Last spring I got a soil blocker at the FREE THE SEEDS event in Kalispell. I was so excited to get to finally use it this year. Mike set me up this cute little table and I think he will maybe build a greenhouse around it. We’re not sure yet, but it was fun to get out yesterday and plant some seeds. It was sooooo much easier than I thought, thanks Matt Arthur and Daniel Mayes for encouraging me to give it a try. I planted one tray of zinnias. And I also transplanted all these snap dragons that were still alive this morning! So far so good. How’s your spring garden growing?   The post ..read more

I was in a Facebook group the other day and someone asked how people stored their seeds. There were some of the most elaborate systems I had ever seen everything from Pinterest worthy filing systems to recycled containers full. Large Martha Stewart Sunflower Seeds We keep ours in a dark cool cabinet, in an assortment of recycled containers, boxes and plastic salad trays. But what seemed different about our system is the 4 standard groups we use. They are sorted by date you put them in the ground. First you need to know when can you put them in the earth and when are they going to be ready to ..read more

Someone asked me for some ideas for garden activities for kids. This was one of my favorites from a workshop I got to attend. They brought bread and hummus and vegetable slices and we got to make garden sandwiches. It was really fun. I also suggested to perform my earth day play about Gaylord Nelson.  Here is my Turtle Mishap play too about a turtle who gets stuck in a 6 pack holder. the-turtle-mishap-play Here’s a cute video on how to make a mason bee house I saw too! https://youtu.be/m0re9o1ZqX8 The post Garden Activities for Kids appeared first on Organic Gardener Podcast ..read more

In my recent interview with Matt Arthur from Boone’s Lake Heritage Farm aka B L H Farm I asked him for some advice on this bindweed that seems to be overtaking the grass in our small apple orchard. He had this awesome piece of advice. Bind weeds tough. Yeah. Bind weeds tough. I mean, I’ve two quick pieces of advice. The first is that the, in the rows between your apple trees, you need to have a mix of species that you choose a you should have a grass, you should have a legume and then a forb to take the place of, of those weeds. grass legume forb Weeds really are telling you that there’s som ..read more

  Apple Tree Pruning Lesson 2 This one’s crossing this so we want to get rid of this? And get rid of this too? If they are all crossing and getting in trouble yes. In the winter when you start cutting them out, cut the biggest problem one first and think how do I open it up so everyone get’s photosynthesis? The 3 Foot Rule of Fruit Tree Pruning Pear Tree Pruning Video 1 Apple Tree Pruning Lesson 2 with Patti Armbrister the Wise Grower Guru at Mike’s Green Garden with Jackie Marie Beyer host of the GREEN Organic Garden Podcast http://wisegrowerguru.com/ Visit Patti’s AMAZING YouTube c ..read more

The amazing Patti Armbrister is going to teach a composting class for Organic Garden Podcast listeners completely online Saturday July 18, 2020 at 10:00 am MST/12:00pm EST for only $37.00 Get your seat here We will be learning how to make not only more compost, but Great Compost and Easy Compost too ..read more

What is an Organic Oasis and how do I know if I live in one? I believe an organic oasis is not just a space where food is grown but so much more. I think it’s a place you will want to spend most of your time when the weather is nice. A place to relax and enjoy and visit with family and friends. If you grow some of your produce there all the better but most of all it’s good for the environment! Subscribe here to get a copy of the Organic Oasis Checklist emailed directly to your inbox plus other Golden Seeds Directly from the Organic Gardener Podcast. Today I want to talk about one of the most p ..read more

December 21, 2014 ~ Homemade Pumpkin Pie Today i finally made a homemade pumpkin pie. I found 4 small organic pumpkins after Halloween for $1.19 each. I cooked them up – just slice in large chunks, boil and peel. I have to say for someone who really doesn’t cook much I don’t understand people who don’t use fresh pumpkin? Anyway, I cooked it on the wood stove since it was going hot anyway. I haven’t done that in a while. I used to bake everything on the wood stove. The secret is to have a nice assortment of wood, so you can keep it at a steady temperature. Then you create a sort of oven out o ..read more

Mike saw Kelly Ware share this fruit tree mulch trick on Facebook the other day and did it around out orchard to give our trees a boost of compost mulch! First we soaked the base of the tree because despite the rain this summer Montana is still very dry beneath the surface. Then we took some recycled newspaper and soaked it in a bucket of water. He then laid the newspapers around the base of the tree in a circle. Finally we covered it all with 4-6″ of compost we got from a local landscape company. If you haven’t listened to my interview with Kelly Ware it’s a great one from way back in ..read more

IDK how it is I don’t have an actual page on the Organic Gardener Podcast sharing this but I guess I don’t after searching my site for like an hour this morning. Just some of the Rockstar Millennials I have interviewed these last few years! LOVE EM!!! What is a rockstar millennial you ask? The millennial generation is one of the most misunderstood generations I know. One of my listeners actually sent me a little video bashing millennials and said every time I hear you say Rockstar Millennial, I think of this song. It’s a parody set to the Beattles Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da song. The funny thing is I ..read more