The challenges and benefits of moving a garden. If you decide to move to a new location (new home, new climate, etc.), what would you do with your current garden? Would you take plants with you?  Would you leave it all behind? And how would you go about starting over? What sort of things should you consider when moving to a new growing zone, new soil conditions and new challenges? In today's episode, host Theresa Loe interviews horticulture expert and garden coach, Robin Haglund. Although Robin regularly helps clients with these types of decisions, she recently moved her own garden from the city to the country in Washington state. She shares with Theresa her challenges, decision making process and the big wins along the way. You learn: What should you consider when assessing a new piece of land, Should you ever use landscape fabric, How to handle masses of weeds, What to consider when moving a garden, How to change your mindset around wildlife, How to raise chickens among country predators and more. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/102 for a full transcript and links to everything mentioned as well as more free information on living farm fresh. 

In this week's episode, host Theresa Loe answers some listener's gardening questions. You learn: How long your garden seeds really last, What is the best way to test seed viability, Should you feed your vegetables or not, What are the benefits of fish emulsion, Can backyard gardeners do cover cropping, What insect makes those round holes on rose leaves...and should you be worried or not, Which herbs do best in containers, Can you grow coffee, allspice or pineapple at home. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/101 to get the full transcript and links to all the resources mentioned in the episode.  Enjoy!

We are halfway through the year. Have you reached the goals you set at the beginning of the year?  Or did you even get around to setting any? It's okay if you blew that all off. If you still want to hit a few milestones before 2017 is over, June is a great time to regroup and start over. If you have farm fresh goals centered around your home, food or garden, you can take business strategies and adjust them to reach those goals. In this episode, host Theresa Loe walks you through how to pick, set and achieve the goals you have sitting on the sidelines...Those things you want to achieve before you hit the end of the year. They can be goals around food, diet, your garden/home or personal goals. It works for them all.  She shares tips for getting those goals off the ground so that you can check them off your "to do" list before the end of the year. You learn: The exact steps to reach the goals you want, How each goal will require a payment from you (but that can be a good thing), The best time frame for working on goals, How to set up your motivations so you stay on track, How SMART goals can help, The secret to preventing procrastination, Why reverse engineering works. As always you can get the full transcript of the episode at www.Livinghomegrown.com along with other information.

Learn what it REALLY means to make the leap from the city to farm life. In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Amy Boyd as she shares her story as a brand new lavender farmer. She and her husband are building their dream of farming Hillside Lavender in PA. You learn: How they planned for the transition but then had to make the leap, Exactly what they are creating and the need to de-stress these days, The driving force that keeps them going when things go wrong, How their adorable goats greet their customers and help provide soap, cheese and milk, Which lavenders they planted and why, How they have been handling setbacks and roadblocks, The most valuable lessons so far. As always, you can learn more at www.LivingHomegrown.com/99 where you can download Amy's lessons learned so far and get links and a full transcript of the episode.

Learn exactly how a garden book is born - from concept to book store shelves. We all have beloved garden books that inspire and inform us. But have you ever thought about exactly what goes into creating it?  A lot more than you think!  Garden books have the extra burden of being seasonal. And that can make things like photography super tricky. 
In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews garden book editor Julie Chai about exactly what went into the creation of one of the top garden books of 2017: Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden. Author Erin Benzakein was featured on episode 95 (where she shared how the book can help us grow better backyard flowers organically). But this week, we hear about how a book like that is born. It is a massive project and yet, the resulting book is both beautiful and is having a huge impact in the gardening world. You learn: What goes into creating a top garden book, The first thing you should do if you want to be an author, The secret to writing within the seasons, How many people does it really take to produce a book, The first step in garden research, The "angle" on flowers that most people wouldn't think about. As always, you can get more information at www.LivingHomegrown.com/98 where you will also find a full transcript of the episode. 

If you have wanted to grow your own blueberries but thought it was too hard, this is the episode for you. Yes, blueberries have specific requirements. BUT...if you know the tricks, it is easy to have success! In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Lee Reich - a well-respected author and authority in fruit growing. Lee knows a thing or two about blueberries. In fact, his PhD is in blueberries! In this episode you learn: How growing blueberries is easier than you think, The pros and cons of each type of plant, The exact formula to adjust your soil pH, The secret to creating the best soil, How to best prevent birds from eating your harvest, How to prune each type of blueberry plant, The trick for knowing when your blueberries have the best flavor...and no...it has nothing to do with color! As always, you can get more information at www.LivingHomegrown.com/97 including links and a full transcript of the episode. 

This week's podcast is a group podcast where host Theresa Loe brought on 5 different guest experts in the areas of Organic farming, Foraging, Fermenting, Wellness and Cheesemaking. Each of the experts answered the same question about living farm fresh. But they all had VERY different insights on how to live more organically and flavorfully. In this episode you learn: A simple trick for meal planning, How to find new organic flavors in your own backyard, Where to source inexpensive organic produce, How to get over the fear of fermentation, Simple steps to reduce stress and why we sometimes need to embrace failure when we try new food crafts. As always, you can get more information and all the links at www.LivingHomegrown.com/96 as well as a full transcript of the show. In addition there is a free PDF download in the show notes with a summary of all the tips. 

Learn from the top organic flower farmer-florist in the country. In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews farmer-florist Erin Benzakein of Floret Farm. Erin is well known in the organic flower world because she grows massive amounts of flowers in a relatively small space in the state of Washington while using organic practices AND she creates stunning bouquets that include edibles, vines and other farm-fresh ingredients. Her reputation earned her the Martha Stewart American Made Award for Floral and Event Design. And she has been featured in countless magazines and bridal websites. In this episode, Erin shares how we can grow and enjoy organic flowers in numerous ways ourselves. You learn: Why supporting local flowers is SO important for us and the earth, How Erin transitioned from city life to flower farmer life, The big impact you can have from a small handful of sweet peas, The counter-intuitive technique for reviving wiling cut flowers, The best pro tips for getting long vase life, Just how little space is necessary for growing, How the home gardener can get started, How to prevent wind-blow garden plants in less than 5 minutes, and so much more. As always, you can get al the related links mentioned in the episode in the show notes at: www.LivingHomegrown.com/95 as well as a full transcript AND a free PDF of all Erin's pro tips on getting a long vase life from cut flowers. Be sure to visit the website for more information and links to more articles on growing and enjoying organic flowers.

Learn how the simple mason bee can be incredibly powerful in our backyard gardens and in helping farmers around the world. These gentle creatures are much lower maintenance than a honeybee and yet, they can do just as much if not more to pollinate our food. In fact, they can boost our backyard food growing yields with just a few bees. In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Dave Hunter of Crown Bees to shed some light on this important topic. You learn: Why these gentle bees are so valuable to us, The differences between honeybees and mason bees, The mason bee's secret to massive pollination, Why it's important to ID what makes holes in your garden plants, How mason bees can be like zucchini (LOL), How we can participate in a citizen science project to help bees and farmers around the world, and the easy way you can raise and share these bees with friends. As always, you can get a ton of more information at www.LivingHomegrown.com/94 as well as a full transcript of the episode. 

What? We can eat the hostas??  Yep, you can - If they are grown organically, of course. In this week's episode, host Theresa Loe interviews author and foraging expert, Ellen Zachos on the subject of foraging our own backyards. Learn exactly which common garden plants are edible AND learn how to prepare those foods after you harvest. You will learn: Important safety tips when it comes to foraging, Why starting in the backyard is a good idea, Which common plants are safe (and delicious) to eat, The one plant people are shocked to learn is edible, Why eating daylilies makes you a better gardener, Which tuber flavor changes dramatically with each species, The surprising plant with 4 edible parts, Which evergreens are safe to eat and how to do it. IMPORTANT: Always be absolutely certain of a plant's identity before consuming. Many toxic/poisonous plants look similar to the safe varieties. You must be careful and not assume everything is safe until you have it properly identified. As always, you can get all the links mentioned by going to www.LivingHomegrown.com/93 as well as a full transcript of the episode.