Farm Small Farm Smart Daily

Learn practical tips to leverage this powerful and often misunderstood marketing tool. This talk will teach you to focus on generating farm revenue while avoiding the popularity contest trap. This talk was presented at PV1 in March 2014. See the slides at permaculturevoices.com/b030.

Today's episode focuses on fear. Fear is a very powerful motivator for humans. It's part of what keeps us alive. But it's also what holds us back. It holds us back by taking over our mind. Stalling our actions because we are afraid of imaginary, un-quantifiable, or low odd outcomes. There's a big difference between being scared in shark infested waters and being scared about the sea level rising and flooding global coast lines. One could literally lead to death and other might not even happen. Yet a lot of people are paralyzed by the state of planet. Paralyzed by events that may or may not play our as predicted in their lifetime. And while these people remain paralyzed by fear over these future events, life goes by. And with it a lot of other things take place which should have a higher level of fear associated with them. Let's dig into this concept a little bit and see if we try to rationalize all this fear. Thanks for listening to this episode of Creative Destruction. For notes related to this episode visit permaculturevoices.com/cd4.

How can you a lot mistakes and wasting valuable resources by overproducing a crop, and the inverse of that, not producing enough? Good record keeping. Records on the farm are extremely valuable. When you start to get a few years of records and can notice trends, those records become very valuable because the records are what dictates your future action. Action that can save you work down the line and put the right amount of product in your walk in so you can sell it. This type of planning directly translates to maximizing your farm income. And it's not actually that hard to do. Don't over-complicate it. Start by keeping simple records and get into the habit of doing it, then expand and adapt your records as time goes on. If you want to be successful as a farmer, then this is something that you need to do. It's one of the principals that has made Curtis as successful as he is. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/tuf28.

Is there a place for permaculture principles in a bio-intensive approach to successful ( and profitable) small-scale vegetable production? For more than a decade Jean-Martin and his wife have been making a living farming on 1.5 acres of land. Last year they sold for more than $140 000 in sales (with a profit margin of around 45 %) by selling freshly harvested vegetables trough their 140 member CSA and seasonal market stands. The secret of their success resides in the low-tech, high-yield methods of production they have developed at les Jardins de la Grelinette. This talk was presented live at PV2 in March 2015. View the slides at permaculturevoices.com/b29.

Joel Salatin speaks on successional farming - partnering the older generation with the next generation of farmers. This is an excerpt of an interview that I conducted with Joel Salatin on May 22, 2013 in Big Bear Lake, CA. Listen to another podcast with Joel at permaculturevoices.com/89

Can you accept in the beginning that what you are doing may not work? Because, guess what, it might not. But as long as you keep trying something will.. You just have to be willing to continue on until then. And if you are willing to accept that, then save yourself the time, money, and stress and quit now. This path isn't for everyone and that's fine. Regardless of what decision you make, just be content with you own decision. Do yourself a favor and think about this long and hard, because it is a life changer. 20 years from now, do you want to look back and say you went for it, or regret not going for it. Hopefully this show will lead you down the path of no regrets, and make your journey a little bit easier. More about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf27

In this talk Greg Judy talk covers the steps used to find leased land and build a multi-species grazing operation from scratch. Livestock can be a blessing or a curse. It's all in the management. With smart management livestock become a multiplier on the landscape. By using a variety of livestock to manage the forages it allows better utilization of plants. Harvesting much more solar energy through the wide selection of different plant leaves. This is a message that Greg Judy has come to learn, live by, and not preach. Greg's story is remarkable. He is someone that went from almost broke to financially successfully and paying off his farm and house in three years. He did it by grazing cattle on land that he didn't own, leased land. This talk was presented live at PV1 in March 2014. Greg will be speaking at PV3 in March 2016. Learn more about Greg at permaculturevoices.com/b28.

Denis Hayes talks about a lifetime of work in environmentalism - the challenges, successes, the changing environmental problems, and how he has endured numerous political changes in Washington. Denis was the organizer of the first Earth Day in 1970, headed the Solar Energy Research Institute under President Carter, and is now president of the Bullitt Foundation. In 1999 Time Magazine named him Hero of the Planet. In this episode we go through his early life in a polluted Washington paper milling community to how he became an environmental activist. We also discuss the creation and organization of the first Earth Day in 1970 and how the scope of the environmental problems have changed since then. Learn more about Denis at permaculturevoices.com/cd3.

Work to learn, not to earn... Understand where you want to go, understand why you want to get into it, figure out a smart systematic way to get there, and work hard in the process. And give yourself the forgiveness to make mistakes, but have the wherewithal to analyze those mistakes so you can adapt going forward. That's what this episode is all about. Taking the time to think long term and setting yourself up for long term success in the beginning. Part of setting yourself up for success is knowing some of the common pitfalls, so you can avoid them. In this episode we delve into more common reasons why many farmers struggle. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/tuf26

Peter and Grant met at a Darren Doherty workshop in 2012 as landless farmers with the shared dream of regenerating landscapes. Since then, they’ve both landed properties, planted thousands of trees, and developed large-scale permaculture farms. They will share their stories of how they acquired land and rapidly deployed permaculture in different ways in different places, amid different contexts. Peter farms at Mastodon Valley Farm in the ridges and valleys of southwestern Wisconsin, and Grant at Versaland in the rolling hills of Iowa. This talk was presented live at PV2 in March 2015. View the slides from this presentation at permaculturevoices.com/b27.

This is an excerpt of an interview that I conducted with Joel Salatin on May 22, 2013 in Big Bear Lake, CA. Listen to another podcast with Joel at permaculturevoices.com/89

It's August 25, 2015 which means we are at the tail end of summer and shorter, cooler days are coming as fall nears. We are in one of those unique periods in the year known as the shoulder season, the transition periods at the end of one season and the beginning of another. They can be tricky time periods for farmers to navigate. Day lengths start getting shorter, temperatures start getting cooler, and the weather starts to change. As a farmer this is one of those time periods where it critical to be able to adapt. You need to be able to understand the changes that are taking place in your biome and plan your crop rotations accordingly. With an ever changing climate each situation is different and each climate is different, making these shoulder seasons tough to explain. This episode should shine some light on the topic and give you a general approach that works. It's this approach, and methodology, that lies at the core of every farmers ability to adapt. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/tuf25

Appropriate technology plays a critical role in permaculture systems. Developing, documenting, and sharing these tools and systems can turn dreamers into true permaculture practitioners. Grant will discuss home and hot water heating using regenerative energy sources, year-round food preservation in a permacultural context, and functional transport including cargo bikes among other topics. This talk was presented live at PV2 in March 2015 by Grant Schultz of Versaland.com. Learn more about Grant at permaculturevoices.com/b26

Hello Diego, My name is Russ. I am married, and have two awesome children and I used to be an alcoholic... This episode is the story of Russ and how permaculture helped him get past alcoholism and change his life. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/111

As a farmer, how do you communicate what you have to sell each week, how much it costs, and when you need orders placed by, so you can deliver it on time? You use what is called a fresh sheet. At it's simplest a fresh sheet is a list of what you are selling currently on the farm, and for what price. A fresh sheet is more than a current inventory list. It also reminds ever-busy chefs that you have product that they probably want. If you've never made a fresh sheet before, this episode may prompt you to make one. It's a whole bunch of little tips and tricks to help you design, create, and maintain an effective fresh sheet. Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Learn the tools, techniques, and costs of establishing a productive silvopasture – a production system that produces yields from every layer. Beginning with bare land, you’ll understand harvest planning and sourcing trees, seed, livestock, and equipment. Also learn what can potentially be built, bartered or bartered. This talk was presented live at PV2 in March 2015. See the slides for this talk at permaculturevoices.com/b025.

This episode is all about the art of farming. Creating a framework, and understanding the overlying philosophy about why you do what you do, and leaving yourself some room to maneuver within that philosophy. Learn more about Curtis at permaculturevoices.com/tuf23 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Part 2 of the series with Marcin Jakubowski of Open Source Ecology. This episode is the react show to the Marcin interview that I did in Part 1. This episode is made up of my commentary inspired by the interview with Marcin, and your comments. I dig deeper into some of the ideas that Marcin brought up such as the 1000 True Fans article by Kevin Kelly, how do you measure success, how do you focus your efforts, celebrating the small, and the advantages of quick iterative learning. Details, notes, and link mentioned in this episode can be found at permaculturevoices.com/cd2.

This episode is all about being a better provider to your customers... In this episode we dig deep into sourcing products from other farmers, breaking into new markets, working with chefs and soliciting feedback. It's currently August 4, 2015 and the inevitable has happened. Curtis is short product, and he is having to source those products from other farmers to keep his restaurant customers happy... Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/tuf22

Are we moving to an open source world? Marcin Jakubowski thinks so. Through his global village construction set Marcin hopes to do what Wikipedia has done for actual physical equipment - open sourcing the tools and machines that are the fundamental components of civilization. But like the visionaries that created Encarta and Wikipedia, it takes a unique perspective to create a future that doesn't exist yet, and to make that future a reality. This episode is an exploration into Marcin's longer term view, specifically how does he stay focused and work towards something that is a far off view of the future. How does he deal with the hard times, the struggles, and the haters? How does fund the process and how does he measure progress? These are all challenges that come with having lofty goals and a grand vision, and when you starting point is currently only one one-millionth of the total economy. As you listen to this episode think about open source and think about where we could be in the evolution of open source. Don't forget the lesson of the encyclopedia - when everything is going great and things are at an all time high - that impossible scenario, the one that could change everything, might not only be possible, it might just be around the corner. Learn more about Marcin at permaculturevoices.com/cd1

In this episode Curtis and I are joined by new farmer Rob Kaiser. Rob is a few months into his farming journey. And like Curtis he didn't come from a farming background. He came from the corporate world. A few years ago Rob realized that the path that he was on, wasn't right for him anymore, and he needed to change. One part of that change was an entry into farming. In this episode Rob will talk about his transition into farming and the plan that he has put into place to make the transition. He'll touch on how he has dealt with not knowing everything. And how he has dealt with the good times and the really bad times that are unavoidable when you start any new business venture. One key to Rob's progress has been to surround himself with successful people to make his go a little easier by leveraging their experience. And it's worked because progress is being made and Rob is slowly making the change that he not too long ago dreamed about. The idea, the dream, has become a reality. It's happening. For all the new farmers and aspiring farmers out there, this episode will shed some light on the early parts of the journey, showing that you are aren't alone, even though we all feel like we are at times. There are others out there trying to do what you want to do. Keep at it and and be the change. And as Rob will say in this episode, "You may not be able to change the world, but you can change yours." More about the show at permaculturevoices.com/tuf21 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

You need to ask yourself - Are you approaching farming as a hobby or as a livelihood? There's no right or wrong answer. But you need to be clear with your decision and set your expectations accordingly. Because approaching farming as a business is dramatically different than approaching farming as a hobby. To sum this all up be clear in your own head of the distinction between farming as a hobby, and farming as a career. No BS. Know what the answer is and make all, all, of your choices on the farm accordingly. It is week 20 of the urban farm season - July 28, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf20 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Most of the world’s human population in now urban. Permaculture designer and teacher Larry Santoyo will examine the permaculturist’s role in city planning and it’s direct relevance to wilderness protection, resource management and cultural curation. Larry will lead the discussion and share his lessons learned on projects. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/b24

This romantic notion of farming - working outside, hands in the soil, sowing seeds, and then nurturing those crops to harvest. While all great, and all true, they are just a piece of the farming pie. And this is where problem's start to arise. The romantic view pulls people into farming, on just that, a romantic view, not a realistic full picture. And one part of reality is sales and moving product. Many people don't think about how they are actually going to sell these crops that they harvest. Maybe just assuming someone will want to buy them, everyone needs to eat, right? A dangerous assumption. And it is no doubt one of the reasons why you hear about so many small scale farmers struggling. They invest a lot of time in the dream, but not how they can actually make that dream a successful and sustainable reality. Today we will take a look at that idea as we discuss how to sell your farm products, so you can keep working on the farm. This episode is detailed dig into CSA's and farmers markets. What's worked for Curtis, and what hasn't. Strategies that can help you succeed.. It is week 19 of the urban farm season - July 21, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf19 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Something so evident yet so ignored by industrial agriculture, why agriculture in the future must use plants that are naturally adapted to their environments. In our present day world man has become so detached from nature that he imagines that he can grow wheat in parched deserts and oranges in the arctic, and while this is only a partially true statement, the fascination with gene tinkering in the laboratory with apparent obliviousness to natural forces has scientists trying to create “organisms” with super powers. The disciples of such approaches to agriculture preach of corn and rice that will withstand brutal temperatures and drought and supposedly bring humanity to food security when the thermometers pop because of climate change. Curiously, these people so intent on creating “super” plants in the laboratory, don’t seem to observe that such plants already exist in nature! E.A.S. is such a simple concept that it is almost elementary school logic, yet for all the brilliant scholars around the world, practically no worldwide cohesive effort has been directed to amassing and trialing all the food plants suited to desertic conditions. Joseph Simcox will explain his bio-adaptive approach to creating effective agriculture in the world’s dry lands, and he will lay out a plan to produce food in them in an ecologically relevant and suitable way. His basis lies in the world’s food plant flora, hundreds if not thousands of plant species around the world have been utilized for food in the deserts by indigenous peoples for millennia, now is the time he argues, to take a closer look and put these plants in the spotlight for cultivation and selection. This talk was presented live at PV1 in March 2014. Learn more about Joseph Simcox at permaculturevoices.com/b023.

As a farmer and as an employer it is important to have systems in place. To know why and how you do something. This helps you understand what you do and it allows you to communicate what you do to an employee. When you have clear, defined systems in place it takes most of the guesswork out of the equation. This allows you to produce a consistent product quickly and efficiently. And it also allows you to troubleshoot problems when they come up. Because if everyone does things the same way, and something goes wrong then you can quickly tell whether it was operator error or system error, and fix the problem. When you have an employee that understands why you do what you do and how you do what you do, then it comes down to when you do it. Time can be tight on a farm and things can get hectic, so it pays to take a little extra time each day to schedule out the upcoming day. This episode is all about setting up and establishing systems to make the work that is done on your farm more effective. It is week 18 of the urban farm season - July 14, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf18 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Mycelium co-founder Matthew Abrams talks about his journey of leaving the status quo to finding meaning in his own life and the starting an alternative education business. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Matthew Abrams. Matthew is co-founder of mycelium.is Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

There are all sorts of things that Curtis does to make his efforts more efficient and more effective. Some are complex and involve a lot of time studying spreadsheets, and others are simple like minimizing you transit time. Growing the business while working less hours. That's something that we all want. It isn't always easy or straightforward, but it is possible. it's something that comes with experience if you take the time to analyze all of your processes and see where you can make them more efficient. Interplanting is a good example of this. Interplanting has allowed Curtis to grow more crops in the same amount of space. This maximizes the use of his land by growing more in the same space. Curtis has also figured out how to optimize tasks on the farm that pay. Think sales related tasks like ways to harvest product quicker and more efficiently, and ways to package product in a way that satisfies customers and saves prep time. But, there are a lot of tasks on the farm that simply don't pay. Things like weeding. And as a farmer you don't get paid to weed. Yet it has to be done. Using Landscape fabric to prevent weeds and using tarps for stale seed bedding are two passive systems that Curtis uses to prevent weeds from germinating. There are also more active preventative measures than be done to help mitigate weed pressure. Things like pre-emergent flame weeding and no-till bed preparation. While these activities require work, they work in your advantage by using some time now, in order to save a lot of time later. Those are the types of things that we're talking about today Streamlining Tasks and Being More Efficient. Tips for Maximizing Effort and Time on the Farm. It is week 17 of the urban farm season - July 7, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf17 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Nowadays, people associate American native culture with three crops; Corn, Beans and Squash (the three sisters). According to Joe this is only the tip of the iceberg, Indigenous Americans (North of Mexico)used at least 3000 species of plants for food! Joe will unveil an amazing palette of wild edibles used by the Native Peoples that hold promise for our farms, gardens and kitchens, and show how these “forgotten” foods are legitimate heirs to a new food ecosystem. Because one of the objectives is to put practical information in the hands of practitioners, Joe will invite participants to apply to be a part of his native food revival efforts which will access and distribute rare native edible propagation stock. This talk was presented live at PV2 in March 2015. Learn more about Joe Simcox at permaculturevoices.com/b22

Farming in the city is something that Curtis has done ever since he started farming 5 years ago. But he hasn't always farmed, just inside the city. At one point in time he actually farmed a two acre plot outside of the city with another farmer. He did this in addition to farming his urban lots. So he had a multi location farm with small plots inside the city and one large plot outside of the city. As a result he saw first hand the differences between farming more land and less land - because there are a lot of differences. In this episode we will dig into those differences and hear what it was like farming two acres and how it was different than farming a third of an acre. We will touch on the various different models for selling products off of a farm - think CSAs versus selling directing to restaurants. We'll talk about the differences between each of the models. As you will find out each market, each farmer, and each farmer will have to experiment to find the best fit for them. What works for one farmer and in one market, might not work for the next. It is week 16 of the urban farm season - June 30, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf16 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Permaculture designer Neal Spackman talks about leaving his desk job, family, and culture to go to another country and country and to a very dry Saudi Arabia and take on greening land on the Al Baydha Project. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Neal Spackman. Neal blogs at twovisionspermaculture.com Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

This week we will get into how Curtis went about getting his very first piece of urban farm land over 5 years ago. We will talk about what worked and what didn't work when he was just starting out and trying to gain access to land. The unique part here is that this was all happening in the beginning. Before Curtis had built any social capital from being an active urban farmer. There were no demonstration sites or track record to refer to, it was only one person saying this is what I am gonna do, are you interested in helping. As you will hear Curtis eventually found his first piece of land to farm. That got the ball rolling and from there he never looked back. It is week 15 of the urban farm season - June 23, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf15 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Ben Falk discusses some of the lessons and leanings from his 10 years of living on a homestead in Vermont. He touches on topics like water management, growing trees, and growing rice. The webinar was recorded on August 10, 2013. You can watch a view of this presentation in the show notes at permaculturevoices.com/b21

To be successful as an urban farmer you need to be able to quickly adapt and solve problems on the fly. In this episode we talk about how Curtis has had to adapt in the past and how his system allows him to change his production quickly. I also talk to Curtis about five mistakes that I see a lot of farmers make when they get into the farm business. Together we discuss these common mistakes and how you can avoid them. We will give you straightforward, honest, actinable advice that you can put into use today and hopefully keep you out of trouble and increase your chances of farming success. It is week 14 of the urban farm season - June 16, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf14 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Permaculture Kitchens I’ve Known is about the application of permaculture design principles and strategies to ecologically minded kitchen design, local seasonal menu planning, nose to tail cookery and butchery, cooking in community and regenerative food shed design. It is a realization that food is at then nexus of our society and culture. Both agriculture and food preparation come together to create, reshape and define our physical world and thus our reality, it has been this way since the beginning. Thus, the ways we grow, cook and eat food are the vehicle to making better more regenerative systems as we reclaim traditional knowledge and combine that with appropriate technologies to create our own future. All of the world’s problems can be solved at the dinner table as we reintegrate our kitchens and our gardens. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Seth Peterson. Chef Seth blogs at https://apermaculturechef.wordpress.com Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

It's June 9th and the farm is in full production. As you heard last week a big part of that production comes from greens. Greens that are being cut and cut and cut. That's resulting in a lot of product that is being sold to restaurants, distributors, and farmers market customers. This we we talk about deliverying that product to restaurant customers and how that day looks from harvest to delivery. We also talk a lot about crop planning. How do you know what to plant now so you have it harvest later, and how do you know that you will have a market to sell that product to later. It is week 13 of the urban farm season - June 9, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf13 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

The future of business lies in sustainability. And to be sustainable businesses must be profitable. In this talk Philippe will explore the idea of why branding and marketing are so important for the future of sustainable business. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Philippe Choiniere. Philippe runs Oneka Elements - https://onekaelements.com/en Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

It's June 2nd and the farm is in full production. As you heard last week a big part of that production comes from greens. Greens that are being cut and cut and cut. That's resulting in a lot of product that is being sold to restaurants, distributors, and farmers market customers. This week we get into sales, crop planning, planting density, and the ability to cut greens multiple times. It is week 12 of the urban farm season - June 2, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf12

Did you ever imagine what it would be like if you’d started your PDC in middle school? How would you have lived your life differently? What if everyone had that same experience? What would the world look like? That’s exactly the question Matt Powers wants to answer. He is an English and soon-to-be Permaculture teacher at a school with laptops for each student in Central Valley California. He is developing a permaculture curriculum for middle school – high school to connect students to the fledgling collegiate permaculture programs and the online permaculture community. Matt shares excerpts from his books, experiences in teaching permaculture to children and teens, & insights into the growing permaculture youth movement. Join Matt for a look at the future of Permaculture in public and home school settings. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Matt Powers of thepermaculturestudent.com Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

In this episode Curtis talks about: - How his no till beds are working out and performing. - His strategy for what types of tomatoes to grow. - How he grows his tomatoes. What cultural practices is he doing. - How he interplants other crops between his tomatoes. It is week 11 of the urban farm season - May 26, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf10 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Today I am talking to Troy Martz of Off Grid Pro about his reality. How he is going from a hobby, something that he loves and is passionate about, and what it's like to transition it into a functioning, profitable business. In this episode we talk about things like.. How do you deal with starting up a business when funds are tight and you have kids? How do you split time between your day job that pays the bills and the new business that is time hungry, but currently not paying your bills? How do you know if the business is making forward progress or if you are just wasting your damn time? And we start out by talking about Troy's passion - gasification. A real look, at a real person, trying to do what many of you are trying to do. Taking on the tough but necessary changes that need to be made when it comes to transitioning a passion from hobby to business. Learn more about this episode at: permaculturevoices.com/110

In this episode Curtis answers questions on.. -How much land you should start with your first year? -How much you could expect to make your first year of farming? -How he does his harvesting? -How he deals with crop residue in his no till beds. -Raised beds. A fit or not? -Does he thin his seeds? -Are pelleted seeds worth the cost? -How you should start a relationship with chefs when production is inconsistent? -Is he subject to food handling regulations? It is week 10 of the urban farm season - May 19, 2015. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf10 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Start with water, your most valuable form of capital, and retain as much of it as possible on the property in order to rehydrate the landscape. We can use efficient landscape design to control the flow of water to slow it, spread it, and sink it allowing the water to infiltrate into the soil, giving the plants water to do their work. Then nature will start building soil and creating microclimates and shade. But none of that will happen without water. Zach Weiss an ecological landscape designer from Montana and a student of Sepp Holzer joins me to talk about creating a water retention landscape. In this episode we will talk more about what he has learned from Sepp and get more into his own ideas on how water retention can have a dramatic effect on the landscape. We touch on everything from building ponds and sealing ponds to catchment used to feed dams to the three zones of any body of water. An episode for designers and homesteaders alike. See videos and other content related to this episode at permaculturevoices.com/109

In this episode we talk about acquiring new farm land. What it takes to get new land, how land deals are structured, and what information you want to know from a land owner before entering a land deal. We also discuss how you convert a conventional lawn over to a production urban farm plot. What are the steps involved? It is week 9 of the urban farm season - May 12, 2015. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf9 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Greywater is the most plentiful and abundant source of irrigation water we have. For those of us in dry climates, its the most sustainable option- thought often forgotten. Learn how you can install simple and affordable greywater systems that will efficiently irrigate your bountiful, productive, landscape. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Laura Allen of GreyWaterAction.org. Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

Scott Gallant, one of the instructors at Rancho Mastatal joins me to talk about what it takes to run a successful and profitable education center. Talking about topics like volunteer labor and getting what you pay for. We will talk about their apprenticeship program. And how the ranch is really in the hospitality business, not just the education business. Rancho Mastatal is a business, a for profit business, that needs to be financially successful to be sustainable. In a world where so many educational businesses are run on non-profit frameworks, here is one that isn't. Let's find out why and get into it with Scott Gallant.. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/108

It is week 8 of the urban farm season - May 5, 2015. In this episode we take a deep dive into direct seeding. When is it appropriate, how Curtis does it, and how he optimizes his direct seeding to maximize production for yield and quality. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf8 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Thinking about food, ruling with it and destroying it. The next 25-50 “us” years will be critically important to the future of food. You can be on the wave of an amazing era of domestication by turning to the wilds for inspiration. A whirlwind tour of the history of food then, now and “tomorrow”. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Joseph Simcox. Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

It is week 7 of the urban farm season - April 28, 2015. The setting for this show is Kelowona, BC, Canada. This episode focuses on the role of the urban farmer in the community. Problems Curtis has had with people in the city and how he has dealt with them. And what skills it takes to be an urban farmer. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf7 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Do you feel like you are the only one who cares? The only one who sees the important work that needs to be done? If you find yourself venturing into seldom-explored areas of thought and practice, chance are good you can relate. The truth is, however, that there are others like you, like us, eager to connect with like-minded folks and you may need to be the catalyst to make it happen. There is an art and science to cultivating a community and in this talk John will discuss his favorite strategies for fostering your own constituency. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by John Rife. More information on John at eastendmkt.com. Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast