Farm Small Farm Smart

Seed farmer Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-Operative Farm answers the question: if you save seeds from your best plants every year, will you eventually create a variety that best fits your growing conditions?

Check out Dan's new book: The Seed Farmer: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Selling Your Own Seeds

Click here to learn more about Dan Brisebois and his work. 

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

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Want to maximize your profits, but you're growing on limited land? In this episode, we dive short cycle, high-calue crops, niche and specialty crops that command strong demand in specific markets, and staple crops that provide steady sales throughout the season. 

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Associate Professor Dr. Ben Hoover of California Polytechnic State University sheds light on how a container's shape and size can affect plant health through its root systems.

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How do you decide which crops to grow to make the most profit? In this episode, we take a look at Curtis Stone's Crop Value Rating system to make informed decisions about what to plant. 

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Farmer and Medical Qigong practitioner Chris Winters of The Fertile Current shares the early days of building his own comprehensive electroculture setup after facing the challenges of its inaccessibility.

Click here to learn more about Chris and The Fertile Current here.

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In this episode, we break down the numbers behind successful small-scale farming, from crop selection to cost management. We'll cover the keys to profitability, challenges to overcome, and strategies for managing your market garden as a successful business. 

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Join Russell Taylor of Live Earth Products, Inc. to shed light on humic substances and what they can do to your soil and farm's production.

Learn more about Live Earth Products, Inc. here. 

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Can you turn a small plot into a thriving business? The answer is: yes, you can! With our comprehensive guide to market gardening, learn everything from crop selection and intensive cultivation methods to direct marketing strategies and how to turn a profit.

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Host Diego poses a question for seed farmer and author Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-Operative Farm: how realistic is it to create and maintain your own hybrid variety of a crop? Farmer Dan breaks down the process, and it might not be as difficult as it seems.

Check out Dan's new book: The Seed Farmer: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Selling Your Own Seeds

Click here to learn more about Dan Brisebois and his work. 

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

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In episode two of Market Farming Basics, we peel back the truth about land requirements for successful market farming in this comprehensive guide. Whether you're interested in urban market gardening, microgreen farming, or larger-scale vegetable production, we break down the land needs for various market farming approaches. Learn how to maximize productivity and profitability on small plots using intensive farming techniques.

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Join soil scientist Bruce Davison of Soilsmith Ag as he sheds light on applying vermicompost to your soils. What vermicompost is good vermicompost? How much should you use? What will it do to your soil and your crops?

Click here to learn more about Bruce Davison and Soilsmith!

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

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Welcome to Market Farming Basics!

In this first episode, we answer the question: what is market gardening? Discover the ins and outs of market gardening, a sustainable, small-scale farming practice that brings fresh, high-quality produce directly to your community! We’ll explore how market gardeners grow a diverse range of vegetables, herbs, and flowers on a small plot of land, maximizing productivity through intensive cultivation techniques such as succession planting, intercropping, and raised beds.

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Farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop shares the story behind the Facussa: a melon grown as a cucumber in Sardinia, Italy. He talks about the fruit itself and how to grow it.

Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.

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Farmer and Qigong practitioner Chris Winters of The Fertile Current discusses the basics of electroculture and the myriad of benefits it can bring to your farm and your production. 

Click here to learn more about Chris and The Fertile Current here.

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Russell Taylor of Live Earth Products, Inc. dives into the difference between humic acid and fulvic acid: what they're made of and the different applications they're used for across many different industries.

Learn more about Live Earth Products, Inc. here. 

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Seed farmer Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-Operative Farm talks about the practicality of isolating plants when you're planning on saving seeds. Should you do it? Or can you get away with cramming as many plants as possible onto one bed to maximize production?

Check out Dan's new book: The Seed Farmer: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Selling Your Own Seeds

Click here to learn more about Dan Brisebois and his work. 

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farmi...

Associate Professor Dr. Ben Hoover of California Polytechnic State University shares some of the biggest advancements in agriculture and the nuances behind creating the optimum substrate for your plants' needs.

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Soil scientist Bruce Davison of Soilsmith Ag talks about how to get the best representative soil samples from your farm to get the most accurate readings and formulate the best amendments for your soil's needs.

Click here to learn more about Bruce Davison and Soilsmith!

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Farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop sheds light on the difference between cucumbers and melons grown as cucumbers: traits unique to each of them and which one to grow that best suits you.

Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.

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Seed farmer Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-Operative Farm talks about the common mistakes beginner seed savers are most likely to make, how to avoid them, and the opportunities they're missing out on. 

Check out Dan's new book: The Seed Farmer: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Selling Your Own Seeds

Click here to learn more about Dan Brisebois and his work. 

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming...

Farmer and Medical Qigong practitioner Chris Winters of The Fertile Current discusses the nature of the free energy around us and lays down the principles of electroculture of harnessing this energy.

Click here to learn more about Chris and The Fertile Current here.

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

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In this episode, farmer Jodi and host Diego talk about microgreens. While growing and selling microgreens can be a viable standalone business, Jodi and Diego talk about the merits of tacking on microgreens to a traditional market garden farm. They talk about the flexibility it allows the farm and the economics behind microgreens as a standalone product versus a component in a salad mix.    Learn more about farmer and educator Jodi Roebuck: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm

Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and Insec...

When people hear "humic substances," most people would immediately think "soil." But apart from finding humic substances in the soil, did you know that it can also be mined? Join Russell Taylor of Live Earth Products, Inc. to shed light on what humic substances are and how they're mined from deposits and used in various industries. 

Learn more about Live Earth Products, Inc. here. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

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Join soil scientist Bruce Davison of Soilsmith Ag as he discusses what it means to have balanced soils. He talks about how soils lose their balance and the consequences that come with unbalanced soils, as well as the fairly simple ways of bringing the soil back into balance to keep it performing in tip-top shape.

Click here to learn more about Bruce Davison and Soilsmith!

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights!

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In this episode, farmer Jodi and Diego talk about choosing the right irrigation system for your farm. They talk about the pros and cons as well as the nuances of each type, and they take a closer look at a specific irrigation system, the Sumi Soaker, and why farmer Jodi has used this system for the better part of the decade. 

Sumi Soaker Max Irrigation System: https://shop.moderngrower.co/products/sumi-soaker-max-irrigation-system

Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your v...

Seed farmer Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-Operative Farm shares some advice for beginners looking to save their first seeds: keep things simple to avoid overwhelm and burning out early!🌱

Check out Dan's new book: The Seed Farmer: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Selling Your Own Seeds

Click here to learn more about Dan Brisebois and his work. 

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seed...

Cucumbers we get from grocery stores sometimes turn out to be bitter, and the bitterness can make it hard to eat. Why is that? Did it turn bitter because of how it was stored? Did it turn bitter because of how it was pollinated? Or was the variety already bitter to begin with? 

Farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop breaks down bitterness in cucumbers and dispels myths about why cucumbers turn out bitter. Farmer Jay also shares some tips on how to grow bitter-free cucumbers. 

Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.

In honor of its 10th anniversary, we are releasing The Urban Farmer, as it originally aired in 2015.

Subscribe to The Urban Farmer Podcast to follow Curtis Stone's journey as he transforms urban plots into profitable market gardens, grossing $85,000 on just a third of an acre. This documentary series takes you behind the scenes of a successful urban farming operation in Kelowna, BC, revealing the essential systems and strategies that make small-scale farming viable.

Learn how Curtis manages multiple plots, maintains restaurant relationships, and maximizes productivity in limited space. Whether you're planning your first market garden...

In this episode, farmer Jodi and host Diego talk about the most common mistakes that new farmers make and how to avoid them to increase your chances of success in running a profitable and sustainable farm business. 

Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.

Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Networ...

Many farmers' go-to solution to underperforming crops is to add more compost, but unfortunately, piling on inches upon inches of compost might actually do more harm than good. Soil Consultant Bruce Davison of Soilsmith talks about the dire consequences of applying copious amounts of compost into production beds. 

Click here to learn more about Bruce Davison and Soilsmith!

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

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Seed farmer and author Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-Operative Farm shares his expertise on seed-saving by ranking the top 3 easiest market garden crops to start saving seed from, how to process the seeds to use the next year, and how to tell when the seeds are ready to be harvested and processed. 🌱

Check out Dan's new book: The Seed Farmer: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Selling Your Own Seeds

Click here to learn more about Dan Brisebois and his work. 

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Chan...

Welcome to The Rookie Farmer Podcast, a brand new series on the Modern Grower Podcast Network hosted by Rookie Farmer Alec Smith!  Farmer Alec kicks off the show with guest farmer Zach Richards of Levity Farms in Blairsville, Georgia. They pack a lot in this episode, from biodynamic farming for new farmers, getting started with selling produce to chefs and restaurants, unique ways to go about veggie boxes, as well lessons farmer Zach learned from moving Levity Farms thrice in eight years. 

Check out farmer Zach and Levity Farms: https://www.instagram.com/levityfarmsga/

Check ou...

In this episode, farmer Jodi and host Diego discuss strategies for building a sustainable farm business. They talk about the different and occasionally difficult decisions involved in making sure a farm is financially viable such as controlling costs, scaling mindfully, and differentiating your farm's products, among other things. Hopefully, these strategies can help every farm's game plan this coming 2025 season. 

Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.

Get...

We're smack in the middle of winter, and most farmers are drafting their game plan come spring, thinking about what to grow and maybe considering new additions to their farming operation. Farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop talks about one potential add-on project for market gardeners: contract growing crops for seed companies. 

Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

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Dustin LaBat of Specklebelly Farms in Weimar, Texas shares their you-pick farming model that includes not only vegetables but also cut flowers and blackberries, which is the biggest draw. He talks about the labor, economics, and marketing strategies that go into running their farm, as well as how blackberries can be an incredibly profitable crop for market farmers. Lastly, he touches on plant sales, farm stand sales, and restaurant sales as complementary income that allows their farm to run all year round. 

Check out Specklebelly Farms here!

Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.mo...

In this episode, farmer Jodi Roebuck talks about navigating running a farm business during an economic downturn while making strategic investments on the farm. He also drills down the importance of having a financial buffer to cushion expenses during tough times.    Learn more about farmer and educator Jodi Roebuck: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm

Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.

Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower...

So you want to grow your own cucumbers...but where do you even start? 

Farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop walks us through the whole process of growing the best cucumbers, from choosing which cucumbers to grow, to how to start them, to the kind of soil to grow them in, to how to maintain your cucumber plants to keep them pumping out fruit for weeks and weeks!

Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

Listen to...

Jay Tracy of CucumberShop.com talks about common—and not-so-common—varieties of cucumbers based on their uses. 

Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

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In this new series, we invite experts in the field of agriculture—plant breeders, soil specialists, seed specialists, flower experts, you name it!—and take a deep dive into specific topics related to their area of expertise. 

Starting off the first episode, we have Jay Tracy of CucumberShop.com to shed light on cucumber terminologies and de-mystify common misconceptions about growing cucumbers. 

Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel! 

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In this episode, farmer Jodi Roebuck takes us through his very circuitous journey into farming. He shares how farming has been like for him as he navigated through economic downturns, the importance of adaptability in the face of challenges, and the importance of hard work, persistence, and focusing on the positives in the face of adversity.    Learn more about farmer and educator Jodi Roebuck: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm

Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.

Get time and labor-saving farm tools...