Galena Berkompas’ flower farming journey started with a love for gardens sparked in the UK. From filling a half-acre property to now farming 6 acres, she’s grown her passion into a thriving business. In this episode of the Beet Podcast, Galena shares her story with Jacques, and discusses her top tips for growing a garden full of blooms—no matter how much space you have! Connect with Galena Berkompas: Galena Berkompas is the founder of Micro Flower Farm, a thriving 1/2-acre flower farm in...

In this episode of the Beet Podcast, Jacques and Steve Sando dive deep into the world of beans! They explore the rich history of beans in the Americas, their surprising garden benefits, and Steve's personal favorites. Whether you're a bean enthusiast or just looking to expand your culinary horizons, this episode is packed with flavorful insights that will enrich your bean knowledge! Connect with Steve Sando: Steve Sando is a chef and home gardener who loves cultivating heirloom plants with...

It's that in-between time at the Epic Homestead, and Kevin and Jacques are gearing up for winter. Summer cleanup is in full swing, as they dive into planting mass quantities of garlic. Listen to get the inside scoop on what they're excited to plant for fall. And don’t miss Jacques’ super secret garlic spacing tip—it’s a game changer! Listener Exclusive: As an exclusive for our listeners, use code BEETPODCAST for 10% off your next order (one use per customer) at shop.epicgardening.com!...

In this episode of the Beet Podcast, we welcome back guest Angela Ferraro-Fanning. She and Jacques the Garden Hermit explore holistic homesteading as Angela shares her journey from novice to expert permaculturist. Discover how a systems mindset that includes plants, animals, and everything in between transformed her approach, and gain empowering insights that will inspire you to embrace the holistic homesteading lifestyle.   Connect With Angela Ferraro-Fanning: Angela Ferraro-Fanning is a...

In this exciting episode of The Beet Podcast, Jacques, the Garden Hermit talks with David Mizejewski from the National Wildlife Federation about how wildlife habitat gardens can support an incredible 50% more wildlife than your average garden. Learn about the benefits of growing native plants and the simple yet powerful practice of leaving leaves behind to boost biodiversity.  Connect With David Mizejewski: David Mizejewski is a naturalist, author and television presenter with the National...

In this episode of the Beet Podcast, Jacques dives into a fascinating conversation with Louis Giller from North Spore, the go-to source for grow-your-own mushroom kits. Get ready for a delightful exploration of all things fungi as Louis shares invaluable tips for growing mushrooms at home and takes us behind the scenes of North Spore’s journey. Whether you’re a mycophile or just curious about mushrooms, this episode is for you. Mushroom Supplies Now Available At Epic Gardening:...

Join Jacques and Kevin as they dive into the slow transition from summer to fall. In this episode of the Beet Podcast, they discuss how the garden can shine amidst the seasonal shift, with exciting plant companions that thrive in autumn. Get ready for a dose of optimism and tips for nurturing a flourishing garden as the leaves turn.  EG shop homepage:  https://growepic.co/4exwAU6Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4dCBPjSEG book collection page:...

This full episode of the Beet Podcast is all about herbs! Jacques and Epic Ambassador, Ana Talukder have a conversation about their favorite herbs and growing them. Most importantly, they cover processing and drying herbs for infusions, tisanes, and self care. Listen here for some great tips and tricks to use in the herb garden.  EG shop homepage: https://growepic.co/3zBl1fmBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4eEJpvpEG book collection page: https://growepic.co/3TQlroZEG...

In this full episode of the Beet Podcast, Jacques and Shannie McCabe discuss the benefits and pitfalls of leaning into the seasons versus fighting them. Shannie describes her adventures working for a large heirloom seed company, and the plant trickery involved in growing new seeds. The two share their favorite plants to grow in the regions they live in, and how they pivot when seasonal shifts occur.  EG shop homepage: https://growepic.co/4enQpwMBotanical Interests Shop Homepage:...

Logan Hailey an Editor of the Epic Gardening blog, and a long-time Travel Farmer who has years of experience growing her own food. In this full episode of the Beet Podcast, she and Jacques discuss the nutritional benefits of growing your own food, and caring for the soil. Through these efforts, gardeners get the greatest reward: delicious, healthy produce! EG shop homepage: https://growepic.co/3Bf46iUBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3zlWz1lEG book collection page:...

What do you do with an overload of freshly harvested garden produce? This week's episode, sponsored by LMNT, comes complete with a free sample pack - visit https://bit.ly/LMNT_Epic to get yours! In this week's episode, Jacques and Kevin chat about ways to store that harvest for longer, why upskilling your fundamentals in cooking is essential, and what they do to use those veggies. They also discuss their recent visit to incredible pond landscapes with Laura from Garden Answer and Greg from...

There are serious benefits to raising and processing your own cattle on your own ranch. Not only does it simplify the process of slaughter, but it also consolidates roles of ranching. This, and the benefit to consumers is how vertically integrated farming has a positive impact.  Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4e7sJMYBotanical Interests Shop Homepage:  https://growepic.co/3Mwh6mIBook Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3AR0LGYEG Homesteading Book: ...

In regenerative animal husbandry, like Will Harris’s White Oak Pastures, animals live according to their nature. This model is an expansion of the industrial one, where meeting basic needs is the only concern. He can tell from their expression that his animals are happy, and that is because of his focus on their welfare.   Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3XdbsLpBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4cJCbowBook Collection Page: https://growepic.co/4cOI57OEG...

Soil health is just as important as animal health. That’s because good soil provides the best possible sustenance for cattle. Additionally, animal impact has a positive effect, as manure attracts microbial organisms that give the soil life. Will managed to convert his previously industrial-farmed soil in just 5 years to a highly productive one.  Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4g8Fbh6Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3XsaTi2Book Collection Page:...

Regeneration of degraded land. Welfare to the animals. Re-enrichment of the local community. These are the three things Will Harris’ cattle company boasts, and those he is most proud of at White Oak Pastures. And people come to work on the farm, not because of the higher pay, but because of the principle behind what Will is doing.  Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4g8WRJlBotanical Interests Shop Homepage:  https://growepic.co/4gc2cjsBook Collection Page:...

Will Harris is a 4th generation rancher who has adapted his land to a regenerative agriculture system. The switch occurred after Will had an epiphany about the inherent problems of the industrial system of cattle ranching. Today, he uses the wisdom of his great-grandfather, and the cycles of nature to raise some of the best cattle around.  Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3XvriCABotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4dYjYVuBook Collection...

Why do animals make sounds, and what kinds of sounds do they make? David Mann, PhD has created Haikubox in conjunction with his colleagues at Loggerhead Instruments to study just that! In this full episode of the Beet Podcast, hear him in conversation with Jacques about animal sounds, and gardening with birds.  Epic Gardening Shop Homepage:  https://growepic.co/3Xe3eE1Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4fWKhgsBook Collection Page: https://growepic.co/4cAWpAIEG...

Your locale is the primary determiner of the kinds of birds you can attract to the garden. However, the population of birds changes from season to season. Sure, you’ll have resident birds, but you’ll also have seasonal and migrating birds. After you invite them in, take some time to listen and observe their behavior. You may get a better sense of the larger cycles birds are a part of.   Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4dQxZnWBotanical Interests Shop Homepage:...

There are many ways to provide a place for birds in the garden. Native gardens provide birds with food and nesting materials, and give gardeners some respite as they let native plants do their thing without much intervention. Grow some berries, think of seasonal timings, avoid poisons and pesticides, and watch the feathers flock! Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4fSX9EdBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4cAAV7gBook Collection Page:...

Birds are excellent pest controllers for gardens. Chickadees, for instance, feed their chicks caterpillars every 3 minutes. That’s hundreds of caterpillars per day, some of which may have been feeding on your favorite brassica plants. Larger birds of prey manage rodent populations as well. Each bird has its own role to play in your garden.   Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3AAj2bdBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4dDSLrmBook Collection Page:...

The ways animals make sounds may surprise you! Unlike humans, vocalizations aren’t always localized in the mouth. These may emit from muscles inside their bodies. Different sounds have different purposes too, and upon observing you may find there are many sounds you weren’t aware of before.  Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3WV0ZnxBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4czMk79Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3SYWreUEG Homesteading Book:...

David Mann, PhD invented the Haikubox with his colleagues at Loggerhead Instruments in order to learn more about animal behavior. The way they do this is by collecting bioacoustics, or the sounds produced by living organisms. This information has given researchers a better understanding of the species in an area, and their movements within the ecosystem. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4dzHfwSBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4dKxFasBook Collection...

Merlin Tuttle, Founder of Bat Conservation International is here to educate us about bats in this full episode of the Beet Podcast. He and Kevin discuss how bats are an important aspect of agriculture, pest control, and ecosystems in general. They even discuss how to attract bats to your garden!Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4dIKjGKBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4dh2kMxBook Collection Page:  https://growepic.co/3YLzjEaEG Homesteading Book:...

You may have heard that bats drink blood, carry diseases, and get caught in human hair, but the truth is much more interesting!Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/46LEwOpBotanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3X6dWw7Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/46MlYO7EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/3yGglEtLearn More: 9 Ways To Attract Bats To Your Garden Connect With Merlin Tuttle: Dr. Merlin Tuttle is widely recognized as the father of modern bat...