Growing a Greener World (2010 - 2012)

Although the words “dirt” and “soil” are often used interchangeably, to a gardener, there’s a big difference! “Soil” (cue angelic music) is what gives life to a garden – full of organic matter, minerals and nutrients. But not all soil is created equal, which is why it’s a great idea to get to know your soil first, so that you can make additions and amendments if anything is lacking.

As heirloom seeds continue to lose ground to modern hybrids, habitat destruction and careless stewardship, many of these diverse and treasured varieties of the past are lost forever. Prior to the 1940′s, vegetables were grown closer to home and breeding focused on things like flavor, texture, and disease resistance. Seed and sharing seed was common, and favorite varieties were protected and passed down through generations. This Season Two episode was chosen for a special Encore Broadcast in Season Three.

In this fun episode, the whole crew enrolls for a week in a New England farm school to learn all they can while there. The cameras are rolling to show the reality side of organic farm living with our mostly city-slicker crew doing their best to keep up! This Season Two episode was chosen for a special Encore Broadcast in Season Three.

In the home- and business owner’s quest for the perfect green lawn, we can do some pretty terrible things to the soil, water, and the environment. Today we’re going to visit the owners of 16 acres of perfect lawn managed organically. This is a private estate with an all-organic lawn converted just a few years ago.

From farm fields to dinner tables across America, more people want pesticide-free vegetables, humanely-raised meat and eggs all produced in a way that isn’t harmful to the environment. Unfortunately, that is not the way most of our food is produced. So how can we as consumers make the choices that are healthier for us and the earth at the same time? To help answer those questions, we visit a farm that is considered one of the most sustainable farms in America. We’ll look at their all-natural system that builds soil and heals the land while raising food and we’ll also explore the meanings behind some of the food labeling we see in the supermarket.

Compost: yes, it occurs naturally – but with a little knowledge we can speed up or enhance the process! This rich, beautiful, life-giving substance teeming with microbes and nutrients is amazingly borne from dead plants, discarded kitchen scraps and yard trimmings through the natural magic of decomposition. By managing and aiding the decomposition process we can have rich compost even faster, but truly – you don’t have to do a thing if you don’t have the time or inclination. Nature knows what she’s doing, all by herself. This Season Two episode (225) was chosen for a special Encore Broadcast in Season Three. Note: credits marked as episode 308 in error.

Thousands of US military veterans return home to find it difficult re-integrating into civilian life and find meaningful work. In fact, veteran unemployment is higher than our national average – but there is a growing movement in agriculture to change that. On today’s episode, we meet veterans who are building successful careers as farmers and helping others do the same.

As urban development is encroaching more and more on native landscapes, animal habitats shrink and birds and other animals in those areas are displaced. But we can help the situation by creating gardens that restore just a little piece of their habitat – even if we only have a small backyard or apartment balcony. In this episode, we visit an innovative school that uses natural habitat gardens as outdoor classrooms to reconnect children to nature and teach environmental science.

This episode is about the renewal of Detroit, whose bleak landscape is slowing changing due to the efforts of urban farmers and community gardeners determined to grow their city’s revival. Once America’s most productive manufacturing city, Detroit was home to a thriving automotive and music industry, with almost 2 million residents and a robust economy. A dramatic decline began in the mid-1960s as factories began closing their doors for overseas opportunities. The City eventually suffered near-collapse as residents left in droves to find work elsewhere.

These days, people are really getting closer to their food source – whether for fun, community, food safety, or environmental impact – and that means lots of homegrown veggies, herbs in the kitchen windowsill, CSA’s and farmer’s markets. The next step for many people right now is… raising chickens! Back yard chickens are a great fit for many gardens That’s right, chickens – from rural side lots to urban back yards, chickens take up little space and provide fresh eggs – that’s food so “local” that it doesn’t travel further than your back yard to your sauté pan. Droppings in wood shavings can be added to your compost bin, or if your chickens are free-range, can be left right in the yard where they fall! This Season Two episode was chosen for a special Encore Broadcast in Season Three.

With the average age of farmers in our country around 55 to 60, there is a serious question of who will be growing our food in the future as our aging farmers retire or pass on. It seems large-scale, commercial farming holds little interest for upcoming generations, so even in “farming families” the children are not returning to the farm after education as they had in the past. Behold the new generation of young farmers. True enough, they are not interested in large-scale commercial “factory” farming. They are highly educated, interested in health and environment, and see not only the need – and the opportunity – for small-scale farming, but feel the pull to get personally involved and heed that call. Some are returning to farming or gardening roots, others come to it through health, science, or just feel the pull. By working on smaller, more local farms, they are able to focus on organics and natural methods while learning and growing themselves.

Joe takes some of the mystery out of the selection and care of fruit trees, from picking your trees at the nursery, buying potted versus bareroot, to a little info on planting site, and how fruit trees are propagated through grafting. He also helps vegetable gardener Jamie select the right site and plant her very first fruit tree. Whether you have an acre or a balcony, you too can have your very own backyard orchard.

Even when trying to “go organic,” are we? “Natural” products may come to us after being harvested in habitat-destroying or non-sustainable methods. And natural doesn’t automatically mean safe. Natural pesticides, insecticides and poisons are still poisonous – at the very least they may kill indiscriminately, doing just as much damage as their synthetic counterparts in the home garden. At worst, we may become complacent about our poisons and accidentally expose our children and pets, thinking that it’s ok because it’s natural.

There are a lot of reasons to sow your own seeds! Everyone has their own reasons, perhaps to save money, or just for fun, or for the variety available. While it may seem intimidating at first, in this episode Joe will share some of the joys and specific how-tos of growing your own plants from seed. For starters, seed packets cost far less than purchasing individual plants. Extra seed can be saved from year to year. Even with the additional expense of lighting, growing containers, and heating, these are largely one-time expenses and may already be things you have around or can find inexpensively.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 20 percent of the world’s breeds of cattle, goats, pigs, horses and poultry are currently at risk of extinction. The industrialized food movement forever changed the way livestock was used in agriculture. As certain breeds were favored for their rapid growth and production, other breeds (animals that we just took for granted) did not fit into that mold and for the last 50 years, their numbers have been dwindling at a rapid rate. Many of the old-fashioned breeds began to face extinction.

Whether you are a novice or experienced gardener – at some point you will find yourself in need of a little gardening advice. You might need direction on how to prune an overgrown tree or design guidance for an area of your yard or maybe complete lessons on growing your own food. Who wouldn’t like to have a personal consultant for their garden? A garden coach is an expert who comes to your home to provide customized garden information, and can even work right along side you with hands-on lessons.

We talk a lot about food miles, organics, and sustainable practices with food choices, our homes, and our gardens… what about the flowers we put on the table next to the meal? And the ones we send to loved ones in times of celebration, congratulations, or condolences? How were they grown, what were they sprayed with, and how far have they traveled? Generally speaking, the floral industry is notoriously UN-eco-friendly, often grown with chemical insecticides, bloom-boosting chemical fertilizers, then shipped from other continents to arrive in your local floral case for your bouquet. Nowhere do you find long-stemmed roses budding in Ohio in January, yet there they are in the florist’s case. While this is an amazing example of worldwide trade, it’s not a great way to live greener or reduce our commerce miles. This Season Two episode was chosen for a special Encore Broadcast in Season Three.

What if we told you that there is a plant that requires only a small amount of water, yet stays green all year long? It can be grown as a lawn, but requires no fertilizers, pesticides, clipping, mowing or mulching. This dream plant is also eco-friendly, low maintenance, and incredibly beautiful. Despite common misconceptions, moss is ALL of these things and more. Mosses are the oldest terrestrial plants on earth and even predate the dinosaurs. They have survived all this time without pollen, seeds, flowers or even roots… in fact that may be the key.