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In this episode, Diego talks to farmer Alec Smith about how he planned the layout of his farm and built out his beds. Alec describes the initial state of the farm, including its flat terrain, low organic matter, and issues with weeds. Afterward, they go over the process of evaluating and adapting the property for market garden production, as well as the decisions Alec made on bed sizing, pathways, and layout, all while accommodating physical constraints. Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: __ __ Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec look back a year ago and compare Alec’s initial expectations of starting a farm versus the reality of actually starting a farm. Alec talks about the ups and downs of setting up a farm business, the successes and challenges, and the strategic decisions he had to make along the way. Alec also shares his future plans for the farm, the hurdles he anticipates, as well as his insights on how to approach farming as a business in order to farm full-time on his farm. Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: __ __ Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about the process Alec went through to find suitable land to set up his farm. They go through factors worth considering before choosing where to farm such as accessibility to water and power, the cost of the property, proximity to the market and the home, soil condition, existing infrastructure, and even the relationship with the landowner. Alec shares his personal experiences and the lessons he learned while looking for a good property to farm on, as well as getting his farm started. Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: __ __ Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, podcast host Diego interviews Alec Smith from Crop Culture Farm, a farmer starting his farm. Alec shares his experiences and challenges in balancing his farm startup with working part-time at another farm, the steps taken to set up his farm, improvements made over time, and their plans and expectations for their farm business. He also dives into the compromise between perfection and practicality in farm setup, constraints, and challenges such as time and resource management, recent achievements, and positive feedback that motivate and validate Alec's efforts. Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: __ __ Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Megan Neubauer from Pure Land Farm joins me to discuss her revolutionary you-pick farming model. The model is extremely profitable and gives her a lot of extra time each year to do things off the farm. Megan goes through her strategies for sales, marketing, and crop planning. You can learn more in Megan's book: Pick-Your-Own-Farming Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: __ __ Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Happy Cyber Monday. Check out our sale at https://shop.moderngrower.co/ Paul Dysinger, co-founder of Seedtime, joins me to talk about his journey to build the best farm and garden software ever. He shares lessons that have helped him manage time, prioritize tasks, and balance work and life. Learn more about Seedtime [ https://seedtime.us/jkmel4ukl4tonac09iap-5fs?ref=moderngrower]
(0:00) Thanksgiving food talk. Is the food better the next day? Top 5 sides. Pumpkin pie is gross. (0:31:56) Farmer Mark DeRespinis describes how he has built a very successful no-till farm raising high-quality vegetables and selling them to restaurants in the Boulder, CO area. (2:05:35) Drunk Ideas - The Michelin Star guide for produce. Mark's farm: https://www.instagram.com/esoterraculinary/ Check out our Black Friday Sale: https://shop.moderngrower.co/
(0:00) Be careful who you take an opinion from. (0:24:00) Farmer Ian Jerolmack talks about how they are crushing it on their farm and will do $500k in sales. (1:27:15) Listener Q&A - Cut expenses or grow revenue? (1:39:47) Drunk Ideas - The Auto Warner Check out my new book, Sell Everything You Grow - only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
* Adding additional crop rotations is one way to increase profits without adding more land. You can add rotations by extending your season into the spring and fall. You can also add rotations by turning crops faster. Additional rotations bring in more income, keep your customer base engaged, and live roots in your soil for longer. * * 10:30 Farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm discusses how he manages winter growing on his farm. * * Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet. * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm
* We often discourage ourselves by comparing our achievements against others to those we have no business comparing against. Set your own goals and measure against those, not others. * * 13:15 Farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm discusses their steps to perfect growing beets on their farm. They now grow all beets using the paperpot transplanter, which gives them a higher success rate while reducing labor. * * Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet. * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm
* In the first part of the show I try to simplify farm accounting by giving you an easy way to measure the profit per bed: * Total Revenue - $225 = Profit per 100-foot bed. * * * If you used this formula on most of your low-labor crops (not tomatoes), your profit margin will be fairly accurate. * * 14:19 Farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm talks about how they grow Salanova on their farm: direct seeding, soil preparation, amendments, and harvesting. * * Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet. * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm
* The metric Dollars Per Day (DPD) is a quick and easy way to determine if one crop is more profitable than another. * DPD is the revenue generated by a single crop in a single bed divided by the total days that crop was in that bed. * * 17:30 Farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm talks about how they grow amazing carrots on their farm: direct seeding, soil preparation, amendments, and harvesting. * * Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet. * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm * *
* In Episode 16 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses how he uses the Jang seeder on his farm. He also brings up several mistakes people make when using it. * * Get the Jang Seeder: https://paperpot.co/product-category/jang/ * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm * * Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
* In Episode 15 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about why potting mix is so important and how you can make your own. * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm * * Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
* In Episode 14 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses how he makes and uses compost on his farm. Why farmers can get tricked into thinking there is only one great way to make or apply compost. And how the best results come from a lot of trial and error. * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm * * Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
* In Episode 13 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm will discuss how they build up the soils when they first started their farm, how they maintain fertility, and how they handle the soil during steps like bed-turnover. * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm * * Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
* In the previous episode, we talked about greenhouses. They are great but big and costly, and they aren't for everyone at every stage of their farming career. Given that, how do you protect your crops? Enter low tunnels. Low tunnels are low-tech but effective ways to protect your crops from insects, rain, snow, and temperature fluctuations. In Episode 12 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm will talk about the role low tunnels play on Roebuck Farm. * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm * * Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
* In Episode 11 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm walks through the different considerations for getting a greenhouse. When is it the right time for your business? What benefits does it offer besides financial ones? * * Learn more about Jodi: * https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ * @roebuckfarm https://www.instagram.com/roebuckfarm * * Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops.
* Today it's all about standardization when I speak with farmer Erich Schultz from Steadfast Farm. * * Erich has been farming for over a decade now, and standardization is one of his keys to success. * * In this episode, Erich is going to discuss standardizing paperpot operations on his farm. Why grows everything in 6" paper chain pots and 4 rows per bed. How he has standardized nursery operations and much more. * * Get InsectaNet to protect your crops at Paperpot Co.
There is no point in growing a crop if you can't sell it at a profit. Ray discusses cashing in on your hard work in Episode 10 of The Lettuce Grower Series. Ray will share some tips to market lettuce successfully and how they have increased sales and prices based on these techniques. Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here. Grow a great lettuce crop with the Jang Seeder, Paperpot Transplanter, and Kwik Klik seeder. Find tools for direct seeding, transplanting, and the nursery at paperpot.co.
You've done all the work to grow a great lettuce crop. How do you get it from the field to the customer in the best condition possible? Episode 9 in The Lettuce Grower Series is a dive harvesting and packing. Ray will review strategies to get the most from your harvest and packing tips to help maximize sales. Don't do all the work growing the crop and falter at the end with a poor harvest and pack process. Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here. Grow a great lettuce crop with the Jang Seeder, Paperpot Transplanter, and Kwik Klik seeder. Find tools for direct seeding, transplanting, and the nursery at paperpot.co.
Like most crops, lettuce has pests and diseases that target it. Episode 8 in The Lettuce Grower Series shares his experience dealing with these issues. He goes over the most common pests and diseases while giving various solutions to help prevent and remedy problems. Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here. Protect your valuable crop from insects with Kwik Hoops https://paperpot.co/product/kwik-hoops-low-tunnels/.
Most growers struggle to grow lettuce in the heat of summer. In Episode 7 of The Lettuce Grower Series, Ray shares his advice for growing great greens in the summer. Ray share keys such as water, covering the crop, and timing. Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here. Protect your valuable crop from the summer heat with Kwik Hoops https://paperpot.co/product/kwik-hoops-low-tunnels/.
Episode 6 in The Lettuce Grower Series goes deep into the details of transplanting and direct seeding. When is it advantageous to direct seed? When should you transplant? Ray will discuss why they use landscape fabric on their farm and the savings it gives them. We also consider when saving time and labor using the Paperpot Transplanter makes sense. Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here. Grow a great lettuce crop with the Jang Seeder, Paperpot Transplanter, and Kwik Klik seeder. Find tools for direct seeding, transplanting, and the nursery at paperpot.co http://paperpot.co/.
Episode 5 in The Lettuce Grower Series explores the different options for watering lettuce crops - drip, overhead, and mister irrigation. What are the pros and cons of each type? When is one more beneficial than another? How much water does lettuce need? Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops.
Episode 4 in The Lettuce Grower Series is a dive into protected growing. What are the benefits, and why you should consider growing under cover. Ray discusses the various ways to protect your lettuce crop from the elements and the advantages of doing it. This 10-part series is hosted by Diego Footer, from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. You can learn more about the course here. Get tools to help you grow lettuce at Paperpotco.
Episode 3 in The Lettuce Grower Series focuses on the importance of potting soil. The key to having a great lettuce crop is getting the seedlings off to a great start in the nursery. Ray will discuss what he looks for in the perfect potting soil and how you can get your seedlings off to a fantastic start. This 10-part series is hosted by Diego Footer, from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. You can learn more about the course here. Get tools to help you grow lettuce at Paperpotco.
Episode 2 in The Lettuce Grower Series focuses on selecting the correct lettuce variety to grow. Ray will give you some guidelines on what to consider when choosing the appropriate lettuce variety for your climate and the time of the year. This 10-part series is hosted by Diego Footer from @paperpotco https://www.instagram.com/paperpotco/, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. You can learn more about the course here. Get tools to help you grow lettuce at Paperpotco.
This is the first of ten episodes in The Lettuce Grower Series. Diego Footer, from @paperpotco, hosts the series, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms. Episode 1 is all about why market farmers should grow lettuce. Ray will explain how lettuce can contribute significant cash flow to your farm. It's a valuable crop that can be grown year-round in most of the US. Most customers like it, making it an easy sell. The hard part is mastering how to grow it consistently. In this series, Ray will get into details to help you do that. The series follows Ray's book The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here. Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here. Get tools to help you grow lettuce at Paperpotco.
This week, Diego talks about crop rotation: what it is, why consider implementing it, and some effective strategies to implement it on your market garden. You can also read the article using the link below: https://moderngrower.co/principles-of-crop-rotation-for-the-market-garden If you'd like to receive these helpful farming articles every week, you can subscribe to our newsletter using the link below: https://modern-grower.ck.page/posts
