Longleaf Breeze

223 - Planting Longleaf Pines

February 06, 2014 16:00 - 23 minutes - 27.4 MB

Every year we plant about 300 longleaf pines. It’s relatively inexpensive, it’s fun, and it helps prepare the farm for the coming climate chaos. Longleafs are native to our region, they're fire-resistant, and their huge taproot holds the soil

222 - What a Difference a Forecast Makes!

January 30, 2014 08:00 - 13 minutes - 15.6 MB

We in the South are still reeling from a winter storm of historic proportions. We had lots of notice and time to prepare, but our friends in Birmingham got a surprise wallop. We describe today what the difference meant to the two communities

221 - Report on Southern SAWG

January 23, 2014 08:00 - 22 minutes - 25.5 MB

We continue to be blown away at the sheer size of this annual event, attracting 1,000 or so organic and sustainable farmers from across the southeast to mingle, exchange ideas, and recharge their batteries. So many young farmers! So much knowledge!

220 - 10 Above Is Cold in Alabama

January 16, 2014 10:00 - 18 minutes - 21.5 MB

Last week the temperature stayed below 15 degrees – our killing zone – for more than seven hours. Our first significant damage to brassicas from cold temperatures. Frost blanket made a huge difference where we had deployed it

219 - Food Sovereignty Down Under

January 09, 2014 09:00 - 27 minutes - 31.5 MB

This week we learn about the People’s Food Plan for Australia; we visit with Nick Rose, the National Coordinator of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance. We're inspired to think about applying their principles here in the Southern US.

218 - Year-End Review

January 02, 2014 21:00 - 19 minutes - 22.7 MB

We reflect on 2013. We had our best harvest ever of muscadines, peaches, pears, apples, and sweet potatoes, and our first harvest ever of persimmons and plums. But we had our fiercest outbreak ever of insect damage too

217 - Thinking THrough Options for Grains

December 26, 2013 22:00 - 24 minutes - 27.8 MB

The hard red wheat that makes the best bread doesn't grow here in the South. So we consider buckwheat, rye, rice, barley, and oats. And then we throw out some more exotic options like einkorn, emmer, and spelt

216 - Advice for New Gardeners

December 19, 2013 22:00 - 22 minutes - 25.2 MB

Start and stay organic, learn from research, start small, grow close to where you live, full sun, drip irrigation, good soil, keep something growing year round, keep soil covered, grow what you like to eat and what grows well in your area

215 - The Season for Gardeners' Porn

December 12, 2013 08:00 - 18 minutes - 21.1 MB

It's time to buy seeds for the spring. They're freely available online, but Amanda still prefers those paper catalogs. She studies and dreams, carefully calculating the many options available together with the shipping costs of each

214 - Riddles About Freeze Damage to Fall Vegetables

December 05, 2013 10:00 - 20 minutes - 23.8 MB

We play detective. Taking each factor known to affect the cold-hardiness of brassicas, we try to determine what made the difference between the damage to kale, broccoli, and cabbage growing 20 miles away at Wetumpka and the same crops here.

213 - We Are Thankful

November 28, 2013 16:00 - 23 minutes - 27.1 MB

We are grateful for food, for health, for our family and friends, for our church, and for our life on the farm. We also take time to be thankful for the suburban life we left behind, because it prepared us for our lives as farmers

212 - Morse Code - Truly Resilient Communication

November 21, 2013 12:00 - 18 minutes - 21.5 MB

We talk a lot about what we can do to become more resilient, and the most resilient form of radio communication by far is Morse Code – the hams call it CW. After putting it off for two years, I am now learning the code, painfully slowly

211 - Goodbye Summer!

November 14, 2013 13:00 - 18 minutes - 21 MB

The summer growing season is over. Time for freezing nights. Amanda pulled her copious pepper harvest. We're wrapping up the warm season and battening down for the cold ahead. We also discuss closing down the orchard for the winter

210 - This Garden Never Closes

November 07, 2013 11:00 - 20 minutes - 23.4 MB

Here in the South we can grow food year round with no greenhouse, no hoop house or high tunnel, and no artificial heat. For us, keeping the garden growing year round is not only key to food resilience, it’s the way we keep our soil fertile

209 - Things That Really Scare Us

October 31, 2013 11:00 - 19 minutes - 21.8 MB

On this holiday that's all about scary things, we talk about what frightens two subsistence farmers. Climate change, for one, and the widespread willful ignorance that might allow a demagogue to take power, and a breakdown of law and order

208 - What We've Learned About Using a Clothesline

October 24, 2013 10:00 - 20 minutes - 22.9 MB

We've learned you'll save a LOT of money. Build it as close as possible, you can dry fewer loads in the winter, be flexible and watch for "good drying days," and store your pins indoors. Splurge on a washer that wrings clothes really dry

207 - Meanwhile, Back Here On the Farm . . .

October 17, 2013 07:00 - 21 minutes - 24.9 MB

The fall harvest of sweet potatoes, muscadines, and persimmons, apples, and pears; Second Chance tomatoes, beans, peas, edamame, and squash. Brassica plantings and using our fire pit for the foyer group. Adrian helps with pecan clearing

206 - Russ Hopfenberg – Growing More Food Won’t Solve Hunger Problem

October 10, 2013 12:00 - 28 minutes - 32.1 MB

We’re proud to raise food and give it away, and the more the better. But Russ Hopfenberg says we can't raise enough food to solve the world hunger problem. His argument is perhaps one of the most difficult we’ve confronted on Longleaf Breeze

205 - Hayes Jackson on Gardening in Dry Places

October 03, 2013 08:00 - 20 minutes - 23 MB

The summer of 2013 was wet here in Alabama, but so far it's plenty dry this fall, and climate change probably means hotter and drier weather generally. Hayes Jackson of ACES knows how to choose plants that grow just fine with little or no extra water

204 - Erik Curren of Transition Voice on Sustainable Farming "Mania"

September 26, 2013 07:00 - 23 minutes - 27.3 MB

We talk about what it’s like to leave the city behind and the sense of isolation we sometimes feel in the country. Erik shares the frustration he sometimes feels that he’s stuck in the city and missing all the fun farmers are having

203 - Gabe Brown, Soil Builder

September 19, 2013 10:00 - 23 minutes - 26.8 MB

Gabe, a rancher and farmer in North Dakota, has managed with careful use of some basic techniques to more than triple the organic content and fertility of his soil. How he did it step by step and why he doesn’t care for the term “sustainable.”

202 - Gone Too Long

September 12, 2013 10:00 - 14 minutes - 17.1 MB

We've been away from the farm for a week. We got basically no rain, so Amanda's potted plants went down hard. The grass kept growing, and the okra - which needs to be well-picked at all times - frolicked out of control

201 - Dr David Domermuth - Making Biochar Economically

September 05, 2013 13:00 - 19 minutes - 22.3 MB

Biochar can dramatically improve the tilth and fertility of soil. Dr David Domermuth and his team at Appalachian State University are researching ways to convert wood chips into biochar economically

200 - Fall Vegetables

August 29, 2013 15:00 - 30 minutes - 34.5 MB

We think it’s pretty cool that this is our 200th podcast. Our program covers why we love growing in the fall, how we prolong the growing season, choosing what to plant, preparing your garden for fall, planting, timing, and harvesting

199 - Climate Change and Your Garden

August 22, 2013 16:00 - 36 minutes - 42.3 MB

The weather seems to get weirder every year, not necessarily hotter and drier; just weirder. It’s not good, because it means we gardeners know less of what to expect each year. How can we adapt to that?

198 - Jim Davis, Natural Beekeeper

August 15, 2013 06:00 - 19 minutes - 22.6 MB

We welcome Jim Davis, a natural beekeeper. Jim shares what he does, how he learned about bees, and what it takes in money and time to have bees of your own

197 - Firming Up Our Pecan Strategy

August 08, 2013 17:00 - 22 minutes - 26.2 MB

We will plant 12 pecan trees of four varieties (all rated well for scab resistance) on 50 foot spacing. We will use drip irrigation and use geotextile fabric to control weeds. It will be 10 years before we see any appreciable pecan crop

196 - A Day in the Life . . .

August 01, 2013 14:00 - 16 minutes - 19.4 MB

We thought it helpful to talk through a “typical” day for us. I’m up early, but not to work outside. We start our day slowly, and Amanda tends to pour on the energy later. And of course it is a most atypical day when I miss my midday nap!

195 - What We Have Here, is Cucumbers

July 25, 2013 15:00 - 11 minutes - 13 MB

It's surprising that we have so many cucumbers after the voles got more than half of them. We have them at every meal, and yesterday Amanda cut up a big batch of them for pickles. Today's program is shorter so we can baby Amanda's voice

194 - Accepting the Mystery of Growing Things

July 18, 2013 15:00 - 19 minutes - 22.1 MB

Do plants have spirits? Why is Lee finding himself listening to them more and more? Are we just becoming foolish in our old age? Or are we opening ourselves to a reality that has been there all along and that we are just now beginning to experience?

193 - When It Rains . . .

July 11, 2013 19:00 - 20 minutes - 23.4 MB

We’ve had rain at Longleaf Breeze for 13 of the last 15 days; we never dry out. We're using a dehumidifier to combat mildew, showers for sweating, mowing for weeds, and insect repellent for mosquitoes. Is the new normal going to be no normal?

192 - Celebrating Dependence Day

July 04, 2013 11:00 - 20 minutes - 23.5 MB

On this July 4th, we celebrate what is wonderful about the nation we call home and why we as farmers need good government: protection of safety and property, weather forecasting, the extension system, public education, and fire protection

191 - Our Eight-Month Fruit Season

June 27, 2013 07:00 - 20 minutes - 23.2 MB

We’re still learning what we can expect from our diverse orchard, and every year is different, but we have enough experience to at least begin to see how our strategy for fresh fruit is shaping up, month-by-month, during April through November

190 - Managing Humidity in the Deep South

June 21, 2013 02:00 - 19 minutes - 22.2 MB

We love living and growing in Dixie. The four distinct seasons (okay, maybe three - spring's pretty much a mirage), we're hooked on growing fall veg through the winter, and you just can't beat October. But the price we pay is summer humidity

189 - General Update

June 14, 2013 01:00 - 20 minutes - 23.9 MB

Every now and then we need to do a show where we just summarize what's going on at Longleaf Breeze. And it's time. So today we talk about peas, cabbage, chard, strawberries, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, cucumbers, eggplant, and much more

188 - Big Plans for Pecans

June 06, 2013 20:00 - 20 minutes - 23.2 MB

It’s high time we planted some pecans, because it’ll take about ten years to get any nuts from them, and we’re not getting any younger! We're nearly certain we can't defend the economics, but pecans are key to our subsistence plan

187 - A Strawberry Summary

May 30, 2013 23:00 - 18 minutes - 21.4 MB

We've had a good run with strawberries this year, our best crop ever. The season is waning now. We share with you what caused our crop to be better, how we planted and tended it, and what we'll change next year

186 - Whew! Safe From Vampires

May 23, 2013 15:00 - 20 minutes - 23.4 MB

We’ve been busy this week harvesting onion, and especially garlic. This week’s program is all about when, where, and how we planted it, how we’re curing it, and how we plan to store it after it’s cured

185 - Gearing Up for the Heat

May 16, 2013 10:00 - 21 minutes - 24 MB

The lows in the low 40s on Monday and Tuesday made us grateful again for the wood stove, but the cool mornings are already a distant memory. Summer’s here! Days are longer, we’ll be able to dry more clothes, and we’ll need to stay hydrated!

184 - The Winter of 2012-13

May 09, 2013 10:00 - 19 minutes - 22.1 MB

Starting out mild and delivering anemic chilling hours, the winter nevertheless demanded lots of heating, particularly in its waning months. March was colder than January. Today’s program includes a review of the fall veg season

183 - About Our Pond

May 02, 2013 10:00 - 19 minutes - 22 MB

Longleaf Breeze came with a one-acre pond. We've known all along that we wanted to make it a reliable food source. Today's program is all about our plan, how it came to be, and how we're implementing it one step at a time

182 - Finishing the Raised Beds

April 25, 2013 21:00 - 23 minutes - 26.5 MB

We finished the raised beds this week. Think we're excited? Here's what we’ve learned, how we built the beds, what it took to place them, what we’re learning about growing in them, and even the lessons we’ve learned about irrigating them

181 - Spring Update

April 19, 2013 03:00 - 20 minutes - 23.7 MB

Transition talk about garlic, cover crops, strawberries, new raised beds, spring peas, asparagus, seedlings, trellises, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, golden kiwi, blueberries, plums, peaches, and pears

180 - Raised Beds and the Home Vegetable Garden

April 11, 2013 08:00 - 31 minutes - 36 MB

This week’s podcast covers the advantages and disadvantages of using raised beds, how to build them, where to put them, what to put in them, and how to make them work better

179 - Of Moles, Voles, and Impolite Language

April 04, 2013 12:00 - 19 minutes - 21.9 MB

We've done okay with pests in the garden like deer, rabbits, and even aphids. Moles and voles are driving us crazy. We don't know we're getting attacked until the damage is already done. Here's what has NOT worked and what we're trying now

178 - Ouch! A Late Spring Freeze

March 28, 2013 10:00 - 19 minutes - 22.2 MB

It's good we didn't plant heat-loving veg early the way we planned. Hard freeze on March 27. We got about the expected level of damage on the blueberries, more than expected on the figs, and less than expected on the peaches and pears

177 - Filling In the Orchard

March 22, 2013 04:00 - 17 minutes - 20.6 MB

Every year about this time we find ourselves racing the clock to get fruit trees planted. Muscadines, kiwifruit, loquat, blueberry, and blackberry all are going into the ground, and most of them later than they should be

176 - Our First Big Event

March 14, 2013 15:00 - 21 minutes - 24.8 MB

This week we got our first chance to use the lodge for a large workshop. Today Amanda and I describe the coverage of the workshop, how our guests seemed to react to the facilities, and what we've learned after hosting such a large event

175 - Record Keeping Matters

March 07, 2013 06:00 - 18 minutes - 21.7 MB

We apologize for our failure to keep good records even while acknowledging the importance of doing so. The location of underground utility lines, plantings on Veg Hill, fruit trees in the orchard, and soon now, the money we’re spending off the farm

174 - Starting Seed

February 28, 2013 21:00 - 23 minutes - 27 MB

We depend on a heat mat and a grow light to give our seedlings the heat and light they need in their early development. The program this week includes lots of tips we’ve learned along the way, mostly from doing it the wrong way first!

Episodes