The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

With Beatrice Nathan...Curious permaculture story
In This Podcast: Beatrice Nathan joins the podcast to explore how permaculture principles can be applied to family life, childcare, and community resilience. She shares her journey from home gardening to teaching permaculture, and launching a Village Roots childcare co-op. The conversation weaves together food production, social permaculture, and mutual aid as practical responses to modern parenting and systemic stress. This episode highlights slow, small solutions that build trust, connection, and long-term community health.
Our Guest:  Beatrice Nathan is a home gardener, permaculture teacher, turmeric farmer, and mom to two boys. She is passionate about reweaving the web of social support, empowering ordinary people to grow food and teaching practical design principles. She believes that we all have a part to play in creating a better future.
Key Topics & Entities
Beatrice Nathan
Permaculture ethics (Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share)
Social permaculture
Village Roots Childcare Co-op
Babysitting co-ops / time-based exchange
Front-yard food gardens
Community resilience
Parenting and childcare affordability
Permaculture zones applied to time and energy
Degrowth philosophy
Permaculture Design Course (PDC)
Ruby Ranch (Asheville, NC)

Key Questions Answered
What is permaculture beyond gardening?
Permaculture is a framework for living a good life, offering ethics and principles that can be applied to land stewardship, relationships, parenting, and community design—not just gardens.
How does a childcare co-op work without money?
Families exchange babysitting hours using a shared spreadsheet. Hours earned caring for one family’s children can be used with any family in the co-op, building trust and flexibility without cash.
Why is childcare so challenging for families today?
High costs, limited availability, misaligned schedules, and the emotional toll on young children make conventional childcare inaccessible or unsustainable for many families.
How does the Village Roots Childcare Co-op embody permaculture?
The co-op applies permaculture ethics and principles like slow and small solutions, stacking functions, feedback loops, and people care to meet real childcare and community needs.
How can permaculture help parents—especially mothers—avoid burnout?
By reframing priorities through concepts like zones of time and energy, permaculture helps parents let go of nonessential commitments and focus on connection during demanding life seasons.
What’s the value of front-yard food gardens?
Front-yard gardens invite conversation, sharing, and relationship-building with neighbors, turning food production into a social connector.
How can someone start a similar co-op in their community?
Start small, set a geographic boundary, clearly communicate expectations, onboard families personally, and use existing guides and templates to reduce friction.
Why is community-building increasingly important?
As larger systems become more fragile, hyper-local, trust-based networks like co-ops, time banks, and tool libraries help meet needs when institutions fall short.
Episode Highlights
Permaculture as a life framework, not just a land design tool
Applying permaculture ethics to childcare and family systems
Designing a babysitting co-op using time instead of money
Front-yard gardens as hubs for neighborhood connection
Reframing permaculture zones around time, energy, and life...

A Journey in Holistic Wellness
In This Podcast: Clinical herbalist Kimberly Kling returns to discuss regenerative health in a highly toxic modern world. Drawing from personal experience, clinical practice, and ecological awareness, she explains how petrochemicals, industrial agriculture, and environmental toxins disrupt human health—especially the gut microbiome, mitochondria, and detox pathways. The conversation moves from root causes to practical, accessible steps people can take, including food choices, herbs, lifestyle shifts, and community action. Throughout, the focus remains on empowerment, resilience, and reconnecting with plant wisdom rather than fear.
Our Guest: Kimberly is a clinical herbalist and the guiding force behind joyful roots in Southern Arizona where she helps her community locally and beyond cultivate inner wellness through earth centered herbal care, rooted in a deep reverence for the healing power of plants. Kimberly's journey began in childhood, crafting magical plant stews and foraging connections with Michigan's native flora. Her background in landscape architecture and engineering provided a foundation for understanding the intricate relationships between plants, people, and the land. However, it was motherhood and a personal health crisis that led to her clinical herbalism deepening her passion for holistic wellness. Now, Kimberly integrates traditional wisdom with modern herbal practices, empowering others to reconnect with plant wisdom for vibrant health and wellbeing.
Medical Disclaimer: In today's episode we are talking about our health. The information provided in this podcast is for general information and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. We are not medical doctors and no medical doctor/patient relationship is formed. Always seek advice from your qualified medical doctor regarding questions you may have about your medical condition.
Key Topics & Entities
Kimberly Kling
Joyful Roots
Clinical herbalism
Environmental toxins
Petrochemicals
Haber-Bosch Process
Glyphosate, Diquat, Paraquat
Gut microbiome
Mitochondrial health
Autoimmune illness (lupus)
Antioxidants
Liver detoxification
Regenerative agriculture
Food forests

Key Questions Answered
Why are modern humans experiencing chronic illness earlier than previous generations?
Because exposure to synthetic chemicals, petrochemicals, pesticides, plastics, and food additives has rapidly increased over the last ~150 years, overwhelming biological systems that evolved alongside natural substances.
How do pesticides and herbicides affect the body if they’re “safe for humans”?
They often harm microbial...

A Rosie On The House Replay
In this episode we explore the concept of wicking bed gardens, hosted by Romey Romero & Farmer Greg, our guest is .
Farmer Greg joins Romey Romero on Rosie on the House to break down how to successfully grow fruit trees in the low desert, even during unusually warm winters. He explains why fruit trees are worth planting, how climate confusion affects citrus and deciduous trees, and the most common mistakes that kill young trees. The conversation covers proven planting methods, soil preparation, watering strategies, and long-term thinking for orchards that can produce for decades. This episode is a practical, experience-based guide for homeowners who want reliable fruit harvests in desert climates.
Key Topics & Entities
Low desert fruit tree growing
Citrus varieties (navel, Cara Cara, Trovita, Minneola, Gold Nugget)
Deciduous fruit trees (apple, peach, apricot, plum, jujube, mulberry)
Low-chill requirements
Rootstock selection
Bare root trees
Urban Farm Fruit Tree Program
Six-Six Basin Rule
Desert soil organic matter
Mycorrhizae and soil biology
Irrigation and deep watering
Mulch and microclimates

Key Questions Answered
Why plant fruit trees instead of relying on store-bought fruit?
Homegrown fruit has superior flavor, freshness, and nutritional value, and a single tree can produce for decades with proper care.
What makes fruit trees struggle during warm winters in the desert?
Low-chill trees may not receive enough cold hours to set fruit consistently, causing irregular growth, dormancy confusion, or skipped production years. Therefore, we need to make sure we plant low chill fruit trees.
What are the three non-negotiables when buying fruit trees for the low desert?
Choose low-chill varieties, ensure the correct rootstock for desert conditions, and select soft-flesh fruit that ripens before July 1.
What are the most common ways people accidentally kill fruit trees?
Planting in hot microclimates, allowing grass to compete with roots, and relying on shallow daily drip irrigation.
How should fruit trees actually be watered in the desert?
Deep, infrequent watering—about once a month in winter and every 10–14 days in summer—allowing soil to dry between waterings.
Why are bare root trees preferred for deciduous fruit?
They’re planted while dormant, establish faster, and adapt better long-term than potted trees when planted correctly.
How long does it take for a fruit tree to really produce?
Year one focuses on roots, year two on shoots, year three begins fruiting, and years four to five bring full production.
Episode Highlights
Fruit trees thrive when planted for climate, not convenience
Citrus can be harvested across six months with smart variety selection
The Six-Six Basin Rule dramatically improves survival and growth
Desert soil must be rebuilt with organic matter and biology
Overwatering and under watering look the same—but both can kill trees
Bare root planting in January sets trees up for lifelong success
A single well-planted tree can produce for 50–100 years

Calls to Action & Resources
Urban Farm Fruit Tree Program — https://www.fruittrees.org
Free Desert Fruit Tree Master Course — https://www.fruittrees.org
Questions or tree photos...

Our monthly Seed Chat at SeedChat.org
In This Podcast: Greg Peterson and Bill McDorman explore the idea of the seed commons—seeds as shared cultural, ecological, and community wealth rather than private commodities. They discuss how market-driven seed systems have eroded biodiversity and why community-based models are essential for resilience in the face of climate, economic, and social uncertainty. Through stories, examples, and lived experience, they show how seed co-ops, exchanges, libraries, and grassroots experimentation restore abundance, adaptability, and human connection. The conversation frames seed saving as both a practical survival skill and a deeply human act of stewardship.
Key Topics & Entities
Seed commons
Shared wealth
Biodiversity loss
Climate change adaptation
Seed co-ops
Appalachian Seeds
Snake River Seed Cooperative
Seed exchanges
Seed libraries
Seed Library Network
Seeds in Common
Open-pollinated seeds
Indigenous and community seed stewardship

What does it mean to treat seeds as part of the commons?
Seeds are framed as shared wealth—like air or water—meant to circulate freely so they can keep adapting, carrying cultural memory, and supporting future generations rather than being locked behind patents or profit motives.

Why is the current market-based seed system failing biodiversity?
Large-scale commercial systems prioritize uniformity and profit, leading to the extinction of many traditional varieties and reducing the genetic diversity needed to adapt to climate and ecological change.

How do seed co-ops work in practice?
Regional growers collaborate to grow, clean, package, and distribute seeds together, sharing labor and profits while keeping ownership local and ensuring regionally adapted varieties remain available.

What role do seed exchanges and seed libraries play in communities?
They provide accessible, low-cost ways for people to share seeds, stories, and growing knowledge, strengthening trust, local resilience, and intergenerational learning.

What is unique about the Seeds in Common model?
Instead of preserving varieties separately, Seeds in Common mixes many varieties together and distributes them widely, prioritizing real-world adaptation and survival over strict categorization or commercial naming.

Can individuals really name and steward new plant varieties?
Yes—historically, many important crops came from backyard growers. Naming and caring for a variety is an act of responsibility, not ownership, rooted in long-term stewardship rather than profit.

Episode Highlights
Seeds as shared wealth are essential for resilience, adaptability, and cultural continuity.
Seed co-ops like Appalachian Seeds and Snake River Seed Cooperative keep control local and varieties alive.
Seed exchanges offer efficient, story-rich ways to share seeds and knowledge within communities.
Seed libraries have rapidly grown worldwide, each shaped by local values and creativity.
Mixing and growing diverse seeds reveals what truly works under local, low-input conditions.
Naming and saving seeds is a deeply human tradition that predates modern agriculture.
Abundance thinking emerges naturally when people engage directly with growing and saving seed.

Calls to Action & Resources
Join live Seed Chats — https://seedchat.org
Explore regional seed co-ops —

Don Tipping's Legacy of Regenerative Farming
In This Podcast: Greg reconnects with returning guest Don Tipping to explore nearly a decade of evolution at Seven Seeds Farm and Siskiyou Seeds. The conversation dives deep into regenerative farming, bioregional seed stewardship, on-farm ecology, and the long arc of plant breeding as climate adaptation. Don shares practical insights from 30 years of full-time farming, from pest resilience without chemicals to compost, livestock integration, and the vision for a decentralized bioregional seed bank. The episode emphasizes patience, systems thinking, and seed saving as both a practical skill and a cultural act.
Guest Bio: Don has been farming and offering hands on, practical workshops at Seven Seeds Farm since 1997. Seven Seeds is a small, certified organic family farm in the Siskiyou Mountains of SW Oregon that produces fruits, vegetables, seeds, flowers and herbs, while raising sheep, poultry and people. The farm has been designed to function as a self-contained, life regenerating organism with waste products being recycled and feeding other elements of the system. Lauded as one of the best examples of a small productive Biodynamic and Permaculture farms in the northwest by many, Seven Seeds helps to mentor new farmers through internships and workshops. In 2009 they began Siskiyou Seeds, a bioregional organic seed company that grows and stewards a collection of over 700 open pollinated flower, vegetable and herb seeds and is constantly breeding new varieties.
Key Topics & Entities
Don Tipping
Seven Seeds Farm
Siskiyou Seeds (Siskiyou Seeds)
Regenerative agriculture
Bioregional seed stewardship
Open-pollinated seeds
Seed saving
Garden ecology
Plant breeding
Permaculture systems
Compost and soil fertility
Livestock integration
Climate adaptation
Cascadia Seed Bank

Key Questions Answered
How has Don’s farm and seed work evolved over the last nine years?
The seed company has grown into the core of the farm’s work, with most annual and perennial crops now grown specifically for seed. Don has shifted toward contracting with a wider network of growers while focusing his own energy on plant breeding, research, and education.
What makes bioregional, farmer-grown seed different from industrial seed?
Unlike industrial seed—often brokered globally with little transparency—bioregional seed is selected under local climate, pest, and disease pressures. Over time, this results in crops that are better adapted, more resilient, and better suited to regional food systems.
Why doesn’t Seven Seeds Farm rely on row covers or chemical inputs?
By allowing natural selection to occur—such as letting cucumber...