Today, I’m going to attempt something really difficult: distilling one of the most complex topics—food forest design—into the most practical, basic steps that anyone can follow. Starting with the Canopy Layers You’ve probably heard of the different...
![How to Start a Food Forest – STEP 1: The Tree Nursery [Video]](https://realizehomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/How-to-Start-a-Food-Forest-YT-Thumbnail.jpg)
In this video, I'm going to share simple actionable steps you can take to start your own food forest. Twelve years ago, I started planting my first food forest. If I could start over, I'd begin with a small protected area where I could temporarily plant my baby...
![What is a Food Forest – And Why They Matter [Video]](https://realizehomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Green-Photocentric-Bold-Masculine-How-to-Get-Profit-from-Trading-Youtube-Thumbnail.jpg)
What If Food Forests, Not AI or Crypto, Are the Next Disruptive Technology? I know that's a big "what if," but stick with me because in this video I'm going to explain what food forests are and why they're so revolutionary. And by the end of the video, you...
![How to Start Homesteading with Permaculture – Understanding the Land [VIDEO]](https://realizehomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Green-Photocentric-Bold-Masculine-How-to-Get-Profit-from-Trading-Youtube-Thumbnail-3.jpg)
Hey friends! In this video, I'm going to walk you through some of the first steps to getting started with homesteading and permaculture. In previous videos, I focused more on the "why" permaculture and homesteading are more than just cool hobbies but are...
Today we’re talking to Nathan Ayers who teaches Permaculture to students of all ages in Michigan. This is Nathans second time on the show, and it’s always a great time having him. If you like this one, be sure to check out Episode 18 as well where we discussed water solutions to the Flint, MI Water Crisis.
Today we talk about Nathan and his brother Nick’s exciting new project; We Are the Forest. In addition to their work in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area, they are also involved on Beaver Island.
This weeks episode is about how to start your own edible permaculture plant nursery with special guest, Sean Dembrosky of Edible Acres. Edible Acres is a small homestead and plant nursery that Sean runs in the Finger Lakes area of New York State. Today, he shares with us some great tips to getting started or improving our own plant nurseries.
![Introduction to Apple Tree Grafting with Trevor Newman [Video]](https://realizehomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/IMG_4229-scaled.jpg)
INTRO TO APPLE TREE GRAFTING (BENCH GRAFTING) WITH TREVOR NEWMAN
![Clever Tricks for Planting and Propagating Gooseberry Bushes (and Currants) [Video]](https://realizehomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/IMG_4232-scaled.jpg)
CLEVER TRICKS FOR PLANTING AND PROPAGATING GOOSEBERRY BUSHES (AND OTHER RIBES, LIKE CURRANTS) WITH TREVOR NEWMAN
![How to Establish Understory/Groundcover Plants in your Orchard or Forest Garden [Video]](https://realizehomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/IMG_4223.jpg)
A really good way to integrate ground cover species is overseeding either into the existing vegetation or into the compost mulch pits. We typically use a combination of like legumes like clover and veg and all that stuff and then top rooted plants like daikon, turnip, chicory, things like that they have deep taproots.
Today’s guest Bryce Ruddock, is an author, educator and avid forest gardener from Wisconsin. Today Bryce shares his favorite plants to grow from among the hundreds of species that he’s experimented with at his home. I definitely recommend getting your notebooks out for this episode because Bryce shares so many great species and resources that deserve a closer look by anyone interested in gardening like an ecosystem.
Today’s guest, Dan Kittrege has been an organic farmer since childhood, and has been developing a deep understanding of how a nutrient rich soil leads to healthier plants and healthier foods and ultimately healthier people and planet. He created the Bionutrient Food Association to promote this understanding of growing nutrient dense food. He also runs Kittredge farm in Brookfield, MA where he does his research and practices the science.
Today’s guests Alec Gioseffi and Lauren Nagy run the CSA Farm Cooperative 518 in Princeton, New Jersey. They provide nourishing food to the local community using permaculture farming practices. The farm is home to chickens, cats, sheep, pigs, nine humans, veggies, herbs, flowers, a small upcycled greenhouse, a large seasonal hoop house, and two tiny homes.
Today’s guest is Robyn Mello. I met Robyn in November at the Advanced Permaculture Course I took in Akron, OH. I got to learn all about the non-profit she works for, the Philadelphia Orchard Project. They’re putting in public orchard and forest gardens all around Philadelphia. Robin has learned a ton about what it takes to run a successful urban agriculture focused non-profit permaculture organization so that’s the theme of today’s interview.
That’s a taste of some of the types of things you would learn by taking a Permaculture Design Course. Today I’m talking to Rhonda Baird about why you would want to take a PDC, what it covers, and what you get out of it. Rhonda has been a Permaculture teacher for 10 years and shares her journey from taking her first PDC, to today where she has a thriving homestead and teaches numerous PDCs a year. She will also be one of the guest teachers for the upcoming PDC here in Traverse City this spring.
Eric Toensmeier is the award-winning author of the books Perennial Vegetables and Paradise Lot, which describes how he converted his run-down city lot into a diverse plant sanctuary in Massachusets. He was also the co-author to Dave Jacke from episode 14 on the two volume set Edible Forest Gardens. Eric has a brand new book about to come out about Carbon Farming and the strategies that agriculture can use to sequester CO2 to help mitigate climate change.
Today’s guest, Cliff Davis was telling me that having all those pigs and plants to care for makes it hard to leave home and travel to experience new cultures and perspectives. And he values those experiences for personal growth and expansion, plus their a great source for new ideas. But fortunately there’s a continual flow of students and interns coming through his place, Spiral Ridge Permaculture…
Today’s guest is Dave Jacke who has been mentioned several times already in previous episodes. He was the co-author of the book that I’m no longer allowed to call the “bible” of designing edible forest garden ecosystems, which is Edible Forest Gardens Volumes 1 and 2.
Today’s guest is Eran Rhodes of Sacred Earth Landscaping soon to be based out of his new family farm in Benzie County, Michigan. Before moving northwards, he started his own permaculture landscaping business in Chicago, traveled around working at many sustainable farms around the country, and also worked at Oikos Tree Crops nursery. Him and his family have a beautiful vision for their new farm. Check it out.
Our guest today is a creative individual who brings the community together, and connects like-minded people. She teaches and spreads permaculture, she’s an artist, a garden-farmer, a teacher, and can make a real tasty pie. She’s my good friend, Penny Krebiehl.
An old-growth forest is a forest that has lived for many centuries, sometimes even millenia without significant disturbance and so they possess unique ecological features found no-where else on earth.
Today’s guest is Fred Meyer, who is the founder of the non-profit called Backyard Abundance in Johnson County, Iowa. Backyard Abundance creates beautiful, environmentally beneficial landscapes that produce food for humans and wildlife. Basically, Fred and his team are turning lawns into food producing ecosystems, or Forest Gardens all over town, both in public parks, and around peoples homes.
Todays guest is Mark Angelini, the other half of Roots 2 Fruits Ecological Design in Southern Michigan. We had his business partner, Trevor Newman, on here on episode 3. Mark is a generalized specialist. His work spans from art and design, to craft and woodwork, farming, gardening, forestry and of course, apple growing and cider making. Today we get to hear some updates on several of his projects, and his journies along the way.
First we created winter pig pens using pallets that were freely available at many warehouses in town. Then we fed the pigs old vegetable waste from town throughout the winter, then covered the left overs with leaves. Many squash and tomato seeds from the food waste germinated in the spring and sprouted up through the mulch. The abundance of fertility in this location provided much plant food, and the leaves helped keep them from drying out during the summer.
We’ve still got a LOT to learn about plant propagation, grafting, pruning and the other arts of tree cultivation. We’re blessed to have many experienced tree-whispers in our region like Archangel, and today’s guest, Trevor Newman of Roots to Fruits.
Today’s guest is Samantha Graves of Healing Tree Farm at the historic DeYoungs farm in Northern Michigan. There, Samantha and her family are planting a Permaculture orchard and have had livestock like chickens, sheep and alpacas and are getting involved in fiber production. Their farm actually neighbors my families farm, and we’ve been working together for a few years now.
Over the last few years we’ve been collecting unique and useful perennial plant species from all over the world. (except invasive species) Some we get from friends with farms and gardens, some are responsibly transplanted from the wild, and some we order from nurseries like Oikos Tree Crops. (http://oikostreecrops.com/)
Bryan Mets is a great friend, permaculture wizard, and founder of the Great Lakes Permaculture Portal, based in southern Michigan (Macomb). Last year he attended Mark Shepard’s Permaculture Design Course at Mark’s “New Forest Farm” in southwest Wisconsin. Ever since we devoured Mark’s book, Restoration Agriculture, we have nerded out on the fact that his farm is an actual working example of a large-acre permaculture based farm, incorporating keyline principles, swales, ponds, animal grazing, and perennial polycultures. He even grows his own biofuels to run his tractors and equipment! I’m excited to hear more about what Bryan learned at this 10 day, Permaculture farmer bootcamp. So, for both our enjoyment, I introduce the illustrious Bryan Mets!!
What is a Chaga Mushroom?
The Chaga Mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) is a fungus that is parasitic on Birch Trees, and can be found in Russia, Korea, Eastern and Northern Europe, Northern areas of the United States (like Michigan!) and Canada. It is sometimes called the clinker polypore, cinder conk, black mass and…
