Rainwater and Greywater Harvesting with Greg Peterson of The Urban Farm (KYF079)

For the last 25 years, Greg Peterson has been urban farming on 1/3 acre city lot in Phoenix, Arizona. His home, The Urban Farm, is a showcase of beautiful and productive permaculture — a chicken run, gardens, 85 fruit trees including apple and citrus hedges, and much more! Greg is an active educator, hosting urban farming, permaculture, and urban chicken keeping workshops. The Urban Farm has helped to plant 10,000 fruit trees throughout Phoenix.

Greg was my guest back on episode #67, and we talked about his urban farm and his educational work in Phoenix. So be sure you go back and listen to that one, if you haven’t already!

He’s got such a wealth of information and experience that I asked him back. And so today we’re talking about rainwater and greywater harvesting, including strategies for implementing your own systems and return-on-investment analysis. He’ll help you understand the basics so you can weigh your options and come up with a system that works for you.

Get to know Greg and The Urban Farm through the links and information below, and of course through this podcast. Plus… the tip of the week!

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Tip of the Week: 4 Ways to Preserve Blueberries

The only thing more glorious than eating plump, juicy blueberries straight from a bush is enjoying a sweet bite of blueberries in the dead of winter! One mouthful brings back the warmth of a July morning and the long days of summer. Blueberries can be preserved in a number of ways — here are the four ways Melissa does it.

Click here to read more.

Listener Question

Lizzie asks:

“Are beet greens and kohlrabi greens edible? And if yes, can I sauté them?”

Listen to this episode for my answer.

About Greg Peterson and The Urban Farm

“Greg Peterson is a green living and sustainability innovator sharing his passion about how to grow food in our cities. He created The Urban Farm, an environmental showcase home in the heart of Phoenix, which he opens periodically for tours and classes. Having grown food in Phoenix for over four decades, Greg is well-versed in urban sustainability and food production. The Urban Farm (urbanfarm.org) features an entirely edible landscape, including over 85 fruit trees, rainwater and greywater harvesting, three solar applications, and extensive use of reclaimed and recycled building materials. Greg has a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning (MUEP) in December 2006 from Arizona State University where he now teaches the class called Sustainable Food and Farms, is on the board of directors for Native Seed/SEARCH, has worked as a teacher of their Seed School and co-developed a 200 hour online Urban Farming Curriculum.”

Click here to visit The Urban Farm.

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Links Mentioned

• Episode #67 — Greg was my guest for that episode, too
• The Urban Farm — stop by and sign up for Greg’s free newsletter!
• Rainwater Harvesting Books by Brad Lancaster
• Create an Oasis with Greywater by Art Ludwig
• Free eBook from Greg: The Urban Farm Story

iTunes

I’m so grateful when you visit my show on iTunes and leave a rating and/or review! KnowYourFoodPodcast.com/iTunes This helps me make my podcast better and also helps others find it. Thank you! For past or current episodes, check out the Know Your Food with Wardee podcast archives.

Anything to Add?

I would love to hear from you! Do you have questions for Greg or comments about anything shared in this episode? Like this podcast? Please help me reach others by using the share buttons at the top of this post. Thanks!