Homesteading and Market Gardening With Guest Jason Smith
05/12/19 • 58 min
The Modern Homesteading Podcast, Episode 122 – May 12, 2019 – Homesteading and Market Gardening With Guest Jason Smith
On this podcast episode I’m joined by Homesteader and Market Gardener Jason Smith to talk about his homesteading journey and a little about the ins and outs of establishing and running a market garden.
Homestead Updates:
Planted 2 different varieties of elderberries on the homestead that I purchased from Stark Brothers Nursery.
Got my wine cap mushroom spawn in from Field and Forest.
Ordered some tilapia for the aquaponics system from Lakeway Tilapia.
Building a more appropriate arbor for the grapes.
Main Topic:
Homesteading and Market Gardening With Guest Jason Smith
Jason, his wife Megan and daughter have been homesteading for a number of years and run an on farm market that sells to local restaurants in the Nashville area. They raise vegetables year around using unheated greenhouses and on farm inputs to create better soil, and also have laying hens they use for eggs. They can food, heat their house using a wood stove and have become very thrifty over the years. They have a very successful homestead but it didn’t happen overnight. It’s had its challenges and they love sharing their experiences so other folks can benefit from it and want to share and inspire folks to homestead.
We Discuss:
Jason’s journey into homesteading.
Growing year round in a four season climate.
Starting and expanding his market garden.
Using chickens on the homestead.
Homesteading for better health as well as a business.
Building a hoophouse.
Building mobile vegetable washing stations.
Building a walk in cooler with a coolbot.
Resources:
Jason’s Farm Website – https://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/
Jason’s Blog – https://smithfamilyfarmtn.blogspot.com/
Jason’s Youtube Channel –https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg
Also mentioned in the podcast:
Coolbot Website – https://www.storeitcold.com/
Curtis Stone – https://theurbanfarmer.co/
Homestead Recipe Of The Week:
This week’s recipe comes in from Darcey for Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.
The Modern Homesteading Podcast, Episode 122 – May 12, 2019 – Homesteading and Market Gardening With Guest Jason Smith
On this podcast episode I’m joined by Homesteader and Market Gardener Jason Smith to talk about his homesteading journey and a little about the ins and outs of establishing and running a market garden.
Homestead Updates:
Planted 2 different varieties of elderberries on the homestead that I purchased from Stark Brothers Nursery.
Got my wine cap mushroom spawn in from Field and Forest.
Ordered some tilapia for the aquaponics system from Lakeway Tilapia.
Building a more appropriate arbor for the grapes.
Main Topic:
Homesteading and Market Gardening With Guest Jason Smith
Jason, his wife Megan and daughter have been homesteading for a number of years and run an on farm market that sells to local restaurants in the Nashville area. They raise vegetables year around using unheated greenhouses and on farm inputs to create better soil, and also have laying hens they use for eggs. They can food, heat their house using a wood stove and have become very thrifty over the years. They have a very successful homestead but it didn’t happen overnight. It’s had its challenges and they love sharing their experiences so other folks can benefit from it and want to share and inspire folks to homestead.
We Discuss:
Jason’s journey into homesteading.
Growing year round in a four season climate.
Starting and expanding his market garden.
Using chickens on the homestead.
Homesteading for better health as well as a business.
Building a hoophouse.
Building mobile vegetable washing stations.
Building a walk in cooler with a coolbot.
Resources:
Jason’s Farm Website – https://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/
Jason’s Blog – https://smithfamilyfarmtn.blogspot.com/
Jason’s Youtube Channel –https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg
Also mentioned in the podcast:
Coolbot Website – https://www.storeitcold.com/
Curtis Stone – https://theurbanfarmer.co/
Homestead Recipe Of The Week:
This week’s recipe comes in from Darcey for Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.
Previous Episode
Gardening In A Hoophouse With Guest Pam Dawling
The Modern Homesteading Podcast, Episode 121 – April 28, 2019 – Gardening In A Hoophouse With Guest Pam Dawling
On this podcast episode I’m joined by Gardener and Author Pam Dawling as we talk about how year round gardening in a hoophouse can increase yields and the quality of vegetables and extend the growing season.
Homestead Updates:
Baby rabbits on the homestead.
Going to grow a couple different beans this year.
Teddy Bear Sunflowers.
Bringing elderberry and currants to the homestead.
Main Topic:
Gardening In A Hoophouse With Guest Pam Dawling
Pam Dawling has grown vegetables at Twin Oaks Community, central Virginia for 27 years, feeding 100 people from 3.5 acres. She is the author of Sustainable Market Farming and The Year-Round Hoophouse. She is a contributing editor with Growing for Market magazine, a workshop presenter, and a weekly blogger on www.sustainablemarketfarming.com
We Discuss:
Pam’s journey into gardening and writing books
What is a hoophouse
How having a hoophouse can extend the growing season
Crops you can grow year round in a hoophouse
Pam’s book: The Year-Round Hoophouse
Resources:
Pam’s Website
www.sustainablemarketfarming.com
Pam’s Books
The Year-Round Hoophouse: Polytunnels for All Seasons and All Climates
Sustainable Market Farming: Intensive Vegetable Production on a Few Acres
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Other Links Mentioned
Homestead Recipe Of The Week:
This week’s recipe comes in from Echo and she shares a family favorite recipe with us for Russian Potato Leek Soup and 90 minute Soft Pretzels.
This Week’s Question For The Podcast
Hey Harold. Love your show. My name is Sam and I’m a homesteader in western North Carolina. Just listened to your episode on your rabbitry. My friend yoko and I run a small rabbit farm and I had a question about your watering setup. This past winter was super harsh and we had a lot of trouble keeping water lines unfrozen. We use the nipple gravity feed but everything shut down after low temps. How do you keep your rabbitry watered during the freezing winter months?
My answer:
The hard way! Gravity feed systems just don’t work when it’s below freezing so the only other choice is to put in the work of swapping out water bottles frequently or using bowls.
The way I do it is I keep a bucket full of 32 oz water bottles in the house and every morning I fill them and take them out and swap them for the frozen bottles and then do the same thing in the evening.
If you have electricity running to your rabbitry you can use heated water bottles or bowls but I have found they won’t heat up properly unless you use a heavy duty extension cord so you need outlets near each cage.
Next Episode
Spring 2019 State Of The Homestead
The Modern Homesteading Podcast, Episode 123 – May 29, 2019 – Spring 2019 State Of The Homestead
On this podcast episode I chat all about the progress and plans as well as the successes and failures at our little Small Town Homestead. I will also go beyond the homestead and talk about the Modern Homesteading Podcast and the Homestead Front Porch Facebook Group and the Membership Community.
The Garden:
Soil preparation has gone well.
What I have planted (or will be planting) this year.
A walk around the property at each bed (or future bed).
Trees and Berries.
Too much rain has caused me some issues.
Way behind on getting some trellises built and some beds built and planted.
Compost Production:
Kitchen compost
Larger compost system,
New lawn mower with bagger is beneficial.
Vermicompost
Comfrey
Livestock:
Rabbit (breeding production, issues I’ve had, expansion)
Quail (incubation, brooders, expansion)
Fish (tilapia update)
Kitchen:
Not much left in the pantry as far as canned goods from last year. Some beans, beats, and pickles.
Update on the Big Berkey water filtration system.
My review and personal experience with the Carey Electric Pressure Canner.
Always improving our cooking from scratch knowledge and skills
Continuing to learn more and practice with herbal remedies.
Continuing to make many of our household cleaners.
Overall Progress Toward Self Sufficiency, Sustainability, Freedom and A Healthier Lifestyle
2 steps forward 1 step back
Always moving a little closer to being debt free.
Switching to electric cordless or manually operated.
Overall health seems good.
Updated 1 vehicle
State of The Podcast:
Surpassed One Million downloads a few weeks ago as best as I can tell.
Averaging about 2000 more listeners a week than last year, which means we are growing.
I will continue to do interviews, add and drop segments as I see fit and do occasional solo shows that cover topics and information like this.
Having a lot more fun with it this year!
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