I know you’re busy, but I’d LOVE to see the video of Linda’s garden (as a fellow urban gardener who’d love to have chickens someday!) I can’t believe you’re able to have a small farm, do weekly podcasts, AND work full-time jobs that are demanding. As a loyal fan I hope you know how much we listeners (and video extra watchers) appreciate your efforts!! And I also appreciate that you guys finance this totally on your own–you should be proud of your “independent podcast”. I know that if you recommend something it’s because you truly believe it’s an excellent product, not because someone is paying you to say so. There aren’t many independent podcasts that I’ve found that I continue to listen to, besides yours. I don’t know about your other listeners, but I would certainly be willing to become a sustaining member of the Geek Farmlife podcast. I know that the PodChef has some sort of donation link set up, and I’m a sustaining member of NPR, and donated some extra $$ to This American Life podcasts. I’d love to contribute to your ongoing farmlife in this day of rising costs of goat/turkey/duck feed. You guys offer a great service to those of us like me who live vicariously through your podcasts, and I for one would be willing to help pay for some feed for Cream, Baby, Bonafide, and all the other un-named crew that make your podcast wonderful. (By the way, this is not a bribe to see the video extra, just a suggestion! ; ) Nor is it a handout, because, as I said you offer a wonderful entertainment service that perhaps some of us listeners would love to contribute to (on a totally voluntary basis, of course!!) Anyway, just food for thought . . .

Jeannine

I like ‘The Naked Scientists’ podcast. Don’t know if this is your thing

Here’s the blurb and address from Podcast Alley
The Naked Scientists - interactive science, medicine and technology weekly live radio show with Cambridge University's Dr Chris Smith. We strip down science and lay the facts bare answering your science questions, interviewing top scientists and catching up with the latest top science news stories.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/naked_scientists_podcast.xml

Knitting-wise, do you listen to Brenda Dayne and Cast on?

http://www.cast-on.com/

Hope you’re both well,
India

Today I want to tell you about our garden. We’ve used raised beds/boxes for the last couple of years, expanding each time by adding more boxes. Beds are easily made with dimensional lumber either 2″ x 8″ (for regular plants) or 2″ x 12″(for root crops). We also create open top covers for the boxes, which match the dimension of the bed (like 4′ x 4′) to keep deer and our cats out of the beds. To prevent things from growing from underneath the beds, one could put a cardboard layer down, including that which can make paths around each box. We stretch stretch weed fabric across and staple it to the underside of the 2″ part of each 4′ x 4′ box.

We fill the beds with soil we create from combining on a large tarp 5 different types of compost/manure, vermiculite and peat moss (though I am looking for a readily available, sustainable alternative for peat, like coir). The soil is so much better than most soil in most anyone’s yard mainly because it is balanced, NEVER compacted and contains a variety of nutrients that crops need. We use a bag of organic compost each spring to feed each box before planting.

The advantages we find with our raised beds is that there’s no tilling and rarely a weed(unless we don’t cover the beds in the fall until ready to plant). When weeds do get in and start, they can’t get a good hold as the soil is so loose that the weeds glide out easily when pulled (even dandelions and buttercups). I cannot believe how much better my garden grows with this method though we still have a patch of regular yard where we mostly grow weeds for the goats.

I’d like to send you some photos of our raised beds but I haven’t had success when I email to gfl@geekfarmlife.com.

Thanks again, Dee