How We Grow

In this episode of How We Grow, Chad talks with Dr. Arianna Torres, Associate Professor at Purdue University, about the business decisions behind specialty crop farming. Arianna explains why growing is only half the job. The other half is knowing whether the crop, market, labor, technology, and investment decisions actually make financial sense. They discuss: 🌱 Why horticultural economics matters...

🌱 Justin “Jules” Giuliano, Lead Soil Researcher at Rosy Soil, joins How We Grow to talk about what it really takes to build better soil. From school gardens and vermicompost to cannabis cultivation, Rodale Institute, urban farming, and Rosy’s soil lab, Jules brings a hands-on perspective to soil science. 🧪 In this episode, he breaks down biochar, microbes, living soil, peat-free potting mix, and...

What is soil really doing beneath the surface? In this episode of How We Grow , Chad talks with Dr. Andrew McGowan , a soil scientist, agronomist, and member of Rosy Soil’s Soil Advisory Board. Andrew also works at Terradot , where he helps lead field trials and deployments focused on enhanced rock weathering and carbon removal. Andrew breaks down why soil is much more than “dirt,” how growers can...

What does it actually mean for soil to be “alive”? In this episode of  How We Grow , Chad sits down with  Garver Akers , regenerative farmer, ecological horticulturalist, consultant, and longtime advisor to Rosy Soil, for a deep conversation on living soil, organic growing, earthworm castings, biochar, and the real-world challenges of farming with integrity. A few of the big ideas from this conver...

What is biochar really — and how do you actually use it well? In this episode of  How We Grow , Chad sits down with Kelpie Wilson, biochar educator, author of  The Biochar Handbook , and creator of the Ring of Fire Biochar Kiln. Kelpie has spent nearly two decades helping growers, gardeners, composters, farmers, landowners, and forest managers understand biochar in a practical way — not as a buzzw...

What makes someone trust a bag of soil before they ever open it? In this episode of How We Grow , Chad sits down with Griffin Creech , founder and co-creative director of Creech , the creative studio behind Rosy’s recent repackaging work. Griffin has helped shape brands across food, agriculture, wellness, and consumer goods, including work connected to Row 7, AG1, and Rosy . Together, Chad and Gri...

Biochar is getting more attention as a peat alternative, but as Dr. Ping Yu explains in this episode, not all biochar works the same way. Feedstock, production temperature, texture, pH, and application rate all change how biochar performs in a growing mix. In this episode of How We Grow, Chad Massura sits down with Dr. Ping Yu, assistant professor and ornamental extension specialist at the Univers...

What if the reason your plant failed had less to do with the plant and more to do with the place you put it? In this episode of  How We Grow , Chad sits down with  Linda Langelo , a horticulture specialist with Colorado State University Extension, to talk about the real-world decisions that make landscapes healthier, more resilient, and easier to maintain. Linda works across the Golden Plains regi...

Biochar gets talked about a lot in soil health, but here’s the problem: not all biochar is created equal. In this episode of How We Grow , Chad sits down with John Satterfield and Tomas Zukowski from WonderChar to break down what biochar actually is, why feedstock matters, and how growers can tell the difference between a high-quality carbon input and something that may not deliver real value in t...

Biochar gets talked about like it can do everything. Fix soil. Hold water. Store carbon. Improve crops. Save inputs. Solve climate. Maybe even make your neighbor like you again. But in this episode of How We Grow, Chad sits down with Karl Strahl of Oregon Biochar Solutions to bring the conversation back to earth. Karl works every day on the commercialization, production, specs, and real-world use...

🌱 What happens when growers try to reduce peat, test wood fiber, add biochar, or rethink their growing media supply chain? According to Dr. Brian Jackson, the biggest mistake is expecting a new substrate to behave exactly like the old one. Brian is a horticultural scientist at NC State University whose work focuses on soilless growing media, substrate performance, and how different media choices...

🌱 In this first episode of How We Grow, I share why I started this show, how I went from being a lifelong soil nerd to building Rosy, and why I believe growers need better answers as costs, water pressure, and input challenges keep rising. I also get into what pushed me to question traditional peat-based media, why I became obsessed with biochar, and why I think performance has to come first if w...

Growing plants is getting harder. It’s more expensive, more complex, and the rules keep changing. I’m Chad Massura, CEO and founder of Rosy, and this is How We Grow. At Rosy, we’re focused on helping growers navigate what it takes to grow at scale, especially when margins are tight and input costs keep climbing. This podcast is for real conversations with the people shaping the future of horticult...