Encyclopedia Botanica – Details, episodes & analysis

The quality of produce you grow is dependent on the quality of your soil. We are big advocates of doing everything possible to make garden soil the best it can be right from the start, and then working year after year to maintain and improve its quality. In this episode we're joined by award winning author Jeff Lowenfels to discuss the soil food web and garden soil ecosystems.

Jeff Lowenfels is the author of an award-winning trilogy of books on soil, Teaming With Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide To The Soil Food Web, Teaming With Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition and Teaming With Fungi: The Organic Grower’s Guide to Mycorrhizae.

In this episode Hilary and Colin answer a listener's questions about wood-framed raised bed construction best practices. Their business, Seattle Urban Farm Company has designed and built hundreds of custom raised bed gardens in the Seattle area, so check out this episode for an inside scoop on all of the pro tips!

Pre-order their newest book Grow More Food here!

Turns out gardening in straw bales might be the least expensive and most effective way to create a season-long container garden! Hilary and Craig LeHoullier discuss what a straw bale garden is and how to set one up!

Find photos, links to Craig's projects, and more in the show notes for this episode: http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/ 

This episode is for those of you out there who may not have a vegetable garden yet, or who are planning to expand an existing growing space. Or maybe you're thinking about adding some new beds for the next growing season. We are talking about how sheet mulching might be a good technique for you. Mulching your future garden space over the winter can give you a jumpstart on the garden building process for next season.

Also, we need your support in order to continue providing you with fresh, quality weekly content. We've started a Patreon page so if you're enjoying this podcast, consider making a contribution: 

https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica

Don't forget to Tweet us @seattleurbnfarm using hashtag #EBpodcast with your garden questions!

Microgreens are a great way to produce food all year long with minimum space and time. In this episode we'll discuss how to grow microgreens and crops that are best suited for this type of production. 

Also, we need your support in order to continue providing you with fresh, quality weekly content. We've started a Patreon page so if you're enjoying this podcast, consider making a contribution: 

https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica

Don't forget to Tweet us @seattleurbnfarm using hashtag #EBpodcast with your garden questions!

Spending a little time in the fall taking notes on what happened in your garden over that past season is a great way to get a jump start on your garden planning for the following spring. In this episode we are going to briefly introduce garden mapping and then Kellie and I will share our favorite crop varieties of the 2016 garden season.

Also, we need your support in order to continue providing you with fresh, quality weekly content. We've started a Patreon page so if you're enjoying this podcast, consider making a contribution: 

https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica

Don't forget to Tweet us @seattleurbnfarm using hashtag #EBpodcast with your garden questions!

This episode we are going to delve into the wonderful world of soil pH. Managing the pH of a garden may sound super complicated or perhaps a bit over-the-top for the beginning gardener. However, checking and adjusting the pH of your garden soil is actually very easy and very important.

Also, we need your support in order to continue providing you with fresh, quality weekly content. We've started a Patreon page so if you're enjoying this podcast, consider making a contribution: 

https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica

Don't forget to Tweet us @seattleurbnfarm using hashtag #EBpodcast with your garden questions!

This week we will be discussing how to use compost as a fall garden amendment. In particular, we're going to talk about it how you can use compost to improve and protect your soil over the wet winter months.

Also, we need your support in order to continue providing you with fresh, quality weekly content. We've started a Patreon page so if you're enjoying this podcast, consider making a contribution: 

https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica

Don't forget to Tweet us @seattleurbnfarm using hashtag #EBpodcast with your garden questions!

Cover cropping is the practice of growing a crop specifically to generate organic matter, protect the soil, and increase soil nutrient levels. 

In this episode, we discuss how cover crops work and why they are an incredibly important and effective way to maintain soil health and capture soil on site, but also why the practice of cover cropping can be tricky to employ in a home garden.

Also, we need your support in order to continue providing you with fresh, quality weekly content. We've started a Patreon page so if you're enjoying this podcast, consider making a contribution: 

https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica

Don't forget to Tweet us @seattleurbnfarm using hashtag #EBpodcast with your garden questions!

Last week Kellie and I went to a community field day and variety tasting event put on by the Organic Seed Alliance. The event celebrates the second annual harvest at OSA’s Washington research farm, which serves as the hub of OSA’s Pacific Northwest organic plant breeding, seed education, and variety trial program.

In this episode, we’ll discuss OSA’s mission and some of the work they do and we’ll also share their technique for saving tomato seeds.

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In this episode, we discuss:

• What the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) is and their mission.
• Why organic farmers and gardeners are reliant on organizations like the OSA to help develop seed adapted to their specific farm conditions and climates that don’t require the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers
• How to save tomato seeds.

Important Take-aways:

• Seeds are a living, natural resource that need careful management to meet food needs now and into the future.
• The Organic Seed Alliance’s work is crucial to the future of organic farming. Research demonstrates that varieties developed under non-organic growing conditions are not always successful in organic and other low-input systems. Organic growers need crop varieties developed specifically for low-input systems – crops that mitigate pest and disease pressures, and that are adapted to their local conditions and climates.” The OSA is partnering with farmers all over the country to identify seed needs and to trial varieties and collect data.
• Label any seeds you save with the variety and date!

Heard on the Episode:

“It’s not everyday that you get the opportunity to try seven different types of kale...sided by side. It’s just a good reminder of all of the different vegetable varieties and flavor qualities that are out there.” - Hilary Dahl

“I have to say, this was just such a cool experience...I’ve never really done anything like this before. I learned way more than I expected about the importance of seeds in our culture...honestly, I know it’s fall but it got me super jazzed up for planning my spring garden…!” - Kellie Phelan