How I Grow This

Not all seeds are created equal. Cut through the confusion and buzz word marketing to get to the truth about the right kind of seeds for you. Heirloom, open-pollinated, hybrid, GMO. . . If you can’t explain each, you’re in the right place. Luke Hammond talks with Patty of Sow Right Seeds, a Missouri seed company, about what each label means and how to buy and save seed with confidence.

Ben Hartman runs Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana. He and his wife earn most of their income from a third of an acre, and everything they grow sells within two miles of the farm. Ben joins Luke Hammond to explain how they turned their operation into a lean machine, and how you can too.

Some farms grow food. Sankofa Farm grows possibilities. Kamal Bell shares how he turned a denied USDA loan, a school garden, and a bus full of kids into a 12-acre farm that is reshaping what community agriculture can do.

Kamal explains why he named the farm Sankofa, how its mission is tied to African ancestry and food sovereignty, and what happened when he started bringing students from a low-income school into the garden, then onto the land itself. What began with chickens, compost, and a five-hundred-dollar grant became an agricultural academy in practice, even when the system said no.

Small-scale farms do not have to be broke, overworked, or trapped in wholesale. Eric Schultz shows how Steadfast Farm in the Phoenix heat built a seven-figure business by simplifying everything - from crop planning and transplant systems to labor, retail, and on-site sales.

The fastest way to ruin a farm dream is to start too big. Luke Marion of MI Gardener breaks down the smarter path from backyard hobby to real revenue, including how he built a seed business from saved tomato seeds, why most growers misread community demand, and the exact reason “proof of concept” matters more than a flashy launch.

If you’re a gardener wondering how to turn extra produce into income, a beginner farmer trying to avoid expensive mistakes, or an entrepreneur tempted to leap into scale before you’re ready, this conversation is for you.

Nicole built a wedding venue, a garden destination, and a family business with $12,000, a shovel, and a refusal to let fear win.

In this episode, you’ll discover how she keeps wedding packages under $8,000, why she chose sweat equity over million-dollar loans, and what it actually takes to build beauty on a budget. She breaks down her “clean cottage” garden style, the deep mulching method she uses to improve clay and shale soil, and the marigold borders that have become one of her most talked-about features online. But this episode goes far deeper than flowers and farm aesthetics. Nicole opens up about the grief, PTSD, and trauma that changed her life, and how gardening became part therapy, part spiritual practice, and part survival. Her story of planting through pain, healing through failure, and finding peace in the garden is as moving as it is practical.

Most people chase “freedom” as escape. Heidi and Evan from Small Axe Farm built something better. What began as a homestead dream became a business producing about $300,000 in annual food sales from roughly one acre, with a system designed to protect bodies, preserve soil, and still leave room for family, wilderness trips, and a life outside the farm.

From chef to market farmer, Mike Russo shares how he built The Chef’s Harvest from a backyard garden into a thriving small-scale vegetable business. He and Luke talk about recovery, entrepreneurship, finding restaurant customers through relationships and social media, and the practical systems that make a farm profitable—from crop selection and market research to efficient wash-pack workflows.

Check out Chef Mikey on youtube https://www.youtube.com/@chefsharvestfarm

and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefsharvestfarmllc/

The homesteading advice nobody wants to hear: do less, specialize more, and build real community before burnout takes your farm down. Anne of All Trades shares the hard-won shift that took her from a tiny suburban backyard, free manure, and four impulsively acquired chicks to a 30-acre Tennessee dairy farm and a plan to teach woodworking, blacksmithing, and lost trades.

Check out Anne’s channel on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@AnneofAllTrades

and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/anneofalltrades/

If you want to know why empty grocery shelves in 2020 changed the conversation, why convenience has quietly made us dependent, or how a backyard garden can become a powerful act of resilience, this episode will grab you fast. Luke Hammond shares his own story of moving from conventional growing to organic farming, and Joel connects that journey to a much bigger cultural shift - one that touches health, family, economics, and even personal identity.

What started as a seven-year search for the right property became a full homestead in Georgia, complete with fruit trees, a garden, and hard-won lessons about what works, what does not, and why less land can often mean more life. Jared and Annette also share the surprising origin story behind their move to the country, the entrepreneurial instincts that shaped their path, and how a deeper understanding of soil, structure, and seasonality changed the way they think about health.

Most gardeners waste time fighting their climate instead of designing for it. Jolene Wainwright turns that idea on its head with a “Sanctuary Garden” built on purpose, ancient Biblical symbols, and smart Pacific Northwest strategy - and she reveals the practical systems that make it work. This conversation blends faith, family, and highly intentional growing. From a garden layout modeled after the Old Testament tabernacle to raised beds, trellises, the secret “Triangle Trick,” companion planting, and seasonal challenges in the PNW, Jolene shows how a garden can be both beautiful and deeply functional.

After building a life on a huge North Dakota ranch, starting over on 45 acres in Tennessee, and now preparing to move again to a 14-acre Wisconsin homestead, Janelle shares what it really takes to keep a family fed, a farm productive, and a marriage strong through constant change.

Most people envision the perfect homestead—a picturesque farm with healthy cows in immaculate pastures, a sprawling garden free of pests, and a barn that looks like an idyllic painting. But Melissa's grounded reality shatters those illusions, revealing that true homesteading is about embracing imperfection, hard work, and strategic growth. She shows us that resilience and incremental progress are what make you, and your homestead flourish.

What if turning your yard into a garden could help heal our planet, build community, and even bolster local economies? In this eye-opening episode, environmental scientist and mindful farmer Sean Pessarra reveals how small changes in your backyard can make a massive difference.

They might be the comeback kids of the generation. Tiny but mighty, they start their ripple effect (on plant health, strength, and yield) even when they are competitively few in number. In this episode, Adam Martin of Be Kept reveals how a single hive can transform local ecosystems, boost garden yields, and even grow into a sustainable honey operation that challenges industrial practices. Discover the surprising ways honeybees naturally support biodiversity and how you can tap into that power with minimal effort and zero chemicals.

Here’s to the sweetest superfood!

It’s EVERYWHERE. And it might be slowly killing you. And the institutions meant to be protecting you are busy playing a bigger game. . . Kelly Ryerson, aka the “Glyphosate Girl,” reveals how this chemical is quietly infiltrating our water, air, and bodies, contributing to a rise in cancer, hormonal disruption, and gut health issues. If you're concerned about what's really in your food and how it impacts your health, this eye-opening conversation is a must-listen.

One year’s worth of greatest hits, in one hour. These are the farms (and farmers) that kept us coming back for more. Prepare to be amazed, amused, and EXCITED for Season 2!

Pam Dowling, a seasoned farmer and author of Sustainable Market Farming, reveals how prioritizing simplicity and smart planning can revolutionize your growing methods. After decades managing a community that feeds 80-100 people year-round on just 3.5 acres, she breaks down her proven strategies for reducing labor, avoiding burnout, and building soil health—without falling into the trap of excess tools or unnecessary complexity.

Matthew Gauer, from Greenhorn Grove, shares how a simple succulent garden sparked a passion that turned into a thriving one-acre farm—and a social media movement with over 2 million followers.