Bootstrap Farmer Radio

Meet Ben and Vanessa of Bouldin Food Forest serving the Austin, Texas market. Bouldin Food Forest grows rich, nutrient-dense food using regenerative agriculture methods. It’s a throwback to when agriculture was about craftsmanship, not industrial mechanization and chemicals favored by today’s large factory farms. The result: beautiful vegetables and a surrounding ecosystem that flourishes. Bootstrap Farmer has had the pleasure of spending several days at Bouldin Food Forest over the last few months, and we have been blown away by the quality of their crops, the organization of their farm, and the effortless grit with which they operate. Comment below your biggest takeaways from this great interview with some true heroes of agriculture. Follow Vanessa and Ben on IG

 https://www.instagram.com/bouldinfoodforest

 Check out their AirBnB:

 https://persimmonhill.farm/

and farm at:

 https://bouldinfoodforest.com

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The Greenhouse and Hoop House Grower's Handbook What crops make the most money in a Hoop House? What options do farmers need when growing year-round? What are ways big growers leverage every square inch of protected culture? Andrew Mefferd, the author of The Greenhouse and Hoop House Growers Handbook, discussed his motivation and observations in writing the required reading growing manual for any market gardener.

 https://growingformarket.com/

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:30 Origin of The Greenhouse and Hoop House Grower's Handbook

08:50 Increasing Yields

11:00 Tomatoes

59:31 Cold Weather Growing

01:22:30 Sunlight

01:31:57 Plant Fertility

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 #bootstrapfarmer #greenhouse #hoophouse #protectedculture #CEA #polytunnel #lowtunnel #cattunnel #caterpillartunnel #marketgardener #farming

We dive deep. And we mean deep into how hybrid seeds are developed and brought to market with Andrew Mefferd. Andrew is the owner/editor of Growing For Market Magazine, author of The Greenhouse and Hoop House Grower's Handbook, and served many years at the trial farm at Johnny's Selected Seeds. His intense knowledge of seeds and the seed industry makes this interview the end all discussions on hybrid seeds.

Please note that this podcast was recorded several weeks before the GMO Purple tomato announcement in early February 2024.

www.bootstrapfarmer.com

A family reunion of sorts, Bootstrap Farmer welcomes Andrew Mefferd, publisher of Growing for Market Magazine and author of The Greenhouse and Hoop House Grower's Handbook, to the studio, along with Bootstrap Farmers Director of Sales Randy Cummings & Customer Service Specialist Kari Danial. Host Nick, Randy, and Andrew have known each other for close to 12 years and have worked on many projects in the small ag space. This in-person meet-up was long overdue, and this conversation covered many topics related to small farm producers. Here you go if you want to know what farm nerds talk about after hours. From how technology is being presented to small farms, emerging markets, new farm product trends, and consumer diets, we get multiple perspectives of what we're paying attention to.

www.bootstrapfarmer.com

https://growingformarket.com/

In this reaction video, the Bootstrap Farmer Podcast crew dives deeper into the JM Fortier interview with Bootstrap Farmer            ( https://youtu.be/Kd_jZnRaQbk ) and discus individual takeaways from  @TheMarketGardeners 

TIMESTAMPS: 00:17 Intro 00:45 Farm Sustainability 09:59 School and Healthy Living 19:45 Increasing Greenhouse Production 27:38 Keeping Your Market Small 34:30 Writing The Market Gardener

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Being a Market Gardener means serving our buyers where they are most likely to convert into repeatable sales at prices to keep you thriving in your agricultural business. In this episode, we look at many sales opportunities small farms have to serve their markets through traditional farmers markets, direct-to-consumer delivery, partnerships, and added-value products. Join Michael Bell of Dallas Half Acre Farm, Karl Binger from Paris Natural Farm, and Nick and Kari from Bootstrap farmer as we explore new options for farmer sales channels.

www.bootstrapfarmer.com

No stranger to the DFW growing community, Michael Bell runs a small farm just outside Dallas, TX. He sells direct to consumer seasonal salad veggies directly to his clients on his low-stress terms. If you think you need a lot of acreage or even a water supply, check out what Michael has accomplished, truly keeping a manageable scale as he bootstraps his way to long-term farming goals.

www.bootstrapfarmer.com

Nick & Karl Binger of Market Garden Paris Natural Farms discuss the qualities of a great market gardener. Patience, planning, and hard work will go a long way as new farmers leave corporate jobs, start second incomes & plan retirement income goals.

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Are you a Gardener, Hobby Farm, Farmer, or Market Gardner? Bootstrap Farmer supports all growers no matter where they are scaled. But in this new Market Gardener series, we are diving deep into what drives local food and food economics through the lens of farmers working their land year-round. 

In this first episode, Nick & Karl Binger of Paris Natural Farms discuss some of the things that set Market Gardeners apart from other growers. 

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https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/blogs/market-gardening

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#bootstrapfarmer #marketfarmer #marketgardener #localfood #farming

Bootstrap Farmer engages in an enlightening conversation with legendary Jean-Martin Fortier @TheMarketGardeners  on various subjects concerning the state of small-scale farming as a profession. We share the belief that there's a vast potential to cater to all market sizes, and it's crucial now more than ever for those at the forefront of this sector to assert the essential role of small-scale agriculture in their local region. If you are ready to get inspired in 2024, watch, comment, and subscribe to join the conversation.

For more Market Gardening content, visit: https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/blogs/market-gardening

Mindful Garden's Sean Pessarra has made hundreds of thousands if not a million soil blocks over his farming career. He is also the inventor of the Mindful Gardener Soil Block Drop Seeder.

In this interview, Sean discusses the how-to's, whats, and whys of Soil Blocking for seed starting.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro

00:38 What is soil blocking

01:23 What makes up the soil mix

03:31 How to choose soil mix

07:07 Why you should limit liquid feeds

08:00 How long till the plant receive the benefits from the nutrients in the block

10:00 When to fertilize soil block

11:00 How far in advance can you make soil blocks

14:11 Adding water for soil block mix

16:15 What is the soil block

19:24 Air pruning in soil block

23:02 Advantage of early season soil blocking

27:30 Soil block dibbler sizes

28:50 Garden planning with blocks

30:45 Are soil blocks fragile

31:20 Which size soil block maker should I get

33:20 Which trays to use for soil blocks

34:10 Drop seeder

37:50 Best practices to water soil blocks

43:30 Key components to farming

47:05 Wrap up

49:00 Bloopers

https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/search?type=product,page,article&q=soil%20blocks* #soilblocks #seedstarting #gardening #farming #homesteading

Join Sean Pessarra, Nick, and Karl Binger and learn how Sean, the founder of Mindful Farmer, and learn how he took his part-time beekeeping operation in Texas and transformed it into a full-time sustainable agriculture business rich in experience that has led to an amazing career serving farmers through better tools and consulting. This is part 1 of a two-part Soil Block interview.

 https://mindfulfarmerarkansas.com/

@mindfulkitchenarkansas

00:00 Intro

01:40 Mindful Farmer Beginnings

07:08 Heifer International

10:00 starting Mindful Farmer 

12:15 $200k on 3 acres

16:50 Sourcing to local restaurants

18:10 Organic growing in the south

20:30 Where it’s grown vs. how it’s grown

21:18 Regional vs. national chain stores

23:30 Wholesale vs. direct-to-consumer prices

25:50 Farmers market options

29:45 CSA model options

 30:40 Defining direct vs. wholesale on the farm

32:46 Should a new farmer start with wholesale

34:07 Farmer math= $ per square foot

36:00 Boutique grocer options

37:30 What you need for winter flower growing

39:17 First to market early in the season

41:30 Making the most out of sqft

43:00 Creativity in your farm

44:00 Avoid burnout 4

5:20 Bundling your energy

46:50 Learn to say NO

51:20 Mindful Farmer’s Made in the USA Tools, Drop Seeder

56:20 Broad fork tools

58:10 Making better tools

59:08 Helping home gardeners

01:00:00 Investing upfront to save later

 https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/blogs/how-to-grow-seedlings/soil-blocking

Have you always wanted to start composting but didn’t know where to start or what to buy? In this episode, Neil Kaufman from Dallas College will show you how to get started with zero-waste composting at home or on your market farm. Learn the basics of setting up and managing a zero-waste composting system, and see why it's an easy win for both you and the environment. Learn to keep things simple, what composting rules to break, which ones to bend, and how to scale up your compost as your garden becomes a market garden. Help divert nutrients and biodiversity from the landfill to your growing spaces with confidence and little to no upfront costs. Extra Credit Bonus learning on reusing spent microgreen media: www.bootstrapfarmer.com/blogs/microgreens/reusing-spent-microgreen-trays #composting #vermiculture #zerowaste

A re-release of our 1st interview with Kupu Place Farm’s Anthony Mau. In this 2021 Interview, Anthony was beginning year 3 of production on his Honolulu, Hawaii Aquaponic farm featuring shallow water culture raft beds, microgreen production, and edible flowers. Learn about some of the history of agriculture in Hawaii and how this current farm sits on century-old taro fields. You will learn about the shipping, importing, and growing of food in Hawaii and how to work with what you have to grow what your community needs. We wanted to review this interview as we recently revisited Anthony in year 5 as he recently bought a second farm location. This time capsule video shows what a farmer in year two thinks about as the business is rapidly scaling at farmer's markets and chef sales. In the next video, you will see how they are thinking bigger, better, and consciously as they continue to scale to the islands growing food needs. Part 2 : https://youtu.be/sWtlz1yVdJI www.bootstrapfarmer.com #hawaiifarming #aquaponics #microgreens #shallowwaterculture #edibleflowers

Welcome back to Kupu Place, 2023! Bootstrap Farmer revisits Anthony Mau of Kupu Place Farms for a year 5 catch up. Since the last time, we spoke they have acquired a second location to serve the Hawaiian Islands ever growing food needs. This is an interesting look at the differences in how a farm business owner group looks at solving food security for the most remote regions after an additional two years of farm management experience. The scaling of a farm requires an evolving list of considerations that are highlighted in this video. We are proud to have been with Kupu Place as they have grown over the last five years. If you haven't seen their 1st interview from 2021 click https://youtu.be/3-6fiJLRmic to get the full back story of this aquaponic lettuce, microgreen, and edible flower farm. www.bootstrapfarmer.com #hawaiifarming #aquaponics #microgreens #shallowwaterculture #edibleflowers

Two transplants move to Texas to start new farms. 

Karl Binger (Paris Natural Farm) and Bootstrap Farmer's own Karl Russell discuss moving to a new state and starting a farm from scratch. Find out how they carved out their market, moved chickens across America, and how no one ever told them about fire ants before moving into a HOT growing zone.

www.bootstrapfarmer.com

Two transplants move to Texas to start new farms. 

Karl Binger (Paris Natural Farm) and Bootstrap Farmer's own Karl Russell discuss moving to a new state and starting a farm from scratch. Find out how they carved out their market, moved chickens across America, and how no one ever told them about fire ants before moving into a HOT growing zone.

www.bootstrapfarmer.com

Bootstrap Farmers’ Farmer-in-Residence, Karl Binger, recently visited Tanzania to observe and learn about small-scale farming practices in rural parts of the country. From working the land with manual tools to sourcing seeds for crops, Karl learned about some of the challenges that these farmers face every day.

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 #bootstrapfarmer #podcast #sustainablegardening #foodsecurity #agriculture

Join us as we sit down with Jill Ragan of Whispering Willow Farm and learn about her journey to successful farm life. From publishing her book, "Tiny But Mighty Farm," to making the transition with her husband, Nate, to build out the market farm of their dreams. She shares advice for those looking to make similar transitions and discusses her ongoing partnership with Bootstrap Farmer. Grab a SIGNED copy of the Tiny but Mighty Farm: https://thewhisperingwillowfarm.com/products/book Shop The Whispering Willow Store: https://thewhisperingwillowfarm.com/ 

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#farmlife #marketgardener #WhisperingWillowFarm #TheTinyButMightyFarm #BootstrapFarmer #growfood #encouragement

Milan Turner was just a beginner gardener, but his journey to inspire others and bring change to his South Atlanta community started with a single basil plant. Now, he's created something amazing - a demonstration garden to provide fresh food access for people living in neighboring food deserts.

Learn how Milan started, went viral, and created a vision of localized change that is sure to give everyone actionable ways to make small changes where they live. Partnering with Bootstrap Farmer, we hope this inspiring story will encourage others to create positive change in their own communities.

TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Bootstrap Farmer calls ATL Grow 02:26 Milan’s first plant 06:07 Reflecting on generational gardening roots 07:29 “I’m way too detached from my food” 07:51 1st patio garden 10:00 Gardening with the kids 11:03 Cooking with fresh herbs 14:04 Square foot gardening over planting 20:37 There is a lot to learn about gardening 21:29 The online garden community 23:17 Discovering Bootstrap Farmer Heavy Duty Trays through hardening off starts 26:00 1st backyard garden 30:21 Going Viral on Social Media 46:40 What to do with an opportunity 47:36 Atlanta: a big small town 50:20 Atlanta’s food desert 52:23 How neighborhood gardens can make a difference 01:01:44 How society should view farmers 01:03:47 Changing just one neighborhood 01:06:42 The ATL Grow Demonstration Garden powered by Bootstrap Farmer #inspiringchange #Atlanta #gardening #raisedbeds #fooddesert Are you just starting your garden? Find our endless list of FREE growing resources here: https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/pages/resources