The Beet: A Podcast For Plant Lovers

Why do we need local and small scale farmers as well as large scale agriculture? Both small and large ag offer benefits to our communities.  The Epic Gardening Memorial Day Sale is live now! Buy 3 Birdies Garden Beds, Get 1 of equal or lesser value FREE! No code needed. Add 4 Birdies Garden Beds to cart and 1 will automatically be marked free. Shop here. Connect With Grant Weber: Grant Weber grew...

Get to know your local farmers! Grant Weber shares his tips for how to get to know your local farmer and questions to ask them to tell if they are the real deal or not.   The Epic Gardening Memorial Day Sale is live now! Buy 3 Birdies Garden Beds, Get 1 of equal or lesser value FREE! No code needed. Add 4 Birdies Garden Beds to cart and 1 will automatically be marked free. Shop here. Connect With...

Vets on the Farm focuses on education and access when it comes to solving the food desert problem. Educating folks not only about what the foods are, but also how to use them in the kitchen.  The Epic Gardening Memorial Day Sale is live now! Buy 3 Birdies Garden Beds, Get 1 of equal or lesser value FREE! No code needed. Add 4 Birdies Garden Beds to cart and 1 will automatically be marked free. Sho...

Grant Weber shares why farming and getting outdoors helps veterans transition from active duty to civilian life as well as some of what it’s like to be a part of the veteran community.   The Epic Gardening Memorial Day Sale is live now! Buy 3 Birdies Garden Beds, Get 1 of equal or lesser value FREE! No code needed. Add 4 Birdies Garden Beds to cart and 1 will automatically be marked free. Shop her...

Grant Weber, Farm Manager at Vets on the Farm, talks about his experience transitioning from his long career in the Air Force to civilian life and how farming is an amazing option for many veterans. As Grant mentions, “from national security to food security”. The Epic Gardening Memorial Day Sale is live now! Buy 3 Birdies Garden Beds, Get 1 of equal or lesser value FREE! No code needed. Add 4 Bir...

Now that you know how to forage and grow your own mushrooms, let’s learn how to use them in the kitchen! Connect With Dr. Gordon Walker:  Dr. Gordon Walker is originally from Cambridge, MA but came to California to attend UC Santa Cruz, where he got a B.S. in Biochemistry and spent his free time sailing, scuba diving, and home brewing. Inspired to study fermentation, Gordon came to UC Davis and jo...

Growing your own mushrooms can be a delicious project, but they can also provide many other benefits to your garden! Think: pest control, improving your soil’s microbiome. Connect With Dr. Gordon Walker:  Dr. Gordon Walker is originally from Cambridge, MA but came to California to attend UC Santa Cruz, where he got a B.S. in Biochemistry and spent his free time sailing, scuba diving, and home brew...

Are you yearning to get into mushroom forging? First things first, get up and get into nature. Dr. Gordon Walker shares his tips, tricks and tools for starting your mushroom foraging journey. Connect With Dr. Gordon Walker:  Dr. Gordon Walker is originally from Cambridge, MA but came to California to attend UC Santa Cruz, where he got a B.S. in Biochemistry and spent his free time sailing, scuba d...

Dr. Gordon Walker and I explore how mycorrhizal relationships work. In this episode, you will gain a better understanding of the mycorrhizal relations between plants and fungi. Connect With Dr. Gordon Walker:  Dr. Gordon Walker is originally from Cambridge, MA but came to California to attend UC Santa Cruz, where he got a B.S. in Biochemistry and spent his free time sailing, scuba diving, and home...

Dr. Gordon Walker, the creator behind @FascinatedByFungi, introduces us to the wild, wonderful, and mostly undiscovered world of mushrooms Connect With Dr. Gordon Walker:  Dr. Gordon Walker is originally from Cambridge, MA but came to California to attend UC Santa Cruz, where he got a B.S. in Biochemistry and spent his free time sailing, scuba diving, and home brewing. Inspired to study fermentati...

Gerald doesn’t let anything go to waste! Today, we talk about some creative ways you can use your household scraps in the garden. Connect With Gerald Stratford: Overnight Twitter sensation Gerald Stratford shot to fame after his spuds went viral on social media, becoming affectionately known as the Veg King. Subsequently landing a book deal, Gerald has shot ad campaigns for fashion brands Gucci an...

Gerald Stratford has some unique way of growing the easiest vegetables- radishes and carrots.  Connect With Gerald Stratford: Overnight Twitter sensation Gerald Stratford shot to fame after his spuds went viral on social media, becoming affectionately known as the Veg King. Subsequently landing a book deal, Gerald has shot ad campaigns for fashion brands Gucci and MCQ and is a regular guest on Ste...

Over the years, we have lost some of the gardening techniques and practices that were so widely used in the past. Gerald shares some older methods for how he stores some of his harvests.  Connect With Gerald Stratford: Overnight Twitter sensation Gerald Stratford shot to fame after his spuds went viral on social media, becoming affectionately known as the Veg King. Subsequently landing a book deal...

Gerald and I talk about the trials and tribulations of growing giant cabbages. Gerald explains some of his process for growing cabbages and shares some tips to avoid common mistakes.  Connect With Gerald Stratford: Overnight Twitter sensation Gerald Stratford shot to fame after his spuds went viral on social media, becoming affectionately known as the Veg King. Subsequently landing a book deal, Ge...

The Big Vegetable King, Gerald Stratford shares his story about how he and his partner, Elizabeth, began growing giant veggies and how he became a social media sensation. Connect With Gerald Stratford: Overnight Twitter sensation Gerald Stratford shot to fame after his spuds went viral on social media, becoming affectionately known as the Veg King. Subsequently landing a book deal, Gerald has shot...

Fertilizing can be confusing! Today we learn how often to fertilize orchids, what kind of fertilizers to use, and common mistakes people make when fertilizing. Spoiler alert: don’t give them too much fertilizer! Connect with John Clements: John Clements has been a horticultural professional for 46 years. Former nursery owner, gardener and koi pond builder to the rich and famous, horticulturist, co...

So, what are John’s favorite orchid varieties? John also has a strategy for ensuring that you have an orchid in bloom every day of the year in your home. Connect with John Clements: John Clements has been a horticultural professional for 46 years. Former nursery owner, gardener and koi pond builder to the rich and famous, horticulturist, commercial fruit tree farmer, garden writer, agricultural hi...

Your plants care about water quality, especially your more sensitive plants. Reverse osmosis water or filtered water may be just what your plants need! Connect with John Clements: John Clements has been a horticultural professional for 46 years. Former nursery owner, gardener and koi pond builder to the rich and famous, horticulturist, commercial fruit tree farmer, garden writer, agricultural hist...

New to orchids? John Clements, Director of Gardens at the San Diego Botanic Garden, walks us through a comprehensive care guide for orchids. Connect with John Clements: John Clements has been a horticultural professional for 46 years. Former nursery owner, gardener and koi pond builder to the rich and famous, horticulturist, commercial fruit tree farmer, garden writer, agricultural historian, co-a...

Meet John Clements. John has been a horticulture professional for nearly 50 years. And boy, does he have some wild stories to share! Connect with John Clements: John Clements has been a horticultural professional for 46 years. Former nursery owner, gardener and koi pond builder to the rich and famous, horticulturist, commercial fruit tree farmer, garden writer, agricultural historian, co-administr...

Youngsang Cho explains the philosophies of JADAM: Do as Nature Does I and Others are One The Good and the Bad are One Co-existing with Grass Questions by Manfred Mann Connect With Youngsang Cho: Youngsang Cho,The president of JADAM, started organic farming in Korea in 1989. He learned natural farming from his father, Hankyu Cho who founded Korean Natural Farming (KNF). Based on his father's farmin...

What makes the JADAM method Ultra-Low cost and how does the method work? While JMS is the cornerstone solution of the JADAM Method, Youngsang Cho also invented JS (JADAM Sulfur), JWA (JADAM Wetting Agent) and JHS (JADAM Herbal Solution) to aid in pest and plant disease management.   How to make JS (JADAM Sulfur) Connect With Youngsang Cho: Youngsang Cho,The president of JADAM, started organic farm...

In order to start your JADAM Organic Farming journey you will need to make JMS, the JADAM Microorganism Solution. Youngsang Cho walks us through step by step how to create this mixture. All you need is 3 simple ingredients - boiled potatoes, sea salt, and soil from around your garden or farm. Connect With Youngsang Cho: Youngsang Cho,The president of JADAM, started organic farming in Korea in 1989...

JADAM can be used by anyone, anywhere, no matter what size their garden or farm is. The JADAM Method seeks to simplify farming and create a universal standard. In doing this, the inputs must be cheap and readily available to anyone around the world. Connect With Youngsang Cho: Youngsang Cho,The president of JADAM, started organic farming in Korea in 1989. He learned natural farming from his father...

This week we welcome two very special guests all the way from Korea - the founder of JADAM, Youngsang Cho, and his daughter, Sunyoung Cho. In this episode, we discuss the history and basics of JADAM and Korean Natural Farming. Connect With Youngsang Cho: Youngsang Cho,The president of JADAM, started organic farming in Korea in 1989. He learned natural farming from his father, Hankyu Cho who founde...