Hey, Ranchers!
We recently attended a homesteading workshop!
The Exit and Build Summit:
John Bush, a serial entrepreneur, is the mastermind behind the Live Free Academy. John’s also the proprietor of myBraveBotannicals.com and co-host of the agorist podcast Unloose the Goose. Highly recommend checking him out!
It was a blast, hanging out in person with one hundred other people, all with homesteading experience or aspiration, and many hundreds more participating online! Over two days, a fascinating lineup of speakers created a mosaic, sharing how they each apply their niche skill sets to create sustainable communities.
The first topic we’ll explore here is the most important of all: growing an abundance of food to feed yourself and others, with relative ease, using ancient gardening practices!
Tour of the Plum Fabulous Foods' Garden
Regenerative Organic Gardening
As part of the Exit and Build workshop, we spent the morning at Plum Fabulous Foods farm. Check them out at http://www.plumfabulousfoods.com/
This farm started as a modest home garden. It has since expanded to 32’ x 110’ (less than one-tenth of an acre) and produces over 3,000 pounds (!) of food annually, feeding a family of 8 with extra to sell at the local farmers market.
The Plum Fabulous family often referenced the documentary, Back to Eden, as their guide on regenerative organic gardening. It’s a must watch! Watch it for free at https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/
In a nutshell, regenerative organic gardening is easier and less expensive than traditional methods; comparatively, it:
● requires significantly less watering
● is easier to weed
● retains moisture for long periods
● provides low-cost or free soil through composting
● can be done anywhere, regardless of pre-existing soil quality
● never needs to be tilled
● continuously adds nutrients to the soil; crop rotation is unnecessary
● uses only organic fertilizers
In the next article, we’ll explore how to build a garden using free, nutrient-rich, organic soil!