In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, we are going to discuss how Michael Bell is Building an Urban Farm from Scratch.
It’s been a while since we had Michael on the show! The last time he was on the show, we discussed the Soup Gardening Concept in Spring 2019. In case you are new to Small Scale Life, the Soup Gardening Concept is growing vegetables and herbs which are ingredients needed in a hearty vegetable soup. Michael Bell and I came up with the concept, and it was a lot of fun growing those vegetables last year! I will be doing a follow-up episode on that topic soon, and you can find the original episode on smallscalelife.com.
The Only Constant is Change….
My how times changed since the Spring of 2019!
Since that episode, Michael Bell changed jobs, sold his old house, moved to a new house, sold his old half acre farm and found new farming properties. These new farming properties have provided new challenges and opportunities, and there are some clear take-aways from this conversation if you are starting your own garden or urban farm. In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, we are going to discuss how Michael Bell is Building an Urban Farm from Scratch.
Remember: it always comes back to the three basic elements to grow plants:
- Light
- Nutrients and
- Water
If you have the right balance of these three elements, you can grow plants anywhere! When you are out of balance, you need to adjust, adapt and overcome to get back into balance again.
Topics Discussed on Building an Urban Farm from Scratch
During this episode, Michael and I discussed the following topics:
Let’s Celebrate!
- Earth Day 2020
- Happy Birthday Michael Bell and Amy Dingmann (A Farmish Kind of Life)
- Happy Anniversary for Dallas Half Acre Farms!
Introductions – Who is Michael Bell?
Change is in the Air
Looking For Land
Salad Outpost
- Power of Networking and Community
- Bed Preparation in Clay
- Nutrient Poor Compost
- Adding Nutrients – Compost Testing with Big Box Store Brands
- Water – Rainwater Solutions
Starting the New Dallas Half Acre Farms
- Found a New Property
- Soil Conditions = Less than Optimal
- Adding Nutrients – Compost from Testing at Lettuce Outpost
- Water – Rainwater Solutions
- Growing Philosophy – Lettuce Outpost vs. Main Farm
- Available Markets – Housing Development, Vegans, Grocery Store
- What is Michael growing for CSA Boxes? Vegetable Fresh List
Future Projects
- Cover Crop Testing and Success
- Expand with Tunnels and Tarps
- Shed Project
- City Water (Future)
Listen to this Episode!
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Links
Dallas Half Acre Farms
Where can we find more of Michael Bell? The following links take you to his Instagram pages:
Dallas Half Acre Farms Instagram Page
Michael Bell’s Personal Page (Coaching and Weightlifting)
Small Scale Life Podcast Episodes
Michael Bell has been a frequent guest on the Small Scale Life Podcast! Here is a list of the podcasts where he has been a subject expert on urban farming, gardening and wellness topics:
Soup Gardening with Michael Bell
Urban Farming in Dallas with Michael Bell
Growing Salanova Salad Empires
Urban Farming Advice with Bell and Hebert
Grow Easy with GrowOya at Dallas Half Acre Farms
Day 3: Basic Nutrition with Michael Bell
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Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. I will be reading reviews out on future episodes of the Small Scale Life Podcast!
Special Thanks
For Small Scale Life Podcasts, I would like to thank Sean at Osi and the Jupiter for the intro song "Harvest." Sean wrote this specifically for us, and I really enjoy all of his work. You can find more Osi and the Jupiter at their Bandcamp site: https://osifolk.bandcamp.com/
I would also like to thank Austin Quinn at Vlog Vibes for the intro and outro music. For more information abut Austin and Vlog Vibes, please see the Vlog Vibes YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY80LeqtJf-YBzJy2TWKpDw