Colin McCrate's Blog, page 12

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 78: Veggie Garden Remix with Nikki Jabbour

In this episode Hilary and guest expert Niki Jabbour discuss some of the unusual vegetable crops featured in Niki's new book, Veggie Garden Remix! If you're looking to add some variety to your garden this year or you've found yourself frustrated with some of the more traditional vegetable crops, this episode is packed with inspiration. 

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

Fun and unusual plants that you can grow to add variety to your annual vegetable garden

Important Take-aways:

Experimenting with unusual and exotic crops can be a way to diversify your garden, extend your growing season, and find substitutes for crops that you might find difficult or frustrating to grow. Crops discussed in this episode include:Snake gourdSugar Magnolia snow peasYard long beans: start indoors if you're growing in climate with a shorter, milder seasonAmaranthMagenta spreenBurr gherkinsGround cherries Hosta shootsMexican sour gherkins

Left to right: Garden peas, Snake gourd, Amaranth, Magenta spreen. The following photos are from Niki's new book, Veggie Garden Remix. 

Books by Niki: 
















By Niki Jabbour























By Niki Jabbour























By Niki Jabbour






 

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

Guest Expert Feature: 

Niki Jabbour

Niki Jabbour is the award-winning author of Niki Jabbour’s Veggie Garden Remix, The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, and Groundbreaking Food Gardens.

Her work is found in Fine Gardening, Garden Making, Birds & Blooms, Horticulture, and other publications, and she speaks widely on food gardening at events and shows across North America.

She is the host and creator of The Weekend Gardener radio show.

She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

http://www.nikijabbour.com/
SavvyGardening.com
Instagram: @nikijabbour

About the Host:

Hello, I’m Hilary Dahl. Outside of this podcast, my job is to help beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. I have the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. I also work in my own garden every day when I get home. This podcast is an opportunity to discuss seasonal garden topics and share the the joy of growing your own food. 

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 77: Bare Root Perennials with Kathy Boullin

If you're thinking about adding edible perennials to your garden, sourcing bare-root plants is not only an economical way to go, but it is also likely to provide you with the most options when it comes to choosing plant variety. Many plant nurseries will also ship bare root plants, making them a great way to go if you don't live nearby a nursery with an extensive selection. In this episode, Kathy Boullin and I will be discussing the what, why and how of bare root perennials.

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

What the term "bare-root" meansHow to plant bare-root perennialsThe types of plants you might consider buying as bare-rootstock

Important Take-aways:

Hundreds of perennial edibles (and ornamentals!) can be purchased as bare-root plants. Bare-root plants need to be put in soil within a few days of buying them so be sure to have a plan! Ideally you'd have a place in your garden that was already prepared for planting. If you end up making an impulse buy (and we all know plants are one of the easiest impulse buys!) or you're trying to be thrifty by ordering bare-root plants when they're available even though your garden may not be, you can heal bare-root plants into an existing bed or pot them up. Many fruits and berries require more a second varsity of the same species in your garden in order to cross pollinate and fruit. If you only have room for one or two trees, multi-grafts will provide you with multiple varieties on one plant. To plant bare-root perennials:Wash sawdust off roots before planting. Start with loose soil and then dig the planting hole as deep as the roots and at least twice as wide.Position the plant's height so that the crown (where the roots meet the trunk) is at or slightly below the soil surface. Be sure to take the time to check if your plant has a graft- most fruit trees and bush berries do! If the trunk has a conspicuous graft, it should be kept at least 1 inch above the soil surface.Fill the planting hole and tamp down gently.WaterYou can mulch around the plant with 2 inches of compost to help keep the area weed free, but be sure not to bury the stem or the graft!!Common edible perennials that can be found in bare-root form include:ApplesCherriesPlumsPearsFigsStrawberriesRaspberriesAsparagus

Left, bare-root espalier trees. Photo courtesy of Swansons Nursery blog. Right, Hilary's 3-year-old multi-graft espalier apple trees. 

A few Great books on growing fruits and berries:














The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-On Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden

By Stella Otto





















The Backyard Orchardist: A complete guide to growing fruit trees in the home garden, 2nd Edition

By Stella Otto






 

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

More about this weeks guest expert:

Kathy Boullin
Kathy is a horticulturist and enthusiastic plantswoman. For over ten years, Kathy has been helping customers select plants at Swanson’s Nursery, one of Seattle's oldest and largest local plant nurseries. One of her passions is growing fruit trees and bushes and she is always willing to add one more new variety to her garden. 

http://www.swansonsnursery.com/

About the Host:

Hello, I’m Hilary Dahl. Outside of this podcast, my job is to help beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. I have the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. I also work in my own garden every day when I get home. This podcast is an opportunity to discuss seasonal garden topics and share the the joy of growing your own food. 

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 76: Sugar Snap Peas with Rod Lamborn

This week on the podcast I'm joined by guest expert, Rod Lamborn. Rod is the son of the well known plant breeder, Dr. Calvin Lamborn, who's also known as the Father of the Sugar Snap Pea. I'm sorry to say that Calvin passed away this past year, but it's an honor to have Rod here to share with us a little bit about his father's legacy and the future of the Sugar Snap Pea.

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

How the Sugar Snap Pea came to beA basic overview of how pea breeding works Transplanting onions into the garden

Important Take-aways:

Sugar Snap Peas originated as a cross between Mammoth Snow Pea and mutant shelling pea. It took 10 years of selective breeding, before the sugar snap pea made its public appearance.Over the past few years, as more and more distributors sell Sugar Snap Pea seed, the stock has started to become less and less consistent. Rouge pods that have the qualities of the parent plant are starting to become more and more common. You can see this in the in the photo of a planting of Sugar Snap Peas at the top of the page, where many rouge pods look more like snow peas. PVP: This term gets thrown around a lot in the podcast and I forgot to define it on the recording. Basically, PVP provides intellectual property protection to breeders of new varieties of seeds and tubers. For more info, check out the USDA website. Hilary's favorite pea varieties include:Sugar Ann: although not as productive as Sugar Snap, this snap pea shares many of the same qualities when it comes to pod shape, size, texture and sweetness. Sugar Ann's are a bushing variety and do not require a trellis, making them a great option for a container garden. They will require some amount of staking to keep the plants upright. Royal Snow Pea: A pretty purple podded snow pea. I like to plant a handful of these alongside my Oregon Giant snow peas to add a little color to my summer salads.Oregon Giant Snow Pea: The most productive snow pea, in my opinion. Large, sweet pods. Maestro Shelling Pea: A reliable shelling pea that offers multiple harvests. Takes about 11 days longer than Strike shelling pea, which I often plant first thing in the season in front of my Sugar Snap and Snow peas, but does offer a slightly longer harvest period.Strike Shelling Pea: A productive, short season pea that produces in about 50 days. The harvested pods are small-medium but the peas are sweet!For instructions on growing peas, see the following archived blog posts:PEAS TRAIN YOUR PEAS!HOW TO BUILD A BAMBOO TRI-POD TRELLIS: A PHOTO TUTORIALENCYCLOPEDIA BOTANICA PODCAST, EPISODE 31: PEAS!

The following photos are two of the pea varieties that Rod and Magic Seed are currently breeding:  “speckled snow pea” (Left),  is a variegated yellow and maroon snow pea.  The bloom photo (Right) is an experimental variety for bloom production. 

Left to right: Strike Shelling peas growing in front of Sugar Snap and Snow. The shelling peas will be harvested and removed before the taller peas reach maturity; Oregon Giant snow peas; Strike shelling peas.

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

More about this weeks guest expert:

Rod Lamborn is the son of Dr. Calvin Lamborn (pictured below), well known plant breeder and the man behind the well-loved garden pea, Sugar Snap. Rod took over the family business when his dad passed away in 2017.

When it comes to summarizing Calvin's work, the website for his family business, Magic Seed Company, does it best:

"When it comes to all things Snap Pea, that seed starts with Dr. Calvin Lamborn, known as the father of the Snap Pea. 
As a young breeder, with a PHD in plant virology and a keen curiosity that led him to cross a rogue garden pea with a snow pea - Calvin Lamborn created the seed for what we now know and love as the Snap Pea.

Since then, Calvin's Peas have earned prestigious honors and awards in the trade as well as acclaim from top chefs in the country. 

Calvin's techniques are traditional (non-GMO) plant breeding. And seeds like his are the sparks that have ignited the farmers market and farm to table restaurant movements."

http://www.magicseedinc.com/

About the Host:

Hello, I’m Hilary Dahl. Outside of this podcast, my job is to help beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. I have the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. I also work in my own garden every day when I get home. This podcast is an opportunity to discuss seasonal garden topics and share the the joy of growing your own food. 

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 75: Growing Dahlias with Nick Gitts

In this episode Nick Gitts, owner of Swan Island Dahilas, answers all of my burning dahlia care questions. Swan Island Dahlias is a 40 acre dahlia farm located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and they grow over 360 varieties of dahlias and Nick has been running the farm since 1975. 

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

Choosing the best location to plant your dahliasHow and when to plant dahlia tubersFertilizing dahliasHow and when to pinch dahlia sproutsTuber digging, dividing and storage

Important Take-aways:

Dahlias should be planted when the ground temperature is approx. 60 degrees.Plant dahlias in a location that receives full sun and has well draining soil. If you have a heavier soil, add in peat moss or bagged steer manure to lighten and loosen the soil texture for better drainage.Most areas have enough rain to fill dahlia water needs until the sprouts appear above the ground. After dahlias are established dahlias should receive a deep watering 2-3 times a week.Dahlias require a low nitrogen fertilizer.Dahlias can overwinter in the ground, but should be divided at least every 3 yearsWhen digging dahlias in the fall, divide within one week of lifting the bulbs or wait until spring. The "eyes" will start to recess on lifted bulbs, making it harder to know where to divide the tubers.Store tubers in crates or cardboard boxes lined with newspaper. Surround tubers with slightly dampened Peat Moss, Sand, or Pet bedding material (sawdust/shavings). A few standout varieties that Nick recommends from the Swan Island Catalog:Nick Sr.BluetifulMikayla MirandaLights OutDivaSpoiled RottenOMGA few of Hilary's favorite varieties: 


























Ginger Willow + Cafe Au Lait























Miss Delilah























Cooper Blaine























Crichton Honey






















A few of our favorite books on growing and arranging flowers: 
















By Erin Benzakein, Julie Chai























By Lynn Byczynski























By Alethea Harampolis, Jill Rizzo























By Ariella Chezar, Julie Michaels

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

More about this weeks guest expert:

Nick Gitts is the owner of Swan Island Dahlias. The farm has been in his family since 1963, and Nick has been helping to run the farm since 1975. 

Website: dahlias.com
Instagram: @swanislanddahlias
Facebook: @swanislanddahlias

About the Host:

Hello, I’m Hilary Dahl. Outside of this podcast, my job is to help beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. I have the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. I also work in my own garden every day when I get home. This podcast is an opportunity to discuss seasonal garden topics and share the the joy of growing your own food. 

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 74: Starting Onions from Seed with Colin McCrate

Starting your own onion transplants from seed is inexpensive and allows you the most control when it comes to picking varieties that are well suited for your garden and culinary needs. In this episode guest expert Colin McCrate and I discuss how and when to start your onions from seed, our favorite onion varieties, and factors to consider when planting your baby onions out in the garden. 

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

How and when to start your onions from seedMaterials you'll need for successful seed startingNursery careTransplanting onions into the garden

Important Take-aways:

Onions form bulbs in response to the number of hours of daylight the plant recieves. When selecting your onion varieties, remember that the further north you are, the more hours of daylight you have during the summer and you'll want to choose an onions accordingly.Our favorite onion varieties include:Yellow storage: Patterson, Highlander, CopraRed storage: Red Zepplin, Ruby RingYellow sweet: Alisa CraigFor instructions on starting onions from seed, see the following archived blog post: STARTING ONIONS + LEEKS FROM SEED

Patterson storage onion in March (left) vs. a sweet onion that was missed and accidentally stored overwinter as well: 

Starting onions from seed and baby onions in the nursery:

Planting onions:

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

More about this weeks guest expert:

Colin McCrate is the founder of the Seattle Urban Farm Co. He has been growing food organically for over 15 years and has designed and has managed projects ranging from multi-acre farms to small backyard gardens. The author of two books; Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard (Mountaineers Books, 2012) and The High-Yield Garden Planner (Storey Publishing, 2015); he believes that urban food production can help increase public awareness of environmental, health, and social issues.  

About the Host:

Hello, I’m Hilary Dahl. Outside of this podcast, my job is to help beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. I have the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. I also work in my own garden every day when I get home. This podcast is an opportunity to discuss seasonal garden topics and share the the joy of growing your own food. 

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 73: Fall Wrap-Up 2017

Today we’re recapping our favorite crop varieties of 2017, along with our lessons learned and best garden tips. This is our last episode before we take a short winter break. During the break, we'll be working on getting our late-winter and early spring episodes lined up and ready for you, so don't worry, there will be lots of great content coming your way in the new year!

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

Our favorite crop varieties of 2017Lessons learned and best garden tips

Important Take-aways:

Our favorite flower varieties of 2017 include:Quartet stock: a branching variety that will continue producing throughout the season.Zinderella Peach zinnias: where every blossom is unique with double blossoms, semi-double blossoms, and a wide range of colors.Benary’s Giant zinnias: they flowers are tall and prolific and make great cut flowers.  Our favorite crop varieties of 2017 include:Shishito peppers: they don't pack a lot of heat but each plant produces a tons of fruit. They are a perfect appetizer pan fried with sea salt.Nelson carrots: these carrots are a consistent size and full of flavor. Interestingly, Nelson seeds are declining in popularity in Europe, where the seeds are bred, so there may be limited availability going forward.Small Wonder spaghetti squash: this variety of winter squash is not only tasty, but it’s easy to grow because there is plenty of time for it to mature on the vine.Little Finger eggplant: we were harvesting full tote bags from some gardens during the peak season this year.Our lessons learned and best garden tips from this year include:Growing more Mexican sour gherkins - kids especially can’t get enough of this great variety!The keys to successfully growing beets is overseeding and feeding with an organic fertilizerUse a calendar to remind yourself to succession sow every 2-3 weeks during your garden season - life moves fast and this way you won’t forget.Speaking of life moving fast, it’s okay to simplify in the garden too. You might consider consolidating your crop list and planting even more storage crops like carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic.

Nelson carrots and Shisito peppers:

Zinderella Peach and Benary's Giant Zinnias (far right):

Sour Gherkins on cucumber cage and on a trellis:

Katz and Quartet stock:

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

A huge thanks to our friends at Elevate Chiropractic and Rehab for helping to sponsor this episode! To receive a complimentary PDF of exercises you can do in the gardening off-season to help make sure your body is ready to go when spring rolls around, email getwell@elevatechiropracticrehab.com or submit a request through their website www.elevatechiropracticrehab.com

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 74: Fall Wrap-Up 2017

Today we’re recapping our favorite crop varieties of 2017, along with our lessons learned and best garden tips. This is our last episode before we take a short winter break. During the break, we'll be working on getting our late-winter and early spring episodes lined up and ready for you, so don't worry, there will be lots of great content coming your way in the new year!

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

Our favorite crop varieties of 2017Lessons learned and best garden tips

Important Take-aways:

Our favorite flower varieties of 2017 include:Quartet stock: a branching variety that will continue producing throughout the season.Zinderella Peach zinnias: where every blossom is unique with double blossoms, semi-double blossoms, and a wide range of colors.Benary’s Giant zinnias: they flowers are tall and prolific and make great cut flowers.  Our favorite crop varieties of 2017 include:Shishito peppers: they don't pack a lot of heat but each plant produces a tons of fruit. They are a perfect appetizer pan fried with sea salt.Nelson carrots: these carrots are a consistent size and full of flavor. Interestingly, Nelson seeds are declining in popularity in Europe, where the seeds are bred, so there may be limited availability going forward.Small Wonder spaghetti squash: this variety of winter squash is not only tasty, but it’s easy to grow because there is plenty of time for it to mature on the vine.Little Finger eggplant: we were harvesting full tote bags from some gardens during the peak season this year.Our lessons learned and best garden tips from this year include:Growing more Mexican sour gherkins - kids especially can’t get enough of this great variety!The keys to successfully growing beets is overseeding and feeding with an organic fertilizerUse a calendar to remind yourself to succession sow every 2-3 weeks during your garden season - life moves fast and this way you won’t forget.Speaking of life moving fast, it’s okay to simplify in the garden too. You might consider consolidating your crop list and planting even more storage crops like carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic.

Nelson carrots and Shisito peppers:

Zinderella Peach and Benary's Giant Zinnias (far right):

Sour Gherkins on cucumber cage and on a trellis:

Katz and Quartet stock:

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

A huge thanks to our friends at Elevate Chiropractic and Rehab for helping to sponsor this episode! To receive a complimentary PDF of exercises you can do in the gardening off-season to help make sure your body is ready to go when spring rolls around, email getwell@elevatechiropracticrehab.com or submit a request through their website www.elevatechiropracticrehab.com

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 72: Chickens with Anne Briggs, Part 2

Photo courtsey of Anne Briggs

This week we continue our conversation about laying hens with guest Anne Briggs (a.k.a. Anne of All Trades). We discuss introducing new hens into your flock, building a chicken coop, and chickens in the vegetable garden. 

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

Pecking orderBuilding a coopChickens in the vegetable gardenChicken manure as compostTips for chicken noise and dirtAnne’s best advice for someone thinking about getting chickens or just starting out

Important Take-aways:

Chickens are fantastic at pest control, including hunting slugs, cabbage worms, and grubs. To minimize damage and maximize usefulness, chickens do need some management in the garden.The longer they are outside, the more they will wander, so managing their garden time is important. This also helps keep them from hiding their eggs and creating a daily Easter egg hunt.  Make sure they are well fed before letting them out to roam the garden.Chickens are great diggers and one bird can move about three yards of compost a day. To prevent chickens from digging in your garden beds, install temporary fencing and keep their wings clipped so they can’t fly over the temporary fencing.

Pecking order in chickens is a real thing. You never want to introduce just one bird to an established flock; you always need at least two or three, so that if there are problems, they are spread out and not all focused on one bird. The best way to go about flock introduction is to add the new birds in such a way that the flock can see the new additions but not touch them, such as using a dog crate. It’s also best to put new birds in the coop at night, so when the hens wake up, they all wake up together and they just seem to think "huh" it's always been like this.

Chickens can be noisy. In the absence of a rooster, sometimes hens will assume that position, and some breeds are noisier than others. Chickens can also get dirty if you don't have a proper setup. Plan ahead and invest in a good feed and watering system, think through how you'll keep their coop clean so taking care of them doesn't become a gross chore, and make sure the coop is predator-proof.

If you’re thinking about getting chickens, Anne says, ‘Do it! It will change your life.’

Our chickens turning our plant debris into compost!

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

A huge thanks to our friends at Elevate Chiropractic and Rehab for helping to sponsor this episode! To receive a complimentary PDF of exercises you can do in the gardening off-season to help make sure your body is ready to go when spring rolls around, email getwell@elevatechiropracticrehab.com or submit a request through their website www.elevatechiropracticrehab.com

More about our special guest:

Anne is a very talented woodworker, musician, farmer, and mom to a whole cast of creatures. On her suburban farm just outside of Seattle, she has 2 miniature donkeys, 3 alpacas, 2 nigerian dwarf goats, and one kinder goat (which she uses for milk), a bunny, two barn cats, a dog, 20 ducks, 4 geese, and anywhere from 20-40 chickens.

A Note From Anne: 
I'm currently in the process of writing a book chronicling my metamorphosis from a city-dwelling millennial working in a soul-crushing job in the tech industry to a full time woodworker and organic farmer. I've made some major changes in my life, my buying habits, and altered my perspective on what's important in life significantly. Five years ago, I picked up my first tool. My first woodworking project led to another and another after that. The gratification I experienced working with my hands in the woodworking shop expanded outside the garage and I convinced my husband Adam to let me get chickens. One thing led to another, and a couple years later we lived on a farm, I'd built most of the furniture we owned, and I wouldn't trade this new life for the world. 

http://www.anneofalltrades.com/
Instagram: @anneofalltrades

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 71: Chickens with Anne Briggs, Part 1

This week on the podcast we have special guest Anne Briggs (a.k.a. Anne of All Trades) to talk with us about raising laying hens at home. We had so much to talk about on the subject that we ended up breaking this topic into two episodes. This week, in Part 1, we discuss Anne's favorite breeds of chickens; how to source your own laying hens; the egg laying cycle; and what we love about having chickens at home. 

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes , Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast players to have new episodes sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

The laying cycleYour favorite types of hensSourcing chickens

Important Take-aways:

Anne evolved from working in tech to making things with her hands, getting chickens, and starting a garden. Her favorite part about having chickens is how her little egg business connects her so closely with her neighbors.You can get chickens from mail order catalogs, at feed stores, or even from local farms.The prime laying time for chickens is two years. They will continue laying for their whole life, but it really slows down after a certain point.Anne finds that Australorp, Bard Rock, and Rhode Island Reds are the most productive and low maintenance breeds of laying hens. 

Barred Rock (left) and Rhode Island Red (right) laying hens:

Photos from Anne: 


























A hen's entire egg cycle























Fresh eggs























Australorp, Bard Rock, and Rhode Island Reds























A baby chick with some of Anne's wood working tools

Like what you hear? Please share our podcast with a friend. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player so you never miss a beat. And we'd really appreciate you showing us some love by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. 

Have a topic you'd like see us dig in to? Leave us a note in the comment section below or #EBpodcast on Instagram and Twitter!

We need your support to keep this podcast going! Any amount helps, so consider support us one of two ways:  

Become an Encyclopedia Botanica Patreon

OR

Make a one-time contribution to the EB podcast

A huge thanks to our friends at Elevate Chiropractic and Rehab for helping to sponsor this episode! To receive a complimentary PDF of exercises you can do in the gardening off-season to help make sure your body is ready to go when spring rolls around, email getwell@elevatechiropracticrehab.com or submit a request through their website www.elevatechiropracticrehab.com

More about our special guest: 

Anne is a very talented woodworker, musician, farmer, and mom to a whole cast of creatures. On her suburban farm just outside of Seattle, she has 2 miniature donkeys, 3 alpacas, 2 nigerian dwarf goats, and one kinder goat (which she uses for milk), a bunny, two barn cats, a dog, 20 ducks, 4 geese, and anywhere from 20-40 chickens.

A Note From Anne: 
I'm currently in the process of writing a book chronicling my metamorphosis from a city-dwelling millennial working in a soul-crushing job in the tech industry to a full time woodworker and organic farmer. I've made some major changes in my life, my buying habits, and altered my perspective on what's important in life significantly. Five years ago, I picked up my first tool. My first woodworking project led to another and another after that. The gratification I experienced working with my hands in the woodworking shop expanded outside the garage and I convinced my husband Adam to let me get chickens. One thing led to another, and a couple years later we lived on a farm, I'd built most of the furniture we owned, and I wouldn't trade this new life for the world. 

http://www.anneofalltrades.com/
Instagram: @anneofalltrades
 

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 70: Rhubarb

Rhubarb is perennial garden crop and a low-maintenance gardener’s best friend. Originally from China, rhubarb has long been used as a food and medicine in Asian cultures, but it grows in almost any climate. Once a rhubarb plant is established, it will require little or no care moving forward. However, additional care will improve your harvest, and on this episode, we’re sharing tips on managing your rhubarb, including dividing plants as they mature.

HOW TO LISTEN:Subscribe in iTunes (or your favorite podcast player) to have our podcasts sent directly to your device.Listen right now in your browser by clicking above.SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

Rhubarb basicsSources of rhubarbHow to plantRhubarb rhizomesWhy dividing mature rhubarb is importantWhen and how to divide

Important Take-aways:

Rhubarb is a perennial, so it’s best to dedicate an area of your garden where it can grow for many years. Rhubarb will thrive in full sun, but it can also be productive in partial shade, and a mature rhubarb plant can be 4 wide and 4 feet tall.Rhubarb can be grown from seed, but it’s easiest to plant root cuttings (which are also known as rhizomes), or small potted plants that you might buy at your local nursery.To plant rhubarb, loosen the soil with a fork so that it’s loose to about 2 feet. Dig a hole about 6-8 inches deep and place rhizomes so that the buried bud (at the top of the rhizome) is about 1 inch below the soil.

Mature rhubarb emerging in the late winter and early spring. This plant has multiple buds or crowns and could be divided at the early stages of growth:

Rhubarb rhizomes are underground stems that send out 1) roots to absorb water and nutrients and 2) shoots that become your above ground plant. When you first plant your rhubarb rhizome, you’ll notice that it will send up one plant. In the early spring this plant be a tight green and red ball known as the bud.After a few years, you’ll notice that your rhizome is sending up multiple crowns in the spring. At this point it’s a good idea to consider dividing your plant so that it doesn’t become too crowded and reduce productivity.Rhubarb should be divided in the late fall or early spring when the plant is dormant, or just starting to send up buds. To divide your rhubarb, dig a trench around the base of the plant so that you can see the rhizome and then simply chop back sections of the root mass being careful to leave at least one bud on your plant.

The rhubarb flower and cut back flowering rhubarb stocks:

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A huge thanks to our friends at Elevate Chiropractic and Rehab for helping to sponsor this episode! To receive a complimentary PDF of exercises you can do in the gardening off-season to help make sure your body is ready to go when spring rolls around, email getwell@elevatechiropracticrehab.com or submit a request through their website www.elevatechiropracticrehab.com