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Jeff Poppen shares the history of the peanut and its rise to fame on the American farm. He discusses how to grow peanuts successfully, from the soil pH to the hilling. Jeff is thrilled about the resurgence of a treasured heirloom variety, Tennessee Red Mammoth, currently in production at Green Door Gourmet in Nashville TN.

An enthusiastic pair of young farmers focus on building the soil, knowing it will pay off year after year. There's is a no till farm. Their market garden business practice wants to be very accessible and affordable. They have chosen a more flexible business model than a traditional member-based, weekly delivery CSA.

Tammy Algood visits the community garden near downtown Nashville known as Farm in the City. Established in 2010 by Metro Development and Housing Agency, it offers more than 50 raised beds that are open to residents of the J. Henry Hale Apartments as well as the greater community. While this spot didn't start with good soil, there is a concentrated effort to build good soil which supports a food forest and orchard.

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.

Annette Shrader visits with an experienced gardener who adheres to the methods of permaculture. All of the plants in his vast backyard are part of a food forest, and each plant contributes in some way to the good of the whole. Food guilds, trap plants, green manure, and chop+drop plants are discussed, along with how they make edible plants thrive.

Annette Shrader visits with a backyard vegetable gardener who is using sustainable methods that work with nature to build healthy soil and grow nutrient-rich plants.

Jeff Poppen knows the valuable benefits of cover crops, also known as green manure. When used in a home garden, he advises to pull up the plants at maturity, shake off the valuable soil, and then enrich the compost pile with the plants. For a farm field of cover crops, he mows the field several times over a 2 week span, and chisel plows all the plant material into the soil. Then the microbes do their good work.

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.

Pears, paw paws, elderberries and hardy kiwi are some of the edibles being grown in this home orchard where the gardener does not do the typical spraying to fight common diseases and pests that plague fruit trees.

We head to Franklin to see how the 100 yard long wind rows comprised of leaves, grass clippings and twigs heat up to become a microbe-rich soil amendment.

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic land management practice that leverages the power of photosynthesis in plants to close the carbon cycle, and build soil health, crop resilience and nutrient density. We tour the herb gardens at No 9 Farms to learn more.

Troy Marden lists the key points of good garden design on a tour of a friend's landscape that has both shade and sun. Amending the soil, planning pathways, selecting hardscape materials, choosing good performing plants, and planting them in the right spot; it all adds up to beautiful garden beds.