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Organics

Enriching the Compost Pile with Herbs and Weeds on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Enriching the Compost Pile with Herbs and Weeds

Jeff Poppen, an experienced biodynamic farmer, shares his techniques for enhancing the compost pile comprised of hay, manures and plant residue. He chooses a variety of weeds and herbs that he adds to the pile, and these are in three different forms: live, dried and fermented. Jeff explains the attributes each herb or weed adds to the power of the finished product.


Earthworms: The Good

Earthworms: The Good, and the Destructive

Host Jeff Poppen, a biodynamic farmer, uses a lot of compost. By doing that, he is rewarded with a plentiful amount of earthworms that aerate the soil and leave nutrients behind. However, not all worms are beneficial. Jeff meets up with an entomologist to learn about a destructive species known as the crazy jumping worm.


Re-mineralizing on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Re-mineralizing

For optimum yields, a farmer has to replenish the minerals in production fields.


Monoculture on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Monoculture

Diversity in an ecosystem such as a farm is a sign of health. Fields of only one crop create many problems, but there are positive and negative aspects to everything. That is defiitely true in farming. Jeff Poppen grows a wide variety of crops, but also identifies good reasons to fill a field with just one. We explore the benefits and detriments of monoculture.


Squash Woes on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Squash Woes

To avoid problems with growing squash, Jeff Poppen employs the principles of farming developed long ago. This includes an emphasis on soil drainage, and the liberal use of compost.


Planning a Late Summer Garden on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Planning a Late Summer Garden

Biodynamic farmer Jeff Poppen underscores the importance of planning when it comes to a late summer garden. He plants beans, squash and cucumbers in June and July to harvest in September and October.


Fall vegetable garden pointers on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Fall vegetable garden pointers

Fall vegetable gardens require planning, especially if those plants are to be grown from seed. Calculating the days to maturity allows one to start seeds at the proper time. Host Annette Shrader visits an experienced grower to see how the cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and peas are performing mid-autumn.


Green Manure: Plants and Benefits on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Green Manure: Plants and Benefits

Biodynamic farmer Jeff Poppen walks us through one of his large production fields in early spring that's covered in green manure crops. He shares information about the plants used, and how each one benefits the soil health.


Soil Your Undies: How healthy is your soil? on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Soil Your Undies: How healthy is your soil?

A campaign was launched in December 2018 by Oregon farmers working with Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The Soil Your Undies Challenge was now a thing. It's a simple way to measure the microbial activity in the soil. Julie Berbiglia visits the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville to see the results from their participation in the challenge.


Organic Farming: Good Start = Good Result on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Organic Farming: Good Start = Good Result

Jeff Poppen has been farming the organic way for decades. He shares his wisdom for those who are just becoming farmers. He covers a lot of the basics: plan before you plant, when to plow and when to plant, successive planting, tending a healthy compost pile, smart use of cover crops, the importance of lime, and keeping the critters away.


Sustainable agriculture method for a container on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Sustainable agriculture method for a container

A well-read and experienced gardener demonstrates how he recreates lasagna gardening (layering of organic materials in which to grow plants) in outdoor plant containers. He then starts seeds and also grows a variety of vegetables in these containers with great results.


Increasing Soil Fertility on NPT's Volunteer Gardener

Increasing Soil Fertility

Jeff Poppen discusses simple and frugal ways to add soil fertility to a garden space. Using compost and cover crops bring rewards at harvest time year after year.