Nate & Gabrielle of Six River Farm are located just north of Portland, ME. As early apprentices of Paul and Sandy Arnold of Pleasant Valley Farm—also former guests on the show—Nate and Gabrielle are now in their 18th! year of farming. Starting Six River Farm in 2007, on 2.5 acres of leased land, AND utilizing a collective farm model with four farms sharing infrastructure, they now have grown to 25 acres of vegetable production, with 20 employees during the main-season, 10 of whom work year-r...
Jun 17, 2024•1 hr 26 min
Today, I have TWO guests, Emily Von-Trapp of Von Trapp Flowers in VT and Linda D'arco of Little Farmhouse Flowers in NY. Emily and Linda each operate their own cut flower businesses with a focus on wholesale and winter flower bulb forcing AND they collaborate to teach flower farmers how to bring beautiful flowers to bloom during the coldest and darkest months of the year through The Tulip Workshop online course and on-farm classes. Along with a second Lilly workshop, their collaboration has insp...
Jun 10, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Over the last 14 years, Ray Tyler of Rose Creek Farms has been passionate about developing growing systems to successfully grow and sell certified organic produce fifty-two weeks a year in western Tennessee. Along with his wife Ashley and six homeschooled children, he is committed to creating a family-focused farm that allows for a sustainable and healthy work-life balance. Using a meticulous system of eighteen caterpillar tunnels on one acre, Ray is able to supply three farmers markets and a fa...
Jun 03, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Folks who support the show... Harnois Greenhouses for controlled environment agriculture innovation, partnering with market gardeners and farmers across North America to deliver comprehensive, turnkey, commercial greenhouse solutions. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Instantly offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more at farmhand.partners/notill Local Line is the...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Host Mimi Casteel of Hope Well Wine talks with friend, BEE researcher, and "bee girl" herself, Sarah Red-Laird about how our farms and market gardens can promote bee health. Bee Girl Orgs mission is to educate and inspire communities to conserve bees, their flowers, and our countryside. Check out the Bee Girl Org website where you can support her very improtant work and follow her journey on Instagram . Folks who support the show... Harnois Greenhouses for controlled environment agriculture inno...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 28 min
Host Alex Ball sits down for a farmer roundtable with Kolin Buzerak of Starry Ridge Farm , and Caitlin and Simon Yevzelman of Cedar Field Farm to discuss how they access farm land, working with those in their community, and making their farms work in these times of high interest rates and expensive land values. We discuss the value of connecting with those around you to build your farm resource base as well the commitment it takes long-term to build a successful small-scale farming business. Men...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 34 min
Soil Testing. Over the years, Natalie has gotten a lot of this kind of question: why are my results from THIS lab different from my results from THAT lab? And WHY are the recommendations DIFFERENT? For this episode, she spoke with Bruce Hoskins who runs the Soil and Plant Anaylitcal Lab at The University of Maine . It's impossible to cover everything you want or need to know about soil testing in an hour, but they lay the groundwork for what exactly happens to a soil sample when you send it into...
May 06, 2024•1 hr 9 min
"We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say it's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem. And then there are those who see the need and respond. And I consider those people my heros." - Mr. Rogers Mimi Casteel is talking with one of HER heros, the amazing Sarah Keiser, from Wild Oat Hollow. She will inspire you to be someone who makes things happen, and she'll be the first to tell you she didn't to it alone, because it takes a community, wh...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 37 min
Alex Ball sits down with fellow farmer and friend Cheyenne Sundance of Sundance Harvest , Commons, & Market in Ontario, Canada. They dig deep on managing a multi-farm cooperative land-trust project, building a team around an idea, and balancing urban/rural production. Follow the prolific Cheyanne Sundance on Instagram More information on Sundance Commons Folks who support the show... Harnois Greenhouses for controlled environment agriculture innovation, partnering with market gardeners and f...
Apr 22, 2024•52 min
In March, part of the No-Till Growers team went to the Organic Growers School in NC and held a roundtable with Erin of Cedar Chest Farm and Lyric and Noah of Wild East Farm about scaling-up from homestead to full-fledged farm business. We get to hear the stories of how both farms started on a very small scale and smartly grew their operations, plus tips, lessons, and helpful thoughts on business startups. Check out Organic Growers School Follow Wild East Farm on Instagram & YouTube Follow Ce...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Got a BONUS Farmer Jesse episode this week with Ari Memar, founder of Farmhand , a personal assistant for growers. It may not surprise you, Farmer J is not the most tech-savvy guy, so we're excited to chat with Ari about the easy-to-use program they've built at Farmhand to save admin time and get farmers farming more, plus how the tech world and gardening world--from his parents to his own life--have influenced his path. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by...
Apr 10, 2024•49 min
There is nobody who does more awesome headlines than the British. Especially the tabloids, so good. They can even manage to talk about things like compost in a way that almost brings tears of joy… "Posh compost that's entry level." -The Times "Luxury manures, the sweet smell of success." -The Times "Twenty pounds for a tiny bag of poo? What really goes into luxury compost?" - The Guardian Don't be put off by "luxury compost" because our guests today are quite down to earth. Today, Mimi is speaki...
Apr 08, 2024•52 min
On today's episode Alex Ball of Old City Acres sits down with Hannah Weber & Michelle Brosius (½ of the management team) from Green Things Farm Collective in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Green Things was interviewed several years ago by farmer Jesse AND farmer Jackson and since then they have radically increased the scale of their no-till production and local food distribution. We discuss how they build and manage their no till beds at scale, train & build up their workforce, distribute all of t...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr
Imagine the theme music from Masterpiece Theater… a former oil & gas accountant leaves his lucrative career and travels by bicycle to a walled garden. Mimi Casteel speaks with her friend Tim Phillips from Charlie Herring Wines in the UK. If you do nothing else, check out his website—beware the litany of web warnings!—for a darlin illustration of his farm and incredibly entertaining blog. He not only does a lot of innovative things, but also uses a lot of old school methods, and he's our peop...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 40 min
Farmer Jesse recently got the chance to speak with Daryl Ward of Sow Right Seeds about starting and running a small seed company. In particular, how seed businesses like Sow Right are dealing with new genetically modified varieties that are hitting the shelves. We also talk about home gardening, the business of selling seeds, and more. Full disclosure, Sow Right is not only a sponsor the No-Till Growers YouTube channel , but also the podcast, helping us keep it free for growers everywhere. ... a...
Mar 20, 2024•51 min
Farmer Jesse is back this week with Kyle Forest-Burns of Burns Blossom Farm , which he runs with his partner Mel, in Chico California. They discuss farming with a debilitating disease, nutrient management, and tips for new farmers. A very cool and wide-ranging talk that we've been waiting to have for several years. If you want to SEE the conversation, along with some pictures that illustrate what they are talking about, head over to the No-Till Growers PODCAST YouTube channel! Folks who support ...
Mar 18, 2024•58 min
On today's special episode of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast, Alex says goodbye to his old farm and embraces the change to running and setting up a brand new no-till site for Old City Acres . We chat with two special guests, co-founder Farmer Jackson, and first year farm partner Seth Torkelson-Regan, all about renting -vs- owning (can you afford it), setting up new beds, the emotional toll of owning your own land, and making hard business decisions on the farm with regard to your finances, ti...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 39 min
Pirate radio with Mini Casteel.. keeping your nuts dry with "nutter" Justin Holt of the Asheville Nuttery . Justin has been a part of the agroforesty world since 2011--part of the Nutty Buddy Collective --he also leads tours and consulatancy around agroforestry and foraging. You going to want to listen to this one, it's quite the nut to crack. Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast... Join Organic Growers School for their Spring Conference in Western North Carolina March 8-10, 2024,...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 30 min
Today, we are doing a podcast special with Farmer Jesse and Max Epstein of Krautgaart in Luxembourg, discussing his no-dig, pay-what-you can, collaborative CSA model and a whole lot more! To see a VIDEO version of the conversation with additional photos, check it out on YouTube! Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast... Join Organic Growers School for their Spring Conference in Western North Carolina March 8-10, 2024, with 60+ workshops organized into 13 themed tracks. Plus, I (Jess...
Feb 26, 2024•1 hr 12 min
One of the things that I, Natalie, love about doing this podcast is the freedom to talk to just about anyone and you may have noticed that I'm pretty agnostic when it comes to getting good information. I think you can find wisdom and knowledge from farmers, scientists, EVEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Candace Williams Anthony and Laura Starr who both work in the Soil Health Division of the NRCS . We focus on soil health practices in this conversa...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Mimi has another 'charming accent' interview, this time with Nicole Masters of Integrity Soils and author of For the Love of Soil. She a world leader in soil health, a very accomplished educator, and is focused on an outcomes-based approach to improving soils. She also has a joyous way of being and looking at the world, and is a delight to listen to. Mentioned in the show... Nicole's educatoinal organization Integrity Soils Her Book, For the Love of Soil The Soil Learning Center Online Courses J...
Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Today, Alex Ball sits down with Kat and Kolin of Startty Ridge Farm in Petersburg, NY. They dig deep into successfully carving beds into the sid eof rocky hills, building a farm business with family, and marketing a diverse selection of local products to the community. Mentioned in the show... Follow Starry Ridge Farm on Instagram Follow Alex Ball & Old City Acres on Instagram Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast... High Country News provides unique on-the-ground reporting on ...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Farmer Jesse here with an interview of my own, this one with Mr. Eric Nordell Of Beech Grove Farm in PA. Eric and his wife Anne are LEGENDS in the small farm community. I first learned about their work on the Farmer-to-Farmer Podcast, but they have been organic farmers for forty-odd years. Today's topic... low/not-till farming with horses! We get into everything from weed management, to garlic production, and a whole lot more. You can read more about their farming on their blog-here-and they als...
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Natalie talks with LEGEND Will Bonsall and we're really excited to bring this conversation to you! Will is legendary for his seed saving efforts, the Scatterseed Project, as well as his radical homesteading in western Maine. He is the first to admit that he is not a market gardener and some of the things he does on his homestead aren't feasible if you're trying to make a living selling food, but many of them are! I love his approach to what he calls "eco efficiency" and there is a lot to learn w...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 14 min
On today's episode of the No-Till Market Garden Podcast, Alex of Old City Acres LITERALLY sits down for a very special live and in-person conversation with Devon Wilson of Sunlight Gardens located in downtown Battle Creek, MI. They discuss starting an urban farm in shared community lots and backyards, developing his on-site farm & natural convenience store, and using social media to connect with his local community. Mentioned during show... Sunlight Gardens farmsite Sunlight Gardens on Insta...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Natalie is back with dear friend and soil scientist--and national soil judging champion!-- Deirdre Griffin LaHue . Deirdre's work in Washington state has led to some incredible long-term soil health projects. They also discuss the how she transitioned from studying nutrition to soil health, the current science of biodegradable mulches, and unconventional crops in the state. Mentioned in the show... The Washington State University Soil Health Website The Mulch Matters Podcast RSS feed (also on Ap...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 6 min
I don't even know where to begin. Today, I— Mimi —interview Pat Crowley of Chapul Farms in my own state of Oregon. One of my neighbors. If you've been one of the many thousands who have viewed THIS video of black soldier fly larvae production, this is THAT, but on steroids. Pat describes Chapul: "In 2019, I launched Chapel Farms as a way to continue growing the regenerative potential of insects to bioconvert food and ag waste into healthy foods and microbial-rich soil. We work with selected dome...
Jan 01, 2024•1 hr 28 min
Hope you're wearing your PPE for this one! Mimi Casteel of Hope Well Wine is speaking with Miguel Altieri , one of the modern pioneers of agroecology. He has written more than 330 publications , including a book: Agroecology, the Science of Sustainable Agriculture & Biodiversity… Miguel is a hero to many of us who have practiced in the field and his bio is very extensive. In addition to being a professor emeritus at UC Berkley, he also served as a scientific advisor to the Latin American Con...
Dec 25, 2023•1 hr 32 min
Today, we sit down with Dan Fillius of Iowa State Extension and Alex Ball of Old City Acres to discuss the role of the university extension agent in supporting farmers, both organic and conventional. We dig deep on the multiple facets of Dan's farming experience as an organic grower and extension agent duties including working with Amish growers, helping growers identify pests/diseases, and how he connects with farmers using social media and his own podcast: "What in the Weather." Dan is a treas...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Hey nerds, Farmer Jesse here, and we're going to break from our regularly scheduled podcasting to bring you a special bonus episode--a roundtable with three living legends: Helen Atthowe, David Blanchard, & Lou Johns. These have been three huge inspirations of my own and I wanted to get them together to discuss living pathways and how they manage them on different acreage and in different systems. This is a very long and in-depth conversation and we cover: how to manage living pathways, stri...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 35 min
