talk about soil science and chemistry and light spectrums, I hope you don't miss the story of endurance and entrepreneurship, perseverance, and above all, the meaningfulness of investing in the place you call home. Enjoy. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (00:45): Welcome to More Than a Mile, a local food podcast from Market Wagon focused on connecting you to local food through farmer stories from across America. I'm Nick Carter, your host, a farmer and CEO and co-founder of Market Wagon. We are your online farmers market with a mission to enable food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets. Food is so much more than just nutrients and calories. It's actually the fabric that holds us together. Thanks for joining me for this episode of More Than a Mile, and thank you for buying local food. That's one critical step in making an investment in food for future generations. All right, well, I'm really excited. My guests today are Derek Drake and Brad Schiever of Ditto Foods. Really excited to have you guys. Thanks for joining. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (01:32): Thanks for having us. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (01:33): Yes, thank you. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (01:33): You know, some people farm just because they have to, some people get to choose to farm because they want to. And a few people farm because they want to change the world or their corner of the world. And I've been looking forward to this conversation because that describes, I think both you and I, Derek. But our farms look very different. . Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (01:56): Oh yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (01:58): So how big's your farm? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (01:59): It is a 40 foot shipping container, so 320 square feet. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:04): And where is it sitting right now? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:06): It's in our driveway in the back of our house Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:10): In the south suburb of Chicago. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:12): In the south suburbs of Chicago. Yes. On our property. So we take up a very small footprint. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:17): How many cows can you get in that shipping container? I'm just kidding. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:20): Oh, probably about five. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:25): Ok Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:25): They won't be able to move around, but Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:27): Not a whole lot of grazing inside there, Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:29): . Ok. No, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:30): This is a fascinating journey. I want to start from the beginning. So 2020, Covid happens. You are senior staff at Kellogg, Northwestern University mm-hmm. . And that comes to an end with a furlough related to Covid. Tell me what happens from there. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:47): Well, I've always been one of those folks that goes to, all right, what's the next right move for me. In grad school, I've created a business plan for a food truck concept. And it was kind of marrying food truck meets tiny home. And after the furlough, I was like, okay, I want to see if I can do something with this. And started down this long rabbit hole of looking for developers, manufacturers of food trucks and tiny homes and seeing what we can do. And went to Brad and said, all right, I'd like to go down this route. And so I started the search and found this company out of Boston called Freight Farms that manufactures these shipping container farms, and went to Brad and said, I think I wanna be a farmer. I think this is the next right move. And he thought I was crazy. And we started the journey. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (03:52): And today you're a farmer, Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (03:54): And today I'm a farmer in a shipping container. Yes. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (03:57): Take that Brad New Speaker (03:59): . Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (04:00): Right, Right? It was interesting. It was interesting to say the least for Derek to say, we're gonna grow three acres of farm and three acres of crops in 320 square feet. It took a lot of, a lot of convincing and a lot of research and understanding of what exactly that meant to be a farmer, especially without soil. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (04:21): Well, I, I want to dive into that for sure. Because I'm a farmer with soil and a lot of it. And and this whole concept is fascinating to me. I think it'll be fascinating to our listeners too. But before we get there, I just wanna, there's a part of this story that I wanna make sure is told because Derek, you are an experienced leader and an executive with an MBA. But you couldn't get bankers to believe that this was a legit business, could you? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (04:52): No. Well, you have to, you know, there are a lot of intersectionality going on in that conversation because a.) Trying to first teach them and educate them on what the hell hydroponics was in the first place, and then talk to them about growing in the back of a truck, essentially. And then they were also dealing with the pandemic. So they had PPP loans, and so they weren't sure of what was happening. And then we were telling them, our customers are restaurants, and every restaurant was shut down, . So they were like, so who are you gonna actually sell this stuff to? So we had to shift and pivot our business model. And yeah, it was a challenge. It was a challenge. And then you have to throw on the fact that we couldn't actually go in there and talk to them. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (05:40): So do you know how many banks said no? Like how many, how many no's did you have to take? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (05:47): Wow. And those are the ones that actually got back to us that we actually talked to. Cause there were, there were several that never even returned an email or a call. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (05:57): But the 26th one decided to bet on you, huh? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (06:01): Yeah. Yeah. The one yes, that we got, actually, ironically enough came from our second No. After they gave us a no, he reached out to us about three or four months later and was like, you know, I, I really think you guys got something good here. I like what you're trying to do. I have a colleague of mine at another bank, they're a little bit more lenient to lending to startups. Do you mind if I send your information to him? I was like, send whatever you need. What does he need? I'll, I'll send it myself. . And that was the one yes that we got. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (06:34): Did you ever give up hope? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (06:36): I did. Yeah, I did. But I knew what we were trying to accomplish. I knew that it was something good and I knew that if we had it, if we got it, it was gonna be something that was a.) Change our lives and our kids' lives, but also be impactful for the community that I wanted to impact, which is where I grew up in my hometown of Fort Heights. And so that was really what kind of kept us going. But absolutely, after you get No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's really hard to stay going. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (07:13): So, New Year's Eve, 2021, your farm arrives , which just sounds so funny for me to say. Your farm arrives. How long did it take before your farm was producing food? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (07:27): So we had it delivered December 31st, 2021. And it sat unattended, essentially. Because of the length of this process, we really did not, you know, we anticipated putting the first farm in Ford Heights, and because of how long it took to get financing, multiple changes had taken place with Ford Heights, with the mayor and the board, et cetera. And so when we got approved for the loan and the loan came through in October, we then called Freight Farms and said, you know, we're ready to make payment on the farm. And they said, okay, we can have it to you in a month and a half . And so at this time we're, we're living in a townhouse in Bolingbrook, definitely not a place to drop a 40 foot shipping container. And so we were able to very quickly looking through Zillow one morning, found a house pop up. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (08:25): We didn't plan on moving until summer of '22. And we found this house pop up that had been on the market over a year. And we'd been on Zillow multiple times, never came up until this came up. And Derek's like, look at this. Let's go check it out. So the next day we went and checked it out and as the realtor and I are in the house, we have no idea where Derek's at. And here's Derek in the backyard playing with the neighbor's chickens that decided to come running over. And so we looked at the agent and said, okay, you have a month to make this happen cause we have a farm to drop here. And so it was dropped on New Year's Eve and we were able to get into it finally mid-February. And the first seed was planted March 1st of '22. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (09:14): When most people say they want a farm and they have to move to farm, they're moving to a place, you know, that is a farm. . You had to move to a place that you could deliver your farm to. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (09:31): Exactly. We had to make sure we could have a farm delivered to where we were living. You know, the great part is where we found essentially is a farm, was a farm, at one time. And so we found, ideally what we had thought we were never gonna find as we thought about moving, which was an acre of land and a place that we could drop a shipping container. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (09:55): Do you have a well or are you on city water? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (09:57): We are on a well, but we have a water system that produces some of the best water out there at the moment. Our crops are well watered with fantastic, fantastic quality water. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (10:11): So you said seed in the ground in March. First crops in April? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (10:14): Well, not, not quite in the ground. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (10:17): Well, . See, you can't get it out of my lingo. I can't, I can't not say it. So tell me. Alright, let's do this. Tell me about this process because I start seeds in trays in soil and trays, indoors, ready to be transplanted or we'll direct sow into the soil in our farm. What does seeding look like for you? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (10:39): Same process. We have growing trays that we start our seeds in, but the growing media that we use is not soil. It's peat moss/coco coir mix. And we plant our seed, put the humidity domes on, and we germinate, you know, essentially just like, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (10:58): That's exactly what I do. Yeah, ok. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (11:00): We germinate the same way, except instead of putting it, once it's ready to go, instead of putting it in the ground, we put it in a eight foot tower, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (11:08): A tower. Tell me what else is different. So this, this medium, it's not soil, but it's a medium. It's somewhat absorbent, right? It allows the moisture to get to the seed and the roots. What's the plant eat? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (11:22): Nutrients. What we do is we replicate the nutrients that they would get from the soil. So the minerals and all the macro and micronutrients that they would get from the soil. And any fertilizer that you feed into the soil, we actually introduce that to the plants through the water, which is, you know, essentially what hydroponics is. It's using water as the conduit to bring the nutrients to the plants. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (11:47): Okay. And tell me what kind of plants are growing in your farm right now? Lettuce, I assume. Anything else? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (11:54): Lettuce, leafy greens, herbs. We've grown root vegetables like carrots and radishes and different types of lettuce. We have about six or seven different types of lettuce, a couple of different types of butterhead, some frisee, lots of different herbs. This time of year we're doing sage, rosemary, basil. So we got a variety, nice variety of things that we grow. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (12:21): Carrots and radishes too. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (12:23): Mm-Hmm. . Yeah. And the carrots that we grow, they're not your typical long carrot. They're bulb carrots, so they kind of look like a cylinder radish . So we tell our customers that they can use it just like a radish, like slicing it really thin and using it that way. But yeah, you can grow root vegetables. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (12:45): That is really cool. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (12:46): Yeah. And we're currently right now also trialing cucumbers. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (12:51): Wow. A vining cucumber. How so? I'm assuming like your lettuce is cut and come back. Some of the other things are single harvest, like your root vegetables mm-hmm. , but a cucumber. How long will that vine live? How will it be determinate? Or will you be harvesting off of it over a long period of time? What's that process look like? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (13:10): It's TBD . Cause this is our first time, so we don't really know. Typically in this sort of environment vining isn't an ideal crop. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (13:26): It's not space efficient. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (13:27): Exactly. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (13:28): Not very space efficient Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (13:30): And in a vertical format as well. So there's a lot of rigging that we'll have to do once the vines themselves get too heavy to mm-hmm. to hold themselves up. We'll have to do some rigging and figure that process out. But like I said, it's new for us. We just recently transplanted some cucumber plants, so still working it out. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (13:51): That is really impressive. And that's exactly what entrepreneurship is about. Right? It's like, ready, fire, aim, Hey, let's try cucumbers, , . If the vine gets too heavy, then we'll put a different wire in there, I guess. Yeah. Just figure it out. Yeah. Very cool. Tell me can you notice any difference in the flavor or taste or quality from what comes out of your shipping container versus what may come out of the soil? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (14:15): Oh, yeah. Yeah. There is a, I don't want to necessarily use the term clean, but there's a freshness to the lettuce that comes out. The kale specifically has just a raw, crisp flavor to it. The texture is incredible. The lettuce has a great flavor and moisture to it. And the best part is that when you're doing full head, once they're harvested, especially for those that we sell, the root is still on. So those nutrients, it's not dead when it's at the store, even delivered to the customer's home, it's still living, put in a cup of water and it's gonna stay fresh and crisp for two weeks or more. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (15:02): Oh, that's great. Yeah, because that's the biggest thing with store bought lettuce is you start the clock when you take that thing off the shelf. Exactly. Yeah. Sometimes the clock's already been running a little too long while it's on the shelf . Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (15:14): Well, and a lot of it is, especially some of the bag lettuce, has been cut and harvested and washed, and it's two weeks old by the time you pick it up in the store. So when you get it home and you open it up and you wonder why it lasts two days, well, because it's been dead for quite some time Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (15:29): On our farm, we had just started this year, a greenhouse, it's a high tunnel. We're doing some winter growing, spinach lettuces kale and broccoli as well. But we're still using the sun for our light source. You are in a dark shipping container. It is opaque by design. Tell me, is there any reason why you don't augment light with maybe like a clear cover on the, on the container ship? Is there a particular benefit you get by being able to control the exact spectrums of light that you're producing inside your farm? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (16:05): Yeah, the plants need the red and blue light for photosynthesis. And with the sunlight it has all of the other colors it has to fight through to get exactly what it needs. And so the best part of container farming and hydroponic farming is we give the plants exactly what they need. And so we're giving them 18 hours of pure red and blue light for the strongest photosynthesis possible, which allows us to be able to produce a crop from seed to harvest in six weeks. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (16:47): So you can accelerate the growth by concentrating on only the light spectrums that that plant's gonna need to produce the leaves that people are gonna eat. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (16:57): Exactly. And the cool part about the farm that we have from Freight Farms is we have their most recent model. And so they have three different modes to it, essentially, which we're running in performance mode currently, which allows for that six week growth cycle. It's getting the exact light, nutrients and water that it needs, while still being sustainable, even though it is in performance mode. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (17:20): What about the light spectrum needed for this, it's a fruiting plant flowering and fruiting is what cucumbers are. A lot of people don't think of cucumbers as fruit, but, the science geek here, it's a fruit. And that takes a different spectrum, doesn't it? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (17:36): A little bit different temperature necessarily. So with the farm, we can go ahead and program in there what we're growing. And so it has built in automatically what's called recipes. So wow. Right now, because we're experimenting with root vegetables, the farm is still set to grow lettuce and leafy greens, which is a cool weather crop, essentially. Mm-Hmm. . And so the light, the water, the nutrients its delivering is based upon lettuce. And so that is one thing we're working with the cucumbers, is not just the vining, but it's also a little bit of a different environment. Mm-Hmm. . Yep. We're still having wild success with the strength of the vine itself, as well as the amount of flowers being produced out of it. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (18:22): How will you handle pollination? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (18:24): So there is actually the ability, it's pretty basic. It's taking just like a toothbrush and rubbing it against the flower. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (18:32): Yeah. So you'll manually pollinate. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (18:34): It will be manual pollination. But again, the flowers that we're seeing are incredible right now. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (18:42): I assume you don't want to release a hive of bees inside of your container ship. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (18:47): No, no. We're gonna try and control that part of it as well. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (18:50): Controlled environment's gotta be the most beneficial there. I have a hive on our property. But definitely try to steer clear of it. I wouldn't wanna be inside a container ship with it. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (19:02): . No, I don't think so. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (19:03): This is really fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing and just educating us on hydroponics. Is there anything else I've not asked? What do you find the most surprising about growing this way versus backyard gardening even? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (19:20): I would say the efficiency and how fast the crop grows. When you're replicating nature, we're replicating nature at its best. So it is always a perfect sunny day. It is always the perfect air temperature. It is always the perfect amount of air flow. So we're replicating nature at its finest. And when you do that, you're literally given the plants exactly what they need, even from the red and blue lights. They don't have to fight through the full spectrum of light to get the lights that they need for photosynthesis. We're giving them those, that exact amount of light that they need for the full 18 hours a day. So if you're traditional farming, you're not getting 18 hours of perfect sunlight. That does just, doesn't happen on a year round basis. You're not giving them the perfect 73 degrees with a nice gentle breeze flowing over their leaves every day, all day for 365 days a year. You're not doing that. So when we talk about efficiency and the output, in my opinion, and because we are hydroponic farmers they just can't, can't compete. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (20:34): No. When we look at what we are in control of, we're using less than five gallons of water a day. And essentially there is no runoff to the water that is given to the plants. Whatever the plants don't absorb is put back into the tank and recirculated once it's re nutrient again. And we have 320 square feet to grow up to three acres of land, which is over 8,800 plants at one time in there. And so the fact that we can control it and achieve a 99% germination rate from the very start, gives us full control of the quality and a consistent quality of products that we produce. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (21:16): That sounds amazing for somebody over here who's, you know, dealing with 70 to 80% germination in the soil. My hands are dirty. This sounds almost too good to be true. I can't wait to come visit it and see it. My brother lives in Chicago, so on the next trip up, I'm gonna have to get off a little early near Ford Heights. So let's talk about Ford Heights. You put this in a location that, well, anywhere you're gonna put a container ship near the Chicago area is an atypical place for a farm. But Ford Heights what's the draw there? What's the connection? Why on the south side of Chicago? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (21:55): To me, that's home. You know, my mother still lives there, so when I go home, that's where I'm going. The house I was born and raised in, my grandmother passed away almost two years now, and she left me the house. So I own a house in that area. So for me, it's going home and it's also reinvesting in home. A lot of folks talk about the bad that comes out of these communities, but they're not doing anything to change the bad. I wanted to change the narrative of what's coming out of that community. I came out of that community and I know lots of folks that came out of that community that I grew up with that are doing really, really good things and that are very successful. And so that was the narrative shift, the narrative change that we wanted was. That's why originally we wanted the farm to be in Fort Heights, to actually talk about what was coming out of Ford Heights, what Fort Heights was producing. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (22:50): And it will, we will have a farm in Ford Heights. We're currently working with the school there to try to figure that out. But it was that changing that narrative of what's coming out of my hometown. You know, when I go home, that's where I go. And I don't want people to only know the bad, the poor, the this, the that, all of the preconceived notions of what they have about Ford Heights and communities like it. I wanted it to be, 'did you hear about that hydroponic farm that's in Ford Heights?' That's what I wanted the narrative. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (23:21): That's really neat. And Ditto Foods is a for-profit company, right? You guys are in business, but you've partnered up with several nonprofits. I mean, you are giving back in all kinds of ways. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (23:35): Yeah. We are working with Cornerstone Community Center out in Ford Heights. They do a lot of great, they do a lot of training for the staff. They do different things to reeducate the folks out there in the community. They also have a food pantry that distributes food to the folks in the community. So we partner with them to provide produce to the community. We also have one of our lettuce blends called the Butta' Blend. Portions of the proceeds from that goes to support the food pantry and goes to allow us to provide produce to the families in the community at a discounted rate. We recently partnered with the school district in Ford Heights to grow out their hydroponic program. They have a garden group there with about 10 kids. And I went and spoke to them and talked to them about hydroponics, and they're all so excited. It's giving back. You can't talk about things that aren't changing unless you're trying to help make that change happen. And so that's what we're doing. We're being a part of that change and we're glad to be part of the change. And I'm excited to work with other school districts to bring this technology and this education to the kids in the community. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (24:59): And when we developed the mission for Ditto Food, one of the main goals with creating access was not just handing over fresh produce to communities, but it was educating the communities. And it all starts at home. And it all starts at the forefront of educating individuals on how to grow your own produce. And that's our commitment with the schools as we begin to partner with garden clubs and other school districts, is teaching them the new way of food growth, which is how do you grow the most in a limited space that's clean and healthy? And so as we continue to partner with schools and educate them and work with the students on where does your food come from? It all goes back to the reason that we started Ditto Foods, which is providing access and education to multi-levels of generation of what does it mean to get your food and what does it mean to grow your own food. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (25:59): That sounds awesome. I'm really excited for you guys, and I'm grateful fo how you've poured your life, your career into this mission for your corner of Chicago, right? But you're leading and setting an example and it won't be the last, tell me. What's the future for Ditto Foods? Where do you see this going? More containers, more locations, what? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (26:27): Our goal is three farms in five years. And so that is what we're working towards. But we also have a grocery store concept, a grocery store business that we created called Your Home Grocer that also takes that whole shipping container and building out a micro grocer using shipping containers. And a farm will be attached to that grocery store. And we're taking this business to communities like Ford Heights to again, bring the access to the community so that the community can produce for the community. So we have a big, big plan. We have big plans for the business as a whole. So there's the farm, there's the grocery store. We even have a laundromat concept that we have called Buddy Annie's Laundry. When I was a kid, my grandfather managed the local laundromat in Ford Heights. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (27:23): And we don't think about it, but that's a thing that most, a lot of those communities don't have. And so they have to get on a bus to travel to the next community or the next town over just to wash their clothes. And so again, when we talk about access, bringing access to the community. So those are the three things that we're looking to build out within the next five to 10 years is to continue to grow the farm business, building out our micro grocer, Your Home Grocer, and the laundromat, your Buddy Annie Laundry. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (27:56): Wow. Well, you have a fascinating farm in and of itself, and what you're doing is really interesting and thanks for sharing a little bit of the science behind it, how it works. But you've got an even more compelling vision. I'm sure that a lot of our listeners are going to want to be able to follow your story. So if people wanted to connect with you online, follow what's going on and just support you how are they gonna find you? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (28:18): So they can go to our website at dittofoods.com. Support, it can be done through Market Wagon and purchasing directly through them. We also have a seedling program on our website that allows customers to purchase a seedling that's been germinated, and they can start to grow their own produce at home as well. And then you'll see Derek all over TikTok and a new YouTube series of growing in your home with the seedlings as well. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (28:50): Very, very cool. Derek Drake, Brad Schiever, thank you so much for sharing your story with us on More Than a Mile. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (28:57): Thank you. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (28:57): Thank you so much. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (29:05): Thank you for listening to this episode of More Than a Mile. Be sure to sign up for Market wagon at marketwagon.com or after downloading the Market Wagon app for iOS or Android. Follow us @MarketWagon on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook for stories, recipes, special announcements, news, and just digital handshakes from our friendly farming community. If you enjoyed More Than a Mile, please rate the podcast and write a review on iTunes, castbox, podchaser, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Thank you for continuing to support local food.  

In this series, Drew Demler of Big Tex Urban Farms will break down the top lessons from thousands of questions he has been asked about hydroponic farming. Big Tex Urban Farms is a demonstration greenhouse at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. Drew and his team oversee many systems of hydroponic farming including deep water culture, vine crops in dutch buckets, microgreens, NFT, aeroponic towers, grow racks: all in a greenhouse plus a container farm utilizing shallow water culture completely indoors. Each week through Big Tex Urban Farms the State Fair of Texas donates 100% of its harvested crops to local community centers, schools, churches, and food banks. In 2022 they surpassed 1,000,000 servings of hyper-local food donated to these community organizations in South Dallas.  Today's PC is the combination of the first 11 videos in the Elements of Hydroponics Series produced by Bootstrap Farmer. Videos can be watched on Bootstrap Farmer's YouTube channel Follow Drew at https://www.instagram.com/drewdemler/ https://bigtex.com/supporting-texans/big-tex-urban-farms/ www.bootstrapfarmer.com

Farmer Greg has the tried and true methods to grow your own fruits and citrus.  Areas to avoid planting those trees, digging the proper hole, the formula for creating healthy soil because dirt by itself won't work.  Explains his 6/6 rule to insulate the ground from heat and cold.  Deep watering advice, fertilizing and more for great results.

Dwayne Tiggs and Rikki Watts are building their home together literally and figuratively with the help from their community. The couple and their two children are in the process of constructing “the smallest house on the biggest greenspace” in the Benton Park West neighborhood using mostly reclaimed materials. Their home will be 420 square cubic feet (the original plan was just 300 square cubic feet) and will also house their two cats, Nutmeg and Joan. The rest of the 7,000 square feet of land is transforming into a permaculture space where native plants and produce will grow and the community around them to share. Tiggs and Watts want to share the fruits of their labor and teach others how they can, too, can build a home with their own two hands.

Thank-you to this week's sponsor, HelathiStraw browse their extensive list of retailer partners in Canada & the U.S to find their products nearest you. We're thrilled to have the one and only Curtis Stone on our Fall Finale! Catch part 2 of this interview next week. Find full episode show notes with links to everything discussed on our website.

Farmer Greg's decades of experience growing in the low desert is vast leading to nearly year round gardening in Arizona.  From fall to early spring, he details what you can plant for a great harvest from brassicas to tomatoes, peppers and vining crops like melons.  Garden placement, hydroponics, water sources, building healthy soil and more keys to good eatin'!

Urban farms can take blighted vacant lots and turn them into green space that provides food for neighborhoods, but in Kansas City and the Midwest, they struggle to get that land from private owners and city land banks. Plus: For one local forager, fall weather is the best time for hunting mushrooms.

Today's show is a grab bag of topics. We talk a bit about Jer's trip to Memphis, how walkable it was, and an old train station that was converted to a hotel and restaurant but also is still a train station. There's a report out that long-time urban farmers Brother Nature may finally be able to buy some vacant land for the city. Although very popular online, over the years it's been difficult for urban farmers to get ownership of properties from the city and Land Bank. https://www.bridgedetroit.com/corktown-farm/ Jason Carr over at WDIV is being his hot take merchant self, and his latest is about merging the Grosse Pointes. Shianne takes issue. https://www.clickondetroit.com/features/2022/10/23/jason-carr-enough-with-the-grosse-pointes-already/ Decked Out Detroit is back with a midway on the Monroe Blocks. Should be fun. https://www.deckedoutdetroit.com/ Thanks to our members on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit Feedback: https://forms.gle/MnwUf8uJEtpyG9m2A or dailydetroit -at- gmail -dot- com

What if there is a garden in every yard? What if every family grows their own food without pesticides, without herbicides or without chemicals? How could it change your child's health forever?Greg Peterson is the creator of the concept called the Urban Farm. He is a green living and sustainability innovator who is well-versed in urban sustainability and food production in dry lands. Together with Michelle, Greg talks about the importance of growing your own food, and how you can successfully grow a garden and create healthy soil.“Our industrial food system provides us with chemical laden, manufactured food products. And they're not good for our health. By growing your own food, you can control what's going into it, you can grow an organic garden. And so the food is healthier for you. It is picked at its peak of ripeness. So it's most tasty, and at the same time, it's most nutritious for you.” - Greg PetersonAbout our Guest:“What if there was a garden and fruit tree in every yard?” This is a question that Greg ponders every day. For over 32 years he created on of one of Phoenix's first environmental showcase homes for urban farming. The 1/4-acre yard featured a primarily edible landscape with over 80 fruit trees, rainwater and greywater harvesting, solar applications, and extensive use of reclaimed and recycled building materials.In 2003 UrbanFarm.org was created as an online portal for urban farming education then in 2015 Greg created the UrbanFarmPodcast.com that in just 6 years has released over 700 episodes amassing over 3.2 million listens to date. On his days off he hangs out in his garden with Heidi his sweetheart, Kismet their pooch creating new projects and catching some raysWebsite: https://www.urbanfarm.org/Toolkit to help parents get their garden growing: HealthySoilHacked.com Connect with Blissful Parenting:Free Workshop ► https://www.BlissfulParentingWorkshop.com Website ► http://www.TheBlissfulParent.com/ Blog ► http://www.TheBlissfulParent.com/blog Podcast ► http://www.TheBlissfulParent.com/podcast/ Contact ►http://www.BlissfulParenting.com/contact Follow Us On Social Media:Youtube ► https://www.youtube.com/theblissfulparent Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/theblissfulparent Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/theblissfulparent/ Twitter ►https://twitter.com/blissfulparent Thanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a note in the comment section...

This week Ashleigh and Katie meet with Stephanie Gomez from Los Angeles based urban garden SOW (Shift Our Ways) Collective. Tune in to learn how to create a sustainable and fruitful backyard farm, even within a big city. The mission of SOW Collective is to grow sustainable communities through their community-made urban farm and compost co-op. SOW envisions a future where sustainability is inclusive, accessible, and attractive. Do you know how to connect to the roots and origins of our food? Learn about Stephanie's journey with SOW and how you can become more involved in your own community. Looking for more? Continue the conversation with us on Instagram or TikTok. See you there!If you enjoyed this episode or found it useful, please leave us a written review! We would love to hear your thoughts and see how these episodes are resonating with you:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cocoanut-grove/id1597656025Mentions:“Willow” Room SprayPlatform UGGSFOLLOW US!TCGPAshleighKatieSow CollectiveSpecial thanks!This episode was edited by the outstanding Shubucorp Audio. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, rate, and review! As a small podcast, we rely on the support of our listeners to help us grow and welcome cool and interesting guests. For questions, comments, or inquiries please reach out to cocoanutgrovepod@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nahshon Cook was thirteen years old when he took his first riding lesson on an old professor named Willy at the Urban Farm at Stapleton, where he was a student in their Embracing Horses riding program for five years. During that time he was introduced to the art of Classical Dressage: a scientific system of equitation based on the mental development of the saddle horse proceeding greater physical demands. He has since been a devoted practitioner to this method of building partnerships with horses. He holds the adage “Follow the horse and find heaven in every step.” as his golden rule to approach to teaching and training.

Growing your own citrus and fruit?  September/October is the perfect time to plant them.  Farmer Greg gives you the tips that can produce oranges, lemons and more for years, even decades to come.  Starting with a square hole, percolation test, 5 components of healthy soil, his 6/6 basin rule, fertilizing tips and some patience before your first of many delicious harvests.

The federal government says food prices overall have risen 11%, or 11 cents per dollar, in the last year. So what are people doing? 

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Amy Speropoulos, Director of Communications and Community Outreach, and David Vaughan, Horticulturist and Urban Farm Coordinator with New Hope Christian Academy, who both highlight the urban, college-preparatory elementary school providing students with a challenging, intellectual, and Christ-centered education. During the interview, Amy shares how teaching, learning and discipleship have been the driving force for New Hope Christian Academy for more than 25 years. Starting at the age of 3 through 6th grade, the school offers an affordable Christian education, and invests in the lives of children helping mold them into quality, upstanding men and women who one day will contribute to the workforce and make a difference in the community. David spotlights the Urban Farm and Forest, talks about the significance and what's grown, and also how they use it as a chance to give back and provide food to neighbors in the community. New Hope Christian Academy is enrolling now, so visit www.newhopememphis.org to learn more.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewHopeChristianAcademyTwitter: https://twitter.com/NewHopeMemphis

In this episode, Buddha Browett talks about his experience starting the first for-profit urban farm in Sweden.  Make farming easier with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpotco Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/

Growing the fruits and veggies you enjoy eating starts with observing the space where you're placing the garden.  From the year round direction of the sun, microclimates and water sources to creating healthy soil, composting and mulching.  The Urban Farm's Farmer Greg explains how you can create a bountiful edible landscape.

Is it a diet…is it a supplement…. NO, it's a different way of looking at the way we eat.  Today I speak with farmer Greg Peterson, from Urban Farm,  who is on a mission to transform our global food system. It's a sentiment I couldn't agree with more. Our bodies were designed to eat real food - not manufactured and processed “food”.   Years ago I ran nutrition talks in kindergartens and the kids came up with this rhyme. It's “real food” if: If it grew in the groundOr grew on a treeIf it lived on the earth Or swam in the sea… When we are eating locally grown, in season produce it is 100% better for us AND better for the planet. Our current food system is broken. The lack of nutrition, proliferation of environmental toxins and manufactured foods, and the average distance our food travels to our tables, has reduced its nutritional density. We are opting for convenience over nutrition, and paying for it with our health. We've lost touch with what real food looks like and in this great conversation, Greg and I drill down into the cracks that are in our current food system and also simple steps you take to make a change to your own health and the health of the planet.  We have a chat about:  Food miles - how far food travels from where it is grown to where it is consumed Food nutrition - the farther food travels the less nutrient dense it is The impact shipping food halfway around the world has on the environment The supply chain issues that is causing current ongoing food shortages  We also dip our toes into Greg's passion for permaculture AND how you can get started simply and cheaply to have your own fresh produce - even if you have limited space, money and time!  Links and resources: To learn more about Greg and the Urban Farm you can find him here:  https://www.facebook.com/TheUrbanFarm https://www.urbanfarm.org Greg has also generously given us access to his video series:  Healthy Soil is the Key to Your Successful Garden Discover how to build healthy soil in 3 videos: The 5 Components of Healthy Soil Sheet Mulching 101 Instant Garden or how to build a garden in just one day for under $100!  You can access the video series here: https://urbanfarm.leadpages.co/healthy-soil-hacked/   You can follow The Hormone Hub podcast over on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon or wherever you're listening right now And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

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! Don't miss an episode! visit UrbanFarm.Org/blog/podcast   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 www.UrbanFarm.org/Podcast-by-episode-titles for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library! Creating a 10-Year Vision.

We want you to raise meat chickens for your family. From mail ordering chicks to butchering, you can put a lot of protein on the table in a little bit of time.

Farmer Greg's guest is Zach Brooks of Arizona Worm Farm.  A sustainable farm on a mission to take sunshine, rainwater and other people's garbage to breed and grow worms and insects.  Creating rich, nutrient compost and soil for gardens and trees that produce sustainable food.  Zach explains everything about worms, his farm and how 'idiot simple' it can be.

Today we're going to be inspired to hear about Greg Peterson. His podcasts - The Urban Farm have been going for almost 7 years with over 3.2 million downloads. It's incredible how consistent and how he kept going for almost 7 years.   Don't miss: Greg's vision in his podcast.  The first question is the most important question in an interview. Greg's interview questions.  Consistency and Story Telling - The 2 things that make the success of the show. About Greg Peterson “What if there was a garden and fruit tree in every yard?” This is a question that Greg ponders every day. For over 32 years he created on of one of Phoenix's first environmental showcase homes for urban farming. The 1/4-acre yard featured a primarily edible landscape with over 80 fruit trees, rainwater and greywater harvesting, solar applications, and extensive use of reclaimed and recycled building materials. In 2003 UrbanFarm.org was created as an online portal for urban farming education then in 2015 Greg created the UrbanFarmPodcast.com that in just 6 years has released over 700 episodes amassing over 3.2 million listens to date. On his days off he hangs out in his garden with Heidi his sweetheart, Kismet their pooch creating new projects and catching some rays Website: https://www.urbanfarm.org/ (https://www.urbanfarm.org/) About About the Host: Michelle Abraham - Podcast Producer, Host and International Speaker. Michelle was speaking on stages about podcasting before most people knew what they were, she started a Vancouver based Podcasting Group in 2012 and has learned the ins and outs of the industry. Michelle helped create and launched over 30 Podcasts in 2018 and has gone on to launch over 200 shows in the last few years, She wants to launch YOURS in 2022! 14 years as an Entrepreneur and 8 years as a Mom has led her to a lifestyle shift, spending more time with family while running location independent online digital marketing business for the last 9 years. Michelle and her family have been living completely off the grid lakeside boat access for the last 4 years! Check Us Out on: Join our facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyPodcastCoach (https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyPodcastCoach) Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AMPLIFYOU.ca/ ( https://www.facebook.com/AMPLIFYOU.ca/) Twitter:https://twitter.com/YouAmplif ( https://twitter.com/YouAmplif) Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/amplifyou.ca/ ( https://www.instagram.com/amplifyou.ca/) To Join our FREE Podcasters Tool Kit:https://bit.ly/PodcastToolKit ( https://bit.ly/PodcastToolKit) For More Podcast Training -http://www.mypodcastcoach.com/ ( )http://amplifyounetwork.com/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a note in the comment section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe from the podcast app on your mobile device. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.   

Interview with Kelly Bohling. If you live in a city, town, or suburbs, you may be wondering if it's possible to keep backyard quail where you live. Kelly Bohling joins us in this episode to discuss how to raise quail in urban and suburban spaces, including how to check local regulations and prepare your environment for your new flock. To see more podcasts, visit our Mother Earth News and Friends page. Check out the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Bookstore for more resources to help you achieve your health and farming goals. Go to the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR page for webinar and courses on everything from gardening to livestock management. 

Connor is the founder of Atlas Urban Farms, a company trying to redefine our relationship to public space, using hydroponics to empower healthier communities. In this interview, we talk about: - Connor's journey overcoming childhood trauma - Connor's unhealthy relationship with alcohol in college - Connor's journey post-college having a tough time finding a job and what he recommends to others in a similar position - Connor's entrepreneurial journey - starting a software company called Windsr and now Atlas Urban Farms and the lessons he's learned through both ventures - What Hydroponic Farming Is And How it Can Change Modern and Future Farming - Connor's entrepreneurship advice including his thoughts on being willing to learn, being open to mistakes, and being good with uncertaintyAtlas Urban Farms Socials: Website: https://www.atlasurbanfarms.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atlasurbanfarms/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atlas-urban-farms/about/ Grateful Living Info: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Bo0LHtRJJNJBUYIceg27w Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Hn4ttttmbWfVqAhWh4Jhi Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1503185956 My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aroy81547/?hl=en Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gratefulliving4 Medium: https://gratefulliving4.medium.com/ Approximate Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro 0:33 Connor's Early Life Journey 2:23 Was business/entrepreneurship something you thought about as a young person or later in life? 4:20 You were sexually assaulted as a child. Do you have any advice to anyone whose been sexually assaulted? 7:28 Would you do anything different now looking back? 8:22 Anything else you want to say about the abuse? 9:44 What was it like going to University of Pittsburg and your mindset there? 12:20 Any advice you would give a college student struggling to find a job? 14:53 Any advice for people who abuse alcohol? 17:45 Early jobs after college? 20:16 Can you talk about your AmeriCorps year? 24:40 What was it like serving underserved communities about entrepreneurship? 27:41 Can you talk about your first venture, Windsr? 31:59 What was it like - learning to code? 34:16 What was your mindset going into your Babson MBA? 35:31 How did you get introduced to hydroponics? 40:55 What are the advantages of hydroponic towers? 44:43 How were you so open to failure? 47:37 Any thoughts on developing a business model? 51:23 What recommendations do you have for beginners trying to get into hydroponics? 53:25 Are sprouts easiest to start with? 54:23 Anything else you'd say to someone thinking about entrepreneurship? 57:43 Any tips on growing plants?

Farmer Greg's guest is Tucson's Brad Lancaster! Award Winning Author of ‘Rainwater Harvesting For Dryland And Beyond'.  With cities asking residents to reduce water use, harvesting rainwater is more that just collecting in a tank. Brad discusses various methods about how you can capture every drop and move rainwater from the street to the roof!  ‘Planting the rain to grow abundance'.

In this episode, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Pastor Cynthia Wallace about how the Oasis Farm and Fishery was implemented and is operating out of Bible Center Church in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Originally begun as an educational initiative to help families learn how to eat and cook healthier, the program has evolved into growing food for the local community. This work began as the church gained a deeper understanding of the food insecurity, or lack of access to food, that so many of the local neighborhood residents are facing. Pastor Cynthia reminds us that listening to God and your neighbors is a vital part of recognizing what needs the local church is called to fulfill in the community. The process can be slow and full of small steps, but God has been faithful to expand the work of Bible Center Church in a well-timed and manageable way. The Oasis Farm and Fishery has been in operation for almost nine years, expanding to include gardening classes, cooking classes, farm stands, and vegetable box delivery in the community.Eric and Sara Joy also speak with a couple of field guides who provide professional research expertise to expand upon the social and economic implications of food insecurity in our communities. Both Dr. Stephanie Boddie of Baylor University and Dr. Norman Wirzba of Duke University help us better understand the extent of how poor access to healthy food in our communities is detrimental to our well-being and contrary to the way God designed us to eat and enjoy food. Each of these field guides provides inspiring challenges to churches to be a light of the Gospel in their communities through growing and enjoying food together.Episode ContributorsCynthia Wallace is the Executive Pastor of Bible Center Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is also the Executive Director of the Oasis Project, which includes the Oasis Farm and Fishery. Dr. Stephanie Clintonia Boddie is Assistant Professor of Church and Community Ministries with affiliations at the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, the George W. Truett Theological Seminary, and the School of Education at Baylor University. Boddie is also a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society and an alumni fellow at the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program. Her research interests include Congregation-Based Social Surveys, Trends in Faith-Based Initiatives, and Social Entrepreneurial Approaches to Disparities in Wealth, Health, and Food Insecurity. She teaches a course entitled: Black Churches: Past, Present, and Future.Dr. Norman Wirzba is Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology and Senior Fellow at the Kenan Institute of Ethics at Duke University. His research and teaching interests are at the intersections of theology, philosophy, ecology, and agrarian and environmental studies. He has written several books including The Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity; Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating; This Sacred Life: Humanity's Place in a Wounded World; and Agrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land (forthcoming).Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. Sign up for the free online Community Forum on June 28, 2022 to discuss this episode with Eric, Sara Joy, and Chris and other podcast listeners. Register today!More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.Related ResourcesOasis Farm and FisheryBible Center ChurchHope in Homewood – article about the  Everyday Cafe run by Bible Center ChurchBlack Church Food Security NetworkAgrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land (forthcoming) by Norman WirzbaFood and Faith: A Theology of Eating by Norman WirzbaThis Sacred Life: Humanity's Place in a Wounded World by Norman WirzbaThe Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity by Norman WirzbaWhat's Not to Like: All the Good Things that Happen in School Gardens (Tricia Elisara's Blog)Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:- Embodiment- Food Desert- Hospitality- Localism- ZoningShow CreditsHosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy ProppeEdited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice ProductionsTheme Music by Jacob ShafferArtwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

Greg Peterson is the founder of The Urban Farm, a food-growing educator, a permaculture enthusiast, writer, and the creator of The Urban Farm podcast. Here, Lisa and Greg discuss how he became involved in the green living and sustainability movements, how his small urban residential plot in Arizona gradually became a sustainable food-producing powerhouse, and his recent move to North Carolina with his partner, Heidi. Shared philosophies emerge, including the importance of consistency and committing to a goal in business and in life, plus the importance of knowing where our food comes from and playing an active role in producing our own food. Links & Mentions The Urban Farm: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter The Urban Farm Podcast John Lee Dumas, Entrepreneurs on Fire In Season Cut-Flower Farm on: Facebook Instagram Rainlog.org - crowdsourced rainfall tracking site from the University of Arizona Yoga with Heidi: Heidi@urbanfarm.org The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

Farmer Greg details how to grow fruit trees from planting to fully grown.  His 6/6 rule of creating healthy soil.  Planting in a square hole with the proper mix of dirt and nutrients.  Ground cover to cool the soil.  The four times per year to fertilize, finding the correct root stock for success and more!

More wild weather in Manitoba leads Maggie and Dave to make predictions for what their average last frost date will be this year in the Southern Manitoba/Winnipeg region. Will it be later than usual? Or just on track? Hear their predictions!This week's guest is Ontario-based farmer from re.Planted Urban Farm, Akosua Asare. She shares the various regenerative farming practices implemented on their 1,400 square foot market garden, growing cut flowers and food. Find the full episode show notes with links to resources discussed on our website. Thank-you to this week's sponsors, Cool Spring Press and Dirt 'n Grow Evolve Organic Fertilizers.

The Urban Farm's Farmer Greg and Micro Farm Project's Kari Spencer gives you inspiration to preserve food.  From canning to fermentation, pickling and freezing.  Two types of canning, health benefits of fermentation, dehydrating for tasty snacks and the methods to get it done!

A conversation with Camila Creates (http://www.camillacreates.love) about food as medicine, urban gardening in South Los Angeles, the medical industrial complex and tarot reading! check out camila on instagram: @camillacreates Ron Finley's ted talk on Urban Gardening: https://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerrilla_gardener_in_south_central_la?language=en Support the rise up! good witch podcast: http://www.patreon.com/riseupgoodwitch Book a reading: https://www.riseupgoodwitch.com/tarot-astrology-readings-1 Sign up for a workshop: https://www.riseupgoodwitch.com/workshops-1 Support Leila's fundraiser: https://givebutter.com/helpleila

Understanding the Importance of Keeping Grounded While Trying to Make a Difference In This Podcast: We talk a lot about agricultural practices, climate change, and the global food supply, and the news is not always great.  Rebecca Ruda reflects on the anxiety this can cause and reminds us that just as the problems of the world deserve our attention, so does our mental health.  She provides tips for recognizing anxiety symptoms and openly shares her own experience.  Then Rebecca offers simple but useful strategies for continuing the work of advocating for nature without doing harm to ourselves. Don't miss an episode! visit UrbanFarm.Org/blog/podcast   Rebecca Ruda is a wife, mother, mental health therapist and urban farmer. When not endlessly pulling bindweed from her strawberry patch, she enjoys hiking in the nearby mountains with her family. She is currently at work on her first novel.  As an Urban Farm podcast listener, we have invited her to share her story. Visit www.UrbanFarm.org/Podcast-by-episode-titles for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library! Mental Health and Urban Farming.

Hello and welcome to the Field & Garden podcast! I'm Jessi Graven with The Gardener's Workshop. Today I'd like to share some clips from an interview that Lisa recently did on The Urban Farm Podcast with host Greg Peterson. Here they discussed Lisa's book Vegetables Love Flowers and also covered topics such as beneficial insects & creatures, the importance of native plants, succession planting, and starting a 3-season cut-flower garden in your vegetable patch. I hope you enjoy! Mentions & Links: The Urban Farm Podcast with Host Greg Peterson Lisa Mason Ziegler's book, Vegetables Love Flowers Jessica Walliser's book, Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden Doug Tallamy's book, Bringing Nature Home Online Courses from The Gardener's Workshop The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

On todays show we are joined by Joe Vital and Dean Dovolis to get us caught up to speed on the struggle for the East Phillips Urban Farm.  Stay plugged in with EPNI here Subscribe to us on Patreon for bonus epiosdes  Please leave a rating and review on your podcast app to help us reach more ears 

Whether your water source comes from the tap, flood irrigation, graywater and rain, Farmer Greg discusses effective ways to get that water to where its needed.  How woody mulch, ground cover and drip tape can lead to good results.  Removing chlorine from tap water and gopher proofing your gardens.

In Part 2 of this special 3 part series, Greg Peterson reflects on the upcoming move from the Urban Farm in Arizona, to a new, yet to be named farm in North Carolina.  He talks about the factors leading up to the move and the criteria for choosing the new location.   "Well, the news is out and there are big changes in my life. Heidi and I are moving, and this is not a little move.  We are transporting ourselves 1900 miles to our dream home in Asheville, North Carolina.  Lots more to come about our landing place in the ‘future' part of my writing.  I want to assure you, however, with our team in place (Janis, Tayler, Theresa, Ray, Renee, Bill, Belle and Kari) all of our programs will continue into the future just like they have for over 20 years.  And for those of you that expect to see me on the ground in Phoenix – you still will for the Fruit Tree Program events and the Seed Up. To begin my journey I thought I would review the Past of the Urban Farm, visit the Present and the biggest question I get…why are you moving?, and speculate on the Future of our new space.  Here is a little teaser, we are moving mid-April 2022 to a quaint little town 10 miles from downtown Asheville, North Carolina.  We found our ‘dream farm to be' on 4 acres that is exploding with possibilities, way too many for me to choose right now." For more information visit www.UrbanFarm.org/patron

In part 1 of this special 3 part series about the Past, Present and Future of the Urban Farm, Greg Peterson reviews the history of the Urban Farm and gives a sneak peek into the future.

Ben complains about video games, water parks, and urban farms.