Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast

If you feel like your home garden is becoming an uphill battle, you're not alone. A few years ago, Toni thought her garden had hit its peak. But then she focused on her soil's microbiome (don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds), and everything changed. Today, ag-tech companies are jumping onto the soil microbiome trend and slowly but surely, new fertilizer products are hitting the shelves to help your gardens be stronger, not weaker. Toni sat down with Omar Al-Shafie, CEO of Teregen Ag, to talk about their new product. New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every other Wednesday.

As farmers age into retirement, the industry finds the younger generations – especially people in their 20's and 30's – stepping up to the field. Just like Bryce and Anna Kulik, owners of Folks Farm and Market. Toni chats with the Kuliks about the dirty details of running a farm, including the couple's real jobs and what it's like picking peaches while pregnant.

When Michelle Obama launched her Let's Move! campaign, Melissa Musiker was in the room helping the big food companies navigate the initiative (she was working for the Grocery Manufacturers Association). And the great thing about food industry insiders is that they're happy to share their knowledge. So Toni chatted with Melissa to get the inside scoop on what's landing on your kids' plates during lunch time.

If you're dreading the conversations that will crop up at the Thanksgiving dinner table – SNAP, climate change, tariffs, MAHA – listen up! Toni and Klein are doing a little exercise. Klein (reluctantly) plays the role of your Uncle who has very different views than you when it comes to our food system. And Toni gives her tips for how to respond while still keeping the temperature cool for the holidays. Let's talk about it.Have questions you'd like Toni to answer on the podcast? Send them to tonifarmersgarden@gmail.com. New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every Wednesday.

Do you have to work on a farm to be exposed to – and affected by – pesticides? Toni dives into the science behind these questions with Dr. Elisa Jazan, who just got her PhD from Tufts University in Environmental Health, and spent years studying exactly that. New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are live each Wednesday!

Somewhere, in a lab, there are scientists trying to make food taste sweeter. Or saltier. Or more bitter. These scientists are hired by food companies to perfect their recipes and keep their products flying off the shelf. So this week, Toni sits down with food scientist Mark Hines to dig into how it happens. New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are available every Wednesday!

As food prices rise and SNAP benefits are cut, Toni's conversation with UPenn professor Domenic Vitiello about how people living in cities can access food feels more relevant than ever. The two chat about gardening with limited space, sharing fridges with your neighbors and much more to help anyone, living anywhere, find food. New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are available every Wednesday!

The second half of Toni's conversation with Maria Rodale (of the Rodale Institute) covers everything you need to know about eating organic...like why it's better for you, how to know if a product is actually organic (those labels can be tricky!) and what foods are carrying the most pesticides. Tune in every Wednesday for new episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast!

Toni talks with Maria Rodale, granddaughter of the founder of the Rodale Institute, about why our farming system is broken – and how we can fix it. Plus, did you know it takes 5 years for a farmer to switch to organic farming? And we talk why farmers don't change their votes even when it hurts them.