Get In My Garden Podcast

This is episode 23 of the Get in My Garden Podcast. Today we have another very special episode. The subject is Controlled Environment Agriculture. We meet Charlie Shultz, a researcher, farmer and teacher; a pioneer in the field of aquaponics and lead faculty in the very impressive Controlled Environment Agriculture Program at Santa Fe Community College. Charlie began working with fish and plants as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech while double majoring in Biology and Fishery Science. His work has sent him to many locations including 14 years at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he researched indoor aquaponics production and its many facets from nutrition and system economics. We will cover a lot of topics from aquaponics systems vs hydroponics, their economics, food security and water supply challenges the world faces, and how these controlled environment agriculture systems are the solution.

In this episode, we meet John Romens, founder of Future Roots Regenerative Landscapes, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We talk creating shade canopies, building soil, plant root health, water management and water systems, biodynamic farming including the local scene and how farmers and wine growers are using these methods, and finally current weather patterns and what they means for our yards and soil.

This is Part B of the interview with Suzanne Wainwright, aka Bug Lady. She is a very busy consultant and public speaker on beneficial insects and is a leading horticultural Entomologist. We discuss beneficial insects in more detail, such as how they are applied, how they are used instead of pesticides applications, what to avoid when buying them, and of course how to get them. We talk about the research trends driven by large insectaries and the new bug products that are coming to market. Suzanne also shares the inside scoop of what is going on in the beneficial insect industry and jobs opportunities that currently exist.

On today’s episode, we meet the very interesting Suzanne Wainwright, aka Buglady. She is a very busy consultant and public speaker on beneficial insects and is a leading horticultural entomologist. She is so interesting, and we had quite a long chat starting with a discussion about conservation of native beneficials on small farms, soil nutrition and its affect on pests, the best methods of managing pests on a small farm operation, and how to properly identify insect problems or learn more about your insects. This is the first episode with Suzanne, and the rest of our interview will be available next in part B.

On this episode, we meet Bert Wahlen, CEO of Smartplant, a company empowering and capturing the next generation of plant lovers. They just launched their new app after years of research and expanding on their mission. They are using demographics data to transform the garden industry from a confusing, overwhelming, a sometimes stale and unwelcoming industry, into a fun and approachable one, in the language that millennials understand, data and technology. SmartPlant is increasing connection between people and their plants and empowering the next generation of plant hobbyists so that the next generation of consumers will be engaged in gardening.

This is episode 18 of the Get in My Garden Podcast. Today we meet Bradley Babb, permaculture expert, consultant to natural farmers and to New Mexican medicinal cannabis growers through his business called Earthtone Permaculture. He consults with businesses and individuals about water catchment, soil building and erosion management but is focussing more and more with medical cannabis customers and is anticipating focussing on fully cannabis growing and eduction once legalization happens. He has a vast knowledge of the soil food web, of natural land restoration methods, and of alternative growing methods such a aquaponics and hydro. He teaches people how to maintain balance in their gardens and shares his knowledge and ideas openly with everyone. In this episode, we discuss low tech ways to renew degraded land and ways to transform unfarmable land into an oasis by working with nature. We discus how mycelium, bacteria and enzymes are likely to fix most of our ecological problems and we talk about low cost meth

This is episode 17 with Nick Kiss, co-creator of Bokashi Living, a company based out of Vancouver, British Colombia. He spent 14 year involved in a large-scale municipal composting operation, and with his business partners, he is bringing back an ancient Japanese composting method that shortens the complete compost cycle down to just 4-6 weeks. Bokashi composting uses something called ‘Bokashi Bran’, a complex microbial blend inoculated into bran, the outer layer of cereal grains. Unlike backyard composting, the Bokashi method makes composting all kitchen food waste possible. We talk about soil, microbes, composting methods, the direct relationship between microbes and how plants are able to uptake nutrition, and about their company that is working to mainstream the composting of all home kitchen food waste.

Today is the spring episode with Carol and Don of White Duck Farm. Carol is hilarious and has a lot of fun gardening farming and experimenting and learning about sustainability and biodynamic farming. We cover a lot of subjects over coffee in their garden and humorously chat about their wonderful farm and how things are moving along this spring. Each year is different, and Carol shares about her farmers market strategy this year to set herself apart from other market gardeners. We spend about half our time taking about her birds: the chickens, the ducks, the geese, the peacocks, the guineas. Then we talk about various subjects from the ‘birds and bees’ on the farm, for instance incubating her birds’ eggs and fostering good chicks, goat kidding season, how they will setup their new bee hives, growing flowers to sell at market, toxin-free insect management, creating effecting products out of herbs and locally gathered ingredients, expanding into growing mushrooms, and we even revisit canna lilies as a lan

Last week, I checked in with Carol Horwitz and Don Faulkner, proprietors of White Duck Farm, whom I interviewed for the podcast at the end of last year. We chatted about their operations and toured around for a couple hours. They have a lot going on this year. They shared what’s new since last year and what they have planned for their focus at the farmers market this season. Later this week, we will have our spring episode with Carol, but today we have both Carol and Don talking about their Bees, the importance of the queen’s genetics, their efforts and struggles as beekeepers, what they are doing this year to prevent colony collapse and a few stories about their other animals who will soon be producing offspring. Over the last 12 years of homesteading, they have gained so much wisdom about the natural cycles of nature, plants and animals, and we talk about this.

On today’s episode, we meet Kaitlin Mogentale, half of a duo of highly focussed young social entrepreneurs with a brilliant business called Pulp Pantry. They launched their big idea hyper-locally through the farmers markets in Los Angeles. Every day, they are succeeding in their mission of changing the cycle of food waste in the United States and how we think about our food. Through hard work and activism, Pulp Panty is replacing sugar-laden grain cereals with nutrient-rich, organic and remarkably delicious granolas. Their line of juice pulp granolas and crackers are working their way into the pantries of lower-income communities through educational outreach efforts while simultaneously gaining a loyal following amongst committed localvores and natural foodies. Kaitlin is high energy and super focussed about her mission, her product line, and her business strategy. She is a passionate and outspoken ambassador for health foods and food justice, and she is a great example for those podcast listeners who want

On today’s episode, we meet Kelly McCracken, orchid aficionado and owner of High Desert Orchids located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her specialty orchid business is marketed only on social media, namely facebook, and has grown exponentially, with no advertising expenses what so ever. She has literally turned her hobby and passion for miniature orchids into a thriving backyard business. Kelly and her orchids are the epitome of the modern home business created with limited capital, leveraging social media and then growing and serving her niche community. She will share her clever and highly successful model of selling her plant inventory via facebook live while creating an engaging, fun and educational sales environment. She shares her story, details about the massive variety of orchids available and some of the history of commercial orchids being sold in the United States. Visit High Desert Orchids on facebook to see all the amazing small orchids she sells and to participate in her facebook live sales. I hope

Last summer my friend and I sold potted canna lilies very successful at the farmers market. The crowds literally gravitated to our pots of gigantic leaves and bright red flowers, and they sold out every week. There is no other flowering plant that is so mesmerizing and so easy to grow in most conditions. This is episode 12 of the Get In My Garden Podcast, and I’m Aaron Moskowitz. My guest today is Nikki Snow of Horn Canna Farm which she runs with her husband Dustin. Nikki loves people, animals and plants, and she is the type of person who instantly make friends with her customers. The farm has been in the family for 90 years and now does much of their business online through their website cannas.net. Canna Lilies are a classic garden and landscaping plant with dramatic and fast growing foliage that can grow as high as 8 feet tall, depending on the variety you choose, and they flower consistently through the summer and early fall, They have various shapes and many colors from dark reds, pinks, yellows, oran

This is the snail farming episode where I share some of the very interesting facts I’ve learned about snails as food, rules about snail farming in the United States, plus snails as the subjects of research and as ingredients in miraculous health products. Snail farming, aka heliciculture, has a long history going back thousands of years. The business opportunities today are real, and small farmers around the world are starting to notice. Snails are a sustainable protein, very much bioavailable to humans and with anti-inflammatory properties.

This episode is the last of a series of three with Cassidy of Succulents and Sunshine. We learn more about what business pivots she has made and what is coming up after five years of evolving into the 6 figure operation she runs. This is basically the meat of the interview where we learn about what we really need to know to work in the modern economy as farmers. This will be the last time in a while that we talk about marketing strategy, but farmers and marketeers will get actionable ideas to utilize to boost their market profits while making their businesses more sustainable. I hope this is an episode that you will come back to as you grow your budding business.

The is the second part of three with Cassidy Tuttle, founder of Succulents and Sunshine. She shares her online secrets and expertise gained over 5 years honing her business online. We talk facebook, drip campaigns and community building.

In this episode, we have an inspiring guest named Cassidy, creator of SucculentsAndSunshine.com, a wildly successful online business currently focussed on being the number one resource for information about succulents, including their identification, propagation and care. 5 years ago she started on her journey marketing online, focussing on the beautiful succulents she discovered in magazines. She is a talented photographer and a savvy business strategist.  Little by little, she built a thriving business around her passion for succulents.

Erin Roy, founder of The Harvest Trail Agency shares her industry secrets for marketing farmers’ market businesses, small farm products and building up the farm-to-table movement. We enjoyed a late breakfast at a superb and casual new farm-to-table restaurant in Albuquerque called The Shop. Erin chose it because she is a passionate promoter of the farm-to-table restaurant scene and the local farm businesses. The Shop is in a very cool neighborhood, and a huge variety of people were hanging out and enjoying it throughout our visit. Not only was the food exceptional and the menu inventive, I recognized several names of farms and food product suppliers from the farmers market. I posted a photo on instagram of our delicious meals. Erin is a consultant and online strategist -very successful and active on social media. We cover a lot of ground in our discussion. My favorite part of the interview was when we discuss the changing social media landscape and how to utilize it within the farming, makers and farm-to-tabl

Carol Horwitz of White Duck Farm shares her wisdom, knowledge and sustainable secrets about farming, animals and experimental gardening and the farmers’ market life. Aaron Moskowitz Hosts the Podcast about Farmers Market Businesses, Backyard Side Hustles, Nature, Plants and the Demographic Shift Back to Working the Earth. www.getinmygarden.com

Carol Horwitz of White Duck Farm has great stories of her bee rescue and beekeeping experiences. There was so much great content and interest, that I’ve created a separate episode for the bees. Late this year, I hope she will allow us back for another visit and involved tour of her beekeeping operation! Aaron Moskowitz Hosts the Podcast about Farmers Market Businesses, Backyard Side Hustles, Nature, Plants and the Demographic Shift Back to Working the Earth. www.getinmygarden.com

In this episode, I have compiled the rest of the content from my visit with Amanita Thorpe of Horned Locust Goatscaping where she talks about all the other novel side businesses she has created using her animal expertise. Aaron Moskowitz Hosts the Podcast about Farmers Market Businesses, Backyard Side Hustles, Nature, Plants and the Demographic Shift Back to Working the Earth. www.getinmygarden.com