Mark and I were talking farming every night, checking out books from the library, and watching a lot of videos on compost, soil microbiology, and no-till practices. But how do we actually get started with this whole farming thing? We probably shouldn’t quit our jobs tomorrow. Right?

So we decided to visit the farmers who originally inspired us – Elizabeth and Paul Kaiser of Singing Frogs Farm.

When we heard Elizabeth and Paul talk about their farm we loved their focus on no-till practices (i.e., not plowing) to maintain healthy soil ecosystems; smart use of transplants to shade out weeds and continually put carbon back into the soil through photosynthesis; and their use of hedgerows for beneficial wildlife habitat. In short, fewer inputs and more reliance on natural systems. But you should really listen to them talk about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAn5YxL1PbM

They also opened our eyes to the benefits of staying small. They farm on 2.5 acres which somehow (still working out those details!) seems within reach for two people who currently live in a tiny condo in a city.

We signed up for a one day workshop and counted down to our trip to Sebastopol.

We arrived in Sebastapol on a gorgeous sunny day. It was spring so everything is green and in bloom. The stage was set for a pretty spectacular day.

Elizabeth and Paul were so generous with their knowledge and time. As we walked past their gorgeous heads of lettuce and newly planted tomatoes at Singing Frogs Farm, Elizabeth and Paul talk through all their basic farm systems: creating no-till fields, the nursery, the hedgerows, bed creation, soil health, irrigation, removing old crops and transplanting new starts, composting, pest control, cold storage, record keeping, and staff management. There were so many small details about their processes that were incredibly useful. Mark loves learning efficient techniques and I saw him practically swoon as Paul described how to create a hole and tuck the new transplant in the soil in a single motion.

We left energized, inspired, and confident that we had the basics to get started. The ideas started flowing, we built off each other’s energy, making lists, and dreaming of possibilities.