Sustainability Book Chat

If you want to grow a garden that is in sync with nature, then you need to check out Chris McLaughlin's ninth and newest book, The Good Garden: How to Nurture Pollinators, Soil, Native Wildlife, and Healthy Food — All in Your Own Backyard. In this episode, Chris and I are talking about several of The Good Garden concepts presented in her book, starting with knowing your ecosystem. We talk about how pollinators and wildlife are your partners in the garden, how to control weeds naturally, and h...

It only seems natural that after you perfect a homemade delicacy for your family and friends, the next step is to start selling it. Until recently this was financially impossible in many states due to regulations that meant you would have to invest big bucks in infrastructure to start a business. However, now that all 50 states have cottage food laws, you can start selling food directly from your home kitchen. But before you start baking and selling, be sure to listen to this ep...

When talking about weeds, people use words like enemy, battle, and war. No one wants weeds in their garden, right? Well, it depends! In this episode, author and gardener Tasha Greer talks about why we can't win the "war on weeds," and why we don't really need to. In fact, it's entirely possible to make peace with weeds in our garden. Tasha goes way beyond the usual suggestions for mulching and pulling weeds. In fact, she tells us why pulling weeds is actually a bad idea. And mulching can ev...

One of the reasons we decided to start raising pigs almost 20 years ago was because I thought it was the only way we could produce our own homegrown cooking oil — also known as, lard. I assumed that creating oil from seeds and nuts would simply be too challenging for a non-professional. In this episode, author, gardener, and oil maker Bevin Cohen talks about his book, The Complete Guide to Seed & Nut Oils. He dispels that myth that I fell prey to — that making oils at home is too challeng...

You might think that someone who write a book about bugs would have been a bona fide bug lover forever. But author Jessica Walliser admits up front that she used to think nothing of spraying pesticides all over plants to kill bugs, even if the pesticide was blowing back in her face and she could smell it and taste it! Jessica is the author of the second edition of Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, which should be arriving in bookstores right about the time that this episode drops. ...

If you have ever thought about raising rabbits for meat, either for your own dinner table or as a business, today's episode will get you at least a step or two closer to that goal. Eric and Callene Rapp have raised tens of thousands of rabbits over the years and are sharing their hard-earned knowledge in this episode and in their book, Raising Rabbits for Meat. We are talking about various breeds of meat rabbits, as well as housing, diet (grassfed or not), and breeding. And we also talk abo...

Whether you can't quite find the exact tools you need for your farm or you think you can improve on what's available or you simply like to build your own, Josh Volk's latest book, Build Your Own Farm Tools provides tons of inspiration and heard-learned lessons. Volk says he was always taking apart toys as a child and worked his way through college as a bicycle mechanic before getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Then when he turned to farming, it was only natural for him to start buil...

During the drought of 2012 when everything in our garden was dying after months without rain, I really started to think about hydroponics and aquaponic growing systems. In today's show, author and farmer Tyler Baras is talking about what hydroponics is, as well as how it is different from aquaponics. He also talks about how some foods can taste different when grown hydroponically and what you can do to compensate. We discuss the best foods for growing hydroponically, as well as whethe...

All gardens and farms were organic prior to World War II, and gardeners realized centuries ago that healthy soil was the key to healthy plants. Building healthy soil is exactly where author and gardener Sally Morgan starts her book, The HEALTHY Vegetable Garden: A natural, chemical-free approach to soil, biodiversity and managing pests and diseases. In today's interview, we talk about pests, diseases, and natural predators, as well as biocontrols, barriers, lures, traps, and sprays, includi...

If you like growing things that are slightly unusual, then pawpaws may be for you. They are a "tropical" fruit tree that grows in colder climates. In this episode, I'm talking with Blake Cothron, the author of "Pawpaws: The Complete Growing and Marketing Guide" and the co-owner of Peaceful Heritage Nursery, a USDA Certified Organic fruit mail-order nursery in Kentucky. Since most people don't know what pawpaws are, that's where we start! Then we discuss their incredible history and talk abo...

Today's episode is for anyone who has ever thought about adding cattle to their homestead. I'm talking to Callene Rapp, co-author of Homestead Cows: The Complete Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy Cattle. We are discussing what traits an aspiring owner should look for when choosing a breed, as well as when deciding to buy individual cows. I also share the big mistake we made when purchasing our first cows. We also talk about housing, fencing, and feeding cattle, as well as how many acres you n...

If you thought that it was beyond the reach of mere mortals to grow spices like ginger, turmeric, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamon, you'll be pleasantly surprised by this episode with Tasha Greer, who talks about her book, Grow Your Own Spices. Although many of us may use "herbs" and "spices" almost interchangeably, this book goes way beyond growing a little basal and cilantro. Tasha explains that herbs are generally the leafy green parts of a plant whereas spices are more mature parts, such ...

People don't usually think of health when we talk about sustainable living, but if we don't have our health, we are not sustainable. Keeping ourselves healthy is really at the root of a sustainable life. In this episode, I'm talking to Shawna Coronado about her journey from an author of seven gardening books to being debilitated with arthritis to regaining her health by changing what she eats. Her last gardening book, The Wellness Garden, started to pivot towards healthier living. She has ad...

If you want to learn more about using herbs beyond the kitchen, The Artisan Herbalist is a must read and a must see. It's filled will beautiful photos that clearly exemplify the identifying characteristics of each herb. In this podcast, we are talking to author Bevin Cohen about how he got interested in herbs, as well as how he chose the specific herbs that he included in this book. He explains the differences between infusions, decoctions, tinctures, and infused oils, and when you would use...

If you are looking for ideas on getting started with organic vegetable gardening, we are talking about everything you need to know! Which vegetables are the best for beginners? How do you actually start to plant? What size should your garden be? What can you do with container gardening? Gary Pilarchik, author of The Modern Homestead Garden, is sharing his gardening wisdom with listeners today. In addition to his personal gardening experience, Gary also has a garden shop, so he has plenty of ...