My featured guest today Mike Knocks from White Harvest Seed Company is here to tell us about heirloom seeds. was recommended by Jill McShehy from Journey with Jill

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a 53 year old man married to a wonderful wife

gardening for many years

felt the lord leading us a few years back to start an heirloom

since 2010 had our own store

expos throughout the US gardening

preping

helping them

How’d you get started?

well to be honest

my wife and I have been married 30+ years

lived in the Kasnsa city missouri area

40 acre farm

through the years, we lived a normal suburbanite

Normal life up around Kansas City

The Lord just led us to go simple

We moved here to south Missouri to the Ozarks

Living Off Grid

We are living as much off the grid as we can

only thing is our store and cell phone

all solar house

own water supply

amish windmill

grow as much produce as we can for ourselves

labor of love

Through the years we got into the prepper side of things and learn more abouthow to be more self-sufficient under god’s control

still working on

wish I had started 20-25-30 years ago

waited till I was 40-45 cause it’s a lot tougher.

Well I love that because a lot of my listeners are millennials so you’ll inspire them to start now!

Tell me about your first gardening experience?

I hated it. I was a 12 year old. One of those young kids, play  sports

I was the only child and I had to go weed the garden

go bury the kitchen scraps

I hated the gardening

I loved eating the fresh produce but I hated the labor!

my first job was a 

My mom probably rolls her eyes thinking how did my daughter get a gardening show she hated the garden, of course I don’t do a lot still, Mike does most of it!

How did you learn how to garden organically?

my parents

back in the 70s early 80s they were learning too

subscribers to Mother Earth News back then

did a lot of things

when I garden more and more

when we first started we werent’ organic

now that were in the heirloom

self educated

talking to the old timers

unfortunatley

my grandparents were super good at gardening

I didn’t care, so I wasted that resource

if you have listeners who have those resources

I have to back up. What are some of these places you go speak at?

We go to the Lawn and Garden shows in early winter, spring time.

most big cities have a lawn and garden show where vendors come in show all the fancy sites to look at.

set up landscapes

different ones that fit in

don’t go too much to the east coast

generally south..

• Tennesse
• Georgia
• Carolinas
• Colorado
• Kansas
• Illinois
• Ohio

distance we can travel

prepper side, survivalists

• we go there to sell
• people be able to provide their own food sources
• how to grow
• how to save seeds

save seeds you have a food source if things go bad in the world you’ll have something to feed people

whiteharvestseed.com

If any Arkansas, listeners well be in Conway Arkansas.

So people that go to these shows want to learn about seeds?

that’s just one aspect

on the prepper side of things

what are you gonna do if your power goes out

• water
• food

grocery stores gonna be out of food.

things

those type of shows

water filter systems

pro-pure

learning how to

• start fires without matches
• medical issues

if people

• fall down and break a leg
• get a big cut
• hospital or emergency room

fix it on site

long term storage

sense

freezer is out how you gonna have long term food to eat

wide range

concerned about that

so many things going on in the world… good to be prepared!

Millennials Rock

I love the millennials who are gonna bring peace in the world, I’m really optimistic. But Mike and I lived off grid for 6 years when we started out, we still use our outhouse, the only reason we put in power was because our neighbor brought in power when we put the well and plumbing in and the cost dropped form $10k to $2k. My mom laughs because at the turn of the century in 2000 we got power, cell phones and computers and satelitte etc.

I can’t stand the thought of doing it again without a fridge but as long as I have that I could go again with water on the property. 

I love hearing people stories

Im more optimistic

God told Noah,

prepare

when

storm

I can hear you there… a couple of times when the water went out I’m like how did we do this, because we’re not as set up as we were…

Tell us about something that grew well this year.

We had a rough year hear in Missouri, last couple of years have been tough for us

• pests
• critters

IDK if they know something weather wise

know something coming

• birds
• gophers
• deer
• squirrels
• groundhogs

everything possible has been attacking us

• japanese long cucumbers
• winter squash
• zukes

looking well

Got any tips for listeners?

of course the best thing

is a well rounded fertilizer program whether your using natural compost or synthetic stuff

fertilizer eliment is key

multiple plantings

refertilize after you harvested that first batch

biggest thing is

trace minerals

are key

getting the flavors

health and production

• sulfur
• boron
• magical

good source of trace minerals

if your plants are healthy from all the trace minerals they will be less susceptible

will fight off the bugs naturally

make sure your soil is nice and rich

don’t just try to skip by

How do you know what to do?

They have those little soil test you can buy that will give you a basic but to get a really good test take a sample and take it to your local convservation agency

here in Missouri they usually do it for free

sometimes they charge you $25

will show you what your missing 

they’ll give you the big 3 but they also give you the trace minerals that you may be lacking

What I tell people at shows and stuff don’t just take one sample at the middle of the garden

what is in the

soil rich take multiple samples if

That’s been recommended and we’ve never done it. People talk about boron or gypson. Was it Eliot Coleman found out that boron was missing? I’ve been wanting mike to do it. You’re not making all different samples you’re putting it in one container right?

That’s something to ask your conservation department

if you’re doing huge garden for example if you’re 

20×50 feet

you want to do more then one out of the center

small backyard garden 10×20

depends on if they charge you but if it’s free

some places do that

if you have to do it just depends state to state.

That’s awesome. If you can just take it in, I’m gonna check the conservation office, is that the extension office? Because that’s been one of the reasons I haven’t done it because you have to get the jar and mail it in… if I can just drop it off that sounds easier.

huge garden 10 samples

it really depends on what

Is there something you would do different next year or want to try/new?

This year’s been a year with the disappointments of pest and rodents and animals and stuff

• more isolation
• fences garden areas
• weeding regular maintenance
• business and traveling

condense down and make it more applicable to take care of on a smaller basis or put more fences up to keep the buggers out.

• prevention of destruction
• fertilize more

tell your listeners

tell you about a product that works super to supply trace minerals

Neptune Harvest Fish  and Seaweed Spray

fish and seaweed

concentrated

spray that on your garden once every 2-3 weeks.

trace minerals

low fertilizers

spray that on

• onion sprouts they almost grow overnight….
• garlic

any of that family

good quality ingredients

Neptune Harvest Fish  and Seaweed Spray

 We’re having the same problem. Mike planted more brocolli then ever and they pooped all over, they take like 2 bites and eat the next one the next one… 

cold process keeps

Are you having any kind of droughts?

big drought

I ask that is because talking with old timers.

squirrels

that when the weather gets dry

they’re looking for a water source

• will attack
• moisture
• one way that will help is give them a water source
• put them out something to drink.
• shallow container in an area where they see
• one old timer’s tip
• deer

deer are a totally different deal

thing with them

mess with their head

smell orientated area

if it smells really good

mess with the smell

• predator urines
• blood meal
• garlic sprays
• some people use human hair
• irish spring soap

switch it up every week

so your not using the same thing

mix it up

they will tend to go somewhere else that’s not environmentally changing…

old fashioned way

extreme hunter

rifle

• fence
• mix up the smells

will definitely deter them…

Our place is like a sanctuary and just the other day I had a neighbor shooting in the afternoon and were in the middle of fire season… but the old timers around here definitely agree the fence for the deer.

I always tell Mike it’s better the fence was open in the beginning of the year then the middle of summer but it’s still hard. What did mike tell me the other day about blood meal, we’re worried about attracting something. Something got our duck, and Mike’s cat the other day so we’ve actually put the water up…

Tell me about something that didn’t work so well this season.

Like I said...