Join me and my guest, Susan Poizner, as we discuss the basics of growing fruit trees. With a few tips under your belt, you’ll know what fruit tree varieties will work best for your climate, when to plant your trees, and the nine tips for getting your fruit trees to grow fast! Susan also covers some mistakes to avoid when planting new fruit trees and we briefly cover how to protect your trees from disease (or rehabilitate neglected trees). For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/424 

Join me as I continue on in this Homesteading 101 Series (Back to the Basics). Today’s episode is all about the basics of gardening. Which ultimately means understanding the basics of soil. You don’t have to be a soil expert, or a biochemist to understand how to know if your soil is good (or how to amend it, if needed). However, if you don’t pay attention to your soil quality, it doesn’t matter how many other gardening skills you acquire, you’ll continue to struggle if your soil quality is poor. I’m giving you all the basics you need in today’s episode, plus many links for additional resources. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/423.

Azure Standard: I want to thank Azure Standard for sponsoring this podcast. One of my favorite things about Azure is every spring they offer incredible garden starts! So, if you find yourself behind the curve of starting seeds indoors, you can order starts from Ellie’s Eden. They have vegetable starts, flower starts, herb starts… so many options! For first-time customers, you can get 10% off your first Azure Standard purchase of $50 or more using coupon code “Melissa10” at checkout.

Join me for this podcast interview with Dr. Christopher Hobbs as we discuss the health benefits of mushrooms. The benefits are vast, and when you consider that you can easily grow mushrooms at home (or forage for them nearly everywhere), it gets even more exciting. Ever since I found healing from stomach acid and ulcers by changing the food I ate, I've continued down the rabbit hole of using our food and herbs as medicine. Join me with Dr. Hobbs as we discuss the best mushrooms for their medicinal purposes, the benefits of consuming mushrooms, and how mushrooms may be a great way to get some extra prebiotic fiber into our diets. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/422.

Check out my live class on 3/20/24 all about growing and foraging for mushrooms here: https://my.demio.com/ref/EIhRpGOdPqVWiDqE

American Blossom Linens: I want to thank American Blossom Linens for sponsoring this podcast. You may think of linens and bedsheets as a basic item, but they're a staple in most homes. If you want heirloom quality sheets that will last a lifetime, American Blossom Linens is for you. I've found in many areas of the homestead, by investing in higher quality items (yes, they generally cost more up front), I inevitably save money in the long run. This is definitely true for my sheet set from American Blossom Linens. I’ve had my sheets for two and a half years and they’re only getting softer and softer. Use coupon code "PioneeringToday20" to get 20% off your first set of sheets at: https://melissaknorris.com/ABL

One of the crops that’s easily overlooked for growing a sustainable food source on the homestead is the nut tree. As with fruit trees, once a nut tree is established, it can produce food for your family for decades (and even generations) to come. Learn which nut trees are best for your homestead needs with David Hughes from Rock Bridge Trees. He’s sharing his best tips on nut tree care and maintenance, harvesting and even pest control. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/421.

Azure Standard: I want to thank Azure Standard for sponsoring this podcast. If you don’t yet have nut trees of your own, Azure is a fantastic source for buying nuts in bulk. It’s the only place I’ll buy my nuts because I trust their sourcing and quality control practices. Not only does Azure Standard carry whole nuts, they also carry a wide variety of nut butters and other such products. For first-time customers, you can get 10% off your first Azure Standard purchase of $50 or more using coupon code “Melissa10” at checkout.

Join me for this podcast series on Homesteading 101: Back to the Basics. We know countless people are joining this homesteading movement, and I would like to hold the door open and welcome you in. In this series we’ll be discussing the five pillars of homesteading: gardening, livestock, homestead cooking, preserving and herbal medicine. Though this series won't be a comprehensive step-by-step on how to start a homestead, it should help answer some of those basic questions many people have when venturing into a new aspect of homesteading. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/420.

American Blossom Linens: I want to thank American Blossom Linens for sponsoring this podcast. You may think of linens and bedsheets as a basic item, but they're a staple in most homes. If you want heirloom quality sheets that will last a lifetime, American Blossom Linens is for you. I've found in many areas of the homestead, by investing in higher quality items (yes, they generally cost more up front), I inevitably save money in the long run. This is definitely true for my sheet set from American Blossom Linens. I’ve had my sheets for two and a half years and they’re only getting softer and softer. Use coupon code "PioneeringToday20" to get 20% off your first set of sheets at: https://melissaknorris.com/ABL