Vertical vegetable gardening squeezes more plants into a limited space by making use of space above the ground.In today’s episode, Steve digs into vertical gardening.We talk about: Top crops for vertical gardening The benefits of vertical gardening Support structures in a vertical garden Materials to make your own trellises and support structures.

Wally Satzewich joins us from Saskatchewan to tell us about Small-Plot Intensive Farming (SPIN Farming.) Having studied psychology and ran a taxi franchise, Wally became interested in market gardening. So he bought a farm. But a conventional market garden wasn’t the right fit for him. That’s because a big operation requires hired help and capital outlay for equipment. So Wally and his wife Gail sold the farm—and moved back to the city. To farm—to farm other people’s yards.And in the process, Wally mapped out a system of best practices called SPIN farming (Small Plot Intensive farming.)Today he tells us his journey, and what he’s learned along the way.We talk about: Running the 20-acre market garden Downsizing and setting up in the city The SPIN model and variations on it Comparing SPIN farming to commodity farming Using the SPIN model in small towns Top tips for new urban and SPIN farmers

Andrew Huxsel joins us from St Placide, Quebec to tell us about worm composting. Also known as vermicomposting. Andrew runs Vermicbec, a company that sells worms and worm compost.We talk about: How vermicomposting works Using vermicompost (a.k.a. worm castings or worm wompost) Large scale vs. home-scale vermicomposting Top tips for home gardeners wanting to try worm composting (If you’ve tried it and had bug problems, Andrew tells you how to solve the problem) 

It’s planting season here..and the gardening questions are pouring in. Here’s the Q + A from our latest live show. We talk about: Favourite tomato varieties Support for tomato plants Mulch Asparagus Microgreens Lemons Artichoke Squirrels What to do about bolting lettuce

We head to Georgia to chat with 7-year-old Kendall Rae Johnson and her mom, Ursula. Kendall is the youngest certified farmer in the state of Georgia. At her aGROWKulture Farm she grows her favourite crops and teaches other kids about gardening. Kendall has been on Good Morning America, The Ellen Show, and Sesame Street. Our own connection with Kendall is that we’re fans of the organization KidsGardening. Emma and Kendall were both involved in an event that KidsGardening hosted last year.