Get In My Garden Podcast

Today we learn about the Soil Food Web, what exactly it is and then we explore some of the basics of fungi in the environment and how plants interact with them. We talk with Casey Ernst and Keisha Wheeler of Catalyst BioAmendments, a composting and soil company they run with business partners, Zach Ellis and Gregory Munn in Northern California. Follow their adventure on instagram @catalyst_microbe_adventure.

Today we connect with Steve Abbott of Abbott’s Family Farm in Sumner, Maine. He is successful market gardener and farmers market organizer and has lots of great information to share about successfully running a farmers market business, farming only a small piece of land. We will dive into the most critical components of making a market gardening business successful and profitable. Steve has built a his business supplying his produce to his rural community via the market and his CSA delivery service. If you haven’t already, join the newsletter for a synopsis of each podcast, that supplemental content I’ve been promising for a very long time, bios and info about the guest experts and their work, and then highlight posts from the facebook group I created called, Soil Balance with Microbes, Minerals, Fungi, Fertilizer and Bugs; and it will evolve to so much more. You can still sign up on getinmygarden.com in the yellow newsletter bar, or if you are not yet a member of the facebook group, search for the group star

Hi everyone, The is the Get in My Garden Podcast. I hope you are all safe and happy and making the best of your at-home time! This is episode #61, and we meet Keisha Wheeler of Catalyst BioAmendments, a composting and soil company she runs with her business partners Casey Ernst, Zach Ellis and Gregory Munn in Northern California. Follow their adventure on instagram @catalyst_microbe_adventure. Keisha is also very involved with Elaine Ingham’s online Soil Food Web School, which is where I originally met her. She is a wealth of knowledge on the subject, and today we will learn a bit about her back story and some fundamentals of composting. This podcast has moved to a different platform, and I will now be focusing on shorter and more regular episodes, and bite-sized interviews. This means repeat guest experts going forward which is what I’ve been talking about for a very long time. So, you can expect more content from my interview with Keisha, and also from Chris later in the month. Another thing that is finally

Today we meet Elizabeth Lake, a long-time supporter of the podcast and local beekeeper and pollinator activist. She talks about her adventures in beekeeping, her local activism and building a community around her interests. Then she gives a breakdown of different types of bees and her learnings about native bees who are most hard to observer and research. Elizabeth share about the impact of honeybees on native bee habitat and the debates going on about this, the relationship of bees to specific plants, a description of the very different types of bees and why what affects honeybees doesn’t necessary relate to other bees, the current state of research into native bees and her honest review of the recent ‘the pollinators’ feature film.

Today we meet entomologist, researcher and author Douglas Tallamy. the book is called, Nature’s Best Hope, a new approach to conservation that starts in your yard. He shares about plant and insect interactions, ornamentals and how they are affecting the local food webs, and his ongoing research on invasive plants. Then Douglas gives a directive for creating a sustainable relationship with the earth, focused on our yards and three-dimensional, native landscapes. His category of keystone plants that drive the food webs and can help restore nature and extend preserved lands. This goes beyond just any native plants and focuses on those that are extremely productive in their support of the food webs. This book inspired me, and I hope you will go out and order yourself a copy. Enjoy my interview with Douglas, and follow up with the resources he mentions in our interview!

This is Episode 58 of the Get In My Garden Podcast, and we are back with Wyatt Bryson of Jewels of the Forest, makers of mushroom jerky. Wyatt is also an educator and researcher via his company Mycolab Solutions and has over 15 thousand subscribers on his youtube station, where he share the methods and strategies of growing mushrooms. He updates us on his work and current research such as CO2 usage and mushroom scents and flavors, hundreds of different compounds in mushrooms with many applications in food and science. Wyatt talks about the critical mass of the mushroom business for food, supplements and the new trends in many other industries, getting deeper into the science of mushrooms and the innovation and research that is starting to happen. Also, Wyatt shared the basics of getting going in the hobby of mushroom growing, a journey though the equipment and options for those just getting started, basically mushroom growing 101, some clever ideas to get started with local resources that cost a lot less

Today we have back Dan Long, Georgia Beekeeper discussing the life of bees and beekeeping in the winter. Dan covers shares some details about native bees and their lifecycles which are very different from honey bees, He tells us about what beekeepers can do for honeybees in years of shortage or if honey has been over harvested, and the number one thing we call an do as gardeners to help bees going into the future. Dan shares about how the large-scale beekeepers manage their hives in winter by moving them, storing them and or retrofitting them, and finally we discuss some of the treatments beekeepers do to kill parasites during the winter brood break, and what exactly happens inside the hive when the bees recognize there is a problem.

Today we are back with Sara Schuster of the Tending Seeds podcast sharing about fire cider, fermenting, foraging and preservation as we approach winter. She updates us on her projects, how her podcast and herbalism businesses are evolving, and how she is building a community to sustain her homestead and teaching lifestyle. Sara tells us what she has learned about successful fermenting, microbial diversity and making koji with fermenting legend Sandor Katz.

Today we meet Sebring Frehner of Sebring Seeds. He covers a lot of interest subjects such as microdosing cannabis, the soil science behind cannabis growing, and some of the newest products related to this. We learn about the nutrient cycling advantage of living organic growing systems and the process of breeding high CBD cannabis strains. He shares how he developed his non-profit called Sebring Seeds which has been his vehicle to distribute over 40 thousand high CBD cannabis strain seeds to patients around the world. Sebring tells us some of the reasons people are using CBD and how it helps the human nervous system, and also what are the concerns related to contamination and testing now that Wall Street has their hand in the market. His non-profit is located in Washington where cannabis is totally legal, so he shares the state of the cannabis market within the state. Then finally we talk more about the farm bill and considerations while growing for CBD and or hemp fibers.

Episode #54, Integrated Pest Management and Career Opportunities in Entomology with Amanda Skidmore by Aaron Moskowitz, Interviewing the brightest minds in Mycology, Soil Science, Natural and Agricultural Ecology, Technology and EcoBusinesses.

This is the second of a series we will be doing on Korean Natural Farming this year with Eric Weinert, and more episodes will be up over the next couple months intermittently with other content. Eric is currently heading back to Korea, and we will learn more from him when he returns soon. He is Korean Natural Farming expert, author and natural farming activist based out of Hawaii. On this episode we discuss the history and future of Korean Natural Farming and the current state within the evolution of natural farming. Eric shares the challenges of farming and marketing produce in Hawaii, the economics of competing with mass-produced food products from the United States and elsewhere. He covers a bit of the history of Korean natural farming and the current research that exists, including bio-enzymes and other new solutions that Eric is returning to Korea to learn more about. Then we discuss the amazing distribution system in Korea that makes locally-grown food much more economically feasible We talk the

Today we catch up with Eric Weinert who was on the podcast about a year ago. He is a Korean Natural Farming expert, author, and natural farming activist based out of Hawaii. He reviews the KNF philosophy, how to stimulate and grow indigenous microorganism in your own soil, and we go over the vital solutions that are cheaply and easily made in any environment for farming and landscaping using the KNF methods. Eric also shares more of his backstory and explains some of the reasons Korean Natural Farming has recently grown so much within the natural farming community. Then we talk about the soil food web, how to evaluate your soil microbes and organisms, and then how to collect indigenous microorganisms from your area to superpower your farm and garden efforts or to restore your landsdcape. This is the first of a series we will be doing on Korean Natural Farming this year with Eric, and more episodes will be up over the next couple months. Eric is currently back in Korea, and we will be sure to learn more f

A couple months ago during my greenhouse visit at Growing Opportunities Hydroponics Farm, I learned about a new technology company, UbiQD (pronounced like ubiquity) with an amazing new product that greatly increases greenhouse yields. Since they are located about 30 minutes from Santa Fe where I live, I reached out to them to set up a little tour and to learn more about their research and what special material they are producing. I really enjoyed seeing their materials up close, taking a peek inside their secret laboratory and then learning from Damon Hebert, head scientist, about the many potential eco-friendly and economic benefits of the products and materials they are making. He share about what they are researching and what the future may hold for solar technologies.

Today we meet a local backyard homesteader who shares his wisdom with us from over 10 years of natural farming in downtown Albuquerque. Sam Lopez has created an amazing and flourishing oasis in this desert city. In our chat, we cover a lot of ground such as keeping laying hens and rabbits in your back yard, raised bed gardens, composting systems, a special kind of beehive called the Warre Hive, his no-till farming practices that support the soil food web, methods he uses to make compost that keep the ecosystem balanced, water catchment and sustainability practices that relate to the home and garden, as well as how this lifestyle and philosophy affects his kids and family. Sam is a natural podcaster and he will tell us all about these things. I also toured his urban homestead and took videos which will be available on instagram @getinmygarden.

Today we meet Ed Williams, creator of the LEHR garden. LEHR is an acronym for the system he has created that includes elements of aquaponics, hugelkultur, composting, mushrooms, the soil food web and basically as many natural components as possible; he is an engineer after all! Ed is very interesting to listen to as he describes his backyard systems, shares his engineering wisdom and talks about the backyard farm system he has created from start to finish. Ed’s vision is for a more involved and healthy human interaction with the foods we eat, with fewer labor hours and much greater ecological and social benefit. Towards the end of the episode, he shares his calculations about carbon sequestration and his ideas for remodeling the suburban landscape norms. You can see more of his work at lehrgarden.com

Today we meet mushroom educator and entrepreneur Wyatt Bryon. He talks about the development of his fungi-focused businesses, the opportunities that currently exist in the mushroom-related market, how he is preserving knowledge and research for future generations, and how he is incrementally moving towards zero waste within his business. Wyatt talks about how much easier it is to add mushroom cultivation to your farm business nowadays and all the resources that exist within the mushroom growing community. Wyatt share some secrets about how to establish wild mushrooms within your own yard, and towards the end of the interview we discuss how our human bodies and brains might be building a symbiotic relationship with fungi.

This week I had the great pleasure of visiting with Kim Martin of Growing Opportunities Inc, a hydroponic farm focussed on tomatoes, located in Alcalde, New Mexico, about 30 minutes north of Santa Fe. Their business have been in operation for 20 years as hydroponic greenhouses, and they are now one of the largest in Northern New Mexic selling vine-ripened tomatoes. Kim gives us an overview of how their facilities are set up and monitored with specialized equipment, how pollination happens within the greenhouses, what types of hydroponic grow systems they have succeeded using, and some of the beneficial microbes they use. Then Kim shares some examples of the learning curve they have experienced along the way and how they monitor the plants for issues. In the second half, we discuss the new wave of hemp growers and how it is changing the farming economy in New Mexico. I will continue to add short videos of my visit with Kim Martin at Growing Opportunities Inc. of their greenhouses, their systems and my fa

Today we learn from landscape designer and consultant Pete Widin some of his principles of plant selection for an edible landscape beyond just the aesthetic, and his system of working with clients and implementing his version of edible meets native landscape design. We discuss ground cover options that are edible or herbal, research that’s going on to find plant combinations and plants from similar bioregions around the world to safely fit into a new environment. He talks about his larger farm-scale use of permaculture principles to improve our greater environment plus the landscape industry and career opportunities related to this. We also discuss whether grasses and turf lawns should have a place in landscape design today, and considerations for making a more bee-friendly lawn.

Today we chat with Larry Hountz from City Hydro in Baltimore. He has a great story of starting out and created a business growing micro greens. He has looking at the economics of it while learning about what works and what doesn’t work for small indoor farmers. If you want to go to market with your produce or are curious about creating a local indoor growing operation to supply restaurants and kitchens with live microgreens, you may find this episode very interesting. Larry and his wife started their journey from scratch not knowing all that much about what to do. He now grows 16 different types of micro greens and has over the years grown 85 at a time using his simple hydro systems which in my opinion would be a great add-on to existing farmers market offerings with not much added effort for existing produce marketeers. He discusses how his systems are set up, a breakdown of the economics of running this type of microgreens micro-farm, a few of the seeds he is focussing on, some plants that make good min

Today we visit with Sara Schuster who is an herbalist, homesteader and fellow podcaster based in Tennessee. Her podcast is called, Tending Seeds, Adventures in Homesteading and Herbalism. We discuss southern homesteading, how to get more involved with herbalism, foraging for herbs in your area even if you’re in a large city, planting in the woods to forage later, some widespread plants to you can forage for in most bioregions, and much much more.