Tending Seeds: Adventures in Gardening

Today I'm so happy to welcome my partner Mike to the podcast! This is our first episode together in what will be an on-going series talking about our move from homesteading in Tennessee to now living off-grid in Colorado. In this episode we're talking about why we wanted to move West, what we were looking for in a piece of land, some of the properties we fell in love with, and various obstacles to...

Today I have a super fun interview for you about a different kind of growing – bonsai trees! I’m sharing a fantastic conversation that I had with Jerome and Mari of the Bonsai Supply . They are also the authors of the beautiful book, Freestyle Bonsai. In today’s episode, they’ll discuss the origins and history of bonsai, some common myths about bonsai, and the different types of trees that can bec...

The Fox and Elder online farm shop is finally back open after our big move! Come check out what we have to offer this winter for teas, tinctures, elderberry syrup kits, and more. We appreciate your support so, so much! ~*~ For today’s episode, I’m thrilled to bring you a conversation with Tasha Greer about her wonderful book: Grow Your Own Spices. Tasha lives and homesteads in North Carolina and h...

The podcast is back and we've been absent because of some big news -- we're not in Tennessee anymore! Over the last few months, we purchased 41 acres in western Colorado, sold our TN homestead, and are now living completely off-grid (except for satellite internet) in the mountains. We're exhausted but so, so happy, and looking forward to sharing more of this wild journey in future episodes. Today...

I have Josh Williams on the podcast today to talk about his book, Spiritual Herbalism, and I’m so excited to share this conversation with you. I think this is one of my favorite interviews so far on the podcast! Before we dive in though, a little background about Josh: Josh Williams is an award-winning herbalist and owner of Salt Lake City's Greenthread Herbs apothecary. He is a lifelong student o...

Today's guest is Bevin Cohen of Small House Farm. Bevin is an herbalist and educator who offers lectures and workshops across the country teaching about the many benefits of locally grown and wild harvested plants, seed saving, and oil production. Today we'll be discussing his latest book, The Complete Guide to Seed and Nut Oils. I hope you'll be inspired to try pressing your own oils at home afte...

Today's guest is Brittany Peters, one half of Sun and Soil Farm in Madison, North Carolina. We're talking about one of those taboo subjects: money! We might not like to talk about finances, but I think it's an aspect of farming for a living that needs to be talked about much, much more. I'm really grateful to Brittany for how open she is on social media about their farm finances and how that impac...

Today we've got our first interview of the year with Stephanie Rose, author of The Regenerative Garden: 80 Practical Projects for Creating a Self-Sustaining Garden Ecosystem. Stephanie talks to us about what brought her to gardening in the first place, what makes a garden regenerative, some of her favorite projects from the book, and about her work designing gardens for children.  ~*~ Please suppo...

The podcast is back! Season 3 is here and we're kicking off the new year with a deep dive into some techniques I use for goal setting, with examples related to the farm and homestead. ~*~ Please support the podcast by subscribing, rating, and sharing with a friend or two. Join our Patreon community! @foxandelder on instagram foxandelder.com

Today I'm bringing you a lovely conversation with herbalist and herb grower Lucy Jones. We dive into the incredible story of how she got started down the plant path, training in two different herbal modalities and then integrating them into her clinical practice, and why she chooses to grow and gather the majority of her herbs rather than purchasing them from other growers. She also shares loads o...

Today we have Quin Shakra to talk to us all about seed saving! Quin is the farmer and seed grower behind the Plant Good Seed Company. Quin gives us an overview of how he got into growing for seed and walks us through the seed saving process. We also dive into his favorite tools for farming and seed saving, refining his process over the years, being in community with other growers, how to store you...

I'm so excited to bring you a fun conversation with Tyler Thrasher! We dive into how to care for your indoor plants over the winter, the inspiration for Tyler’s beautiful plant journals, his thoughts on the state of the plant market today and plant Instagram, why he no longer talks about plants being “rare,” how to get started propagating your own plants, how learning to propagate plants increases...

I'm so thrilled to share this conversation with Leah Larabell of High Garden Tea. As we head into cold and flu season during an on-going pandemic, it's natural to wonder what we can be doing to fortify ourselves this winter. Leah walks us through an in-depth explanation of how Covid impacts our different body systems and then offers ways we that we can work to support and nourish those body system...

Today I'm bringing you a short solo episode reflecting on all of the things that are being put to bed here on the farm, the homestead, and in my life. I also talk about why it's so important to have seasons where we tie up loose ends so that we can move forward with new things and fresh energy. And I talk a bit about how we put the gardens to bed for winter here, and prep new areas for planting. ~...

Nan Moak of Dandelion and Crow joins us today to share her work making flower essences. She explains what a flower essence is, how we can all make them at home, and how she creates her offerings using her intuition and the cycles of the moon. Make sure to come on over for the handout on making your own flower essences, how to get in touch with Nan, and the episode transcript. ~*~ If you enjoy the...

Today I'm speaking with Aimi Hamraie who gives us a really knowledgeable overview of the ins and outs of fruit tree pruning. They discuss what types of tools to use, why we should be pruning, what to look for when pruning, and even some recommendations of plant guilds for your fruit trees. Make sure to check out our Patreon for additional materials to accompany this episode, including pruning link...

Summer is coming to a close but there is still so much gorgeousness to forage right now!! Plants discussed today: goldenrod, ironweed, sumac, spicebush, poke, milk thistle, paw paws, and persimmons.  ~*~ Please support our show on Patreon so we can keep creating great content ! @foxandelder on instagram foxandelder.com

I'm beyond thrilled to share our first-ever interview with you today! I'm joined by shiny of Scrapberry Farms and we dive into her transition to being an herb farmer as well as her journey of finding the land she currently farms on, starting a farm collective, and running a farmers market. We also touch on time management, dealing with aging and chronic pain, farming alone vs with others, the need...

It's time for a summertime garden and farm update about what we've been up to here! 2020 has been a challenging year but with some great successes as well. Then we dive into tips for getting your fall garden planned (this part is a replay). I hope you'll feel inspired to get planning and planting! ~*~ Join our homesteading and herbal community on Patreon ! Would you like me to create a custom herb...

Today I'm sharing the audio from a class I taught last month for the Portsmouth Library on growing and creating your own herbal teas. We discuss a variety of herbs, including their herbal properties and how to grow them in your garden, and also how to dry your herbs, how to formulate your tea blend, and my favorite ways to enjoy loose leaf tea. The handout that is mentioned can be found HERE . ~*~...

Hey, friends! Back today with a short chat about current events and my feelings about radical love being justice in action. Then we dive into our main topic for the show: three of my favorite herbs to suggest for those who are new to gardening! I discuss which herbs they are, how to grow them, and ways to work with them in your life. Hope you enjoy! ~*~ Want to support the show *and* receive Full...

I've recently found myself reflecting on which habits and patterns have been the most helpful to me during these couple of months of quarantine, so I wanted to share a few of them with you today. I also give my suggestions for my favorite pandemic podcasts - who would have guessed that would be a whole genre?? ~*~ Want to support the show *and* receive Full Moon zines by snail mail every month? Ch...

Not our normal episode today as we talk about the current state of the world. I try to offer up some of what's been working here for me, and how we can show up for one another and stay connected right now. ~*~ Want to support the show *and* receive Full Moon zines by snail mail every month? Check out our Patreon ! Interested in booking an herbal consultation with me via video conferencing? Learn m...

Spring is almost here! Today I'm talking about some farm updates, what projects are underway, the joys of farm help, and how my schedule is shifting beginning next month. I also answer three listener questions about herbal consultations, tarot teas, and what new things I'm excited to be trying this year. Also, we're having a giveaway starting March 1st to celebrate a full year of the podcast! ~*~...

Today we've got a homesteading topic: what projects should we be working on during these winter months? We'll cover the basics of garden tool maintenance plus ideas for crafts, taking stock of your pantry, spring garden planning, and much more! ~*~ Want to support the show *and* receive Full Moon zines and herbal tea by snail mail every month? Check out our Patreon ! Interested in booking an herba...