The last time we had Michael on the show, I talked with Michael about the Soup Gardening Concept that I used to plan my garden in 2019. My goal, at the time, was to grow vegetables and herbs needed that would make a hearty vegetable soup. Michael Bell and I came up with the concept, and it was a lot of fun growing those vegetables!

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.

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! If you are out of balance, then you have to adapt, adjust and overcome to get back into balance.

Get ready! It’s time for another exciting gardening podcast from Small Scale Life!

*[For the show notes and links to articles and podcast episode, see the article titled "Starting an Urban Farm with Michael Bell" on smallscalelife.com. Click this text for a direct link to that article.
*](https://www.smallscalelife.com/building-an-urban-farm-from-scratch-with-michael-bell)

Impossible, you say?

It is not only possible, it is happening right now in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In fact, it is happening at the State Fair of Texas while the fair is happening! In this episode, I sit down with Drew Demler from Big Tex Urban Farms and discuss various aquaponic systems and mobile garden beds used to grow 1 million meals for the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We cover a lot of topics including who Drew Demler is, what kind of aquaponic systems are used, pests, fertilizers, wicking beds and small aquaponic systems you can set up at your own home.

Big Tex Urban Farms has a focused mission: to "connect like-minded agriculture entities and provides fresh produce to organizations focused on hunger and healthy lifestyle programs." With people like Drew Demler leading the way, there is no doubt in my mind that Big Tex Urban Farms will continue to push the envelope and provide nutritous meals to those in need for a long time to come.

For more information, links and show notes, please head to the article titled "SSG: How to Grow 1 Million Meals with Drew Demler " on https://smallscalegardening.com!

You might be asking: what is an GrowOya?

GrowOyas are a method for watering your gardens using a clay pot that looks like a gourd. The water seeps into your soil and the plants get what they need. It is another method to water your garden without timers, hoses, drip tape or other methods. Michael is lining a tunnel with GrowOyas and experimenting with tomatoes this season, and it is another self-watering system that could be used on any size garden!

To find out more about GrowOyas, check out the links at smallscalelife.com! When you buy some, tell them Michael Bell from Dallas sent you!

For more information, check out the article titled "Growing Easy with GrowOya at Dallas Half Acre Farms" at smallscalelife.com

As we discussed recently with Drew Sample, new opportunities and reality can force change, and you have to be ready to adjust accordingly! Are your ready to change?

For TONS of more information and links, check out the show notes for this episode at Small Scale Life. Click the link for the post titled "Bellcast: Growing Salanova Salad Empire in Dallas, Texas."

Whether it’s your dreams, your business, your football team or your Army, you need to be ready to change and adapt as the “battlefield” changes in front of you. Some opportunities present themselves, others fade. Are you ready to take advantage of those opportunities?

This is critical for our businesses. We have to start pivoting business strategies to make sure we take advantage of those opportunities.

For more information, please see the post and podcast titled "Pivoting Business Strategies in 614" on Small Scale Life.

For those of you don’t know who these gentlemen are, Scott Hebert owns and operates Flavourful Farm in Chilliwack, British Columbia.  Michael Bell owns and operates Half Acre Farm in Dallas, Texas. Both have uniquely different operations, but they are facing some of the same issues.  Both have been great guests on Small Scale Life, and I am thrilled to have them back on the show.

If you are currently an urban farmer or are considering starting a small business, you might want to grab a drink, a pad of paper and a writing utensil.  There is a lot of good information and advice in this podcast.  Michael and Scott have tried a lot of things and found out what does and does not work on their farms and in their markets.

As part of the discussion, Michael Bell, Scott Hebert and I provided some thoughts about a new type of urban farming and marketing recently discussed on Larry Hall's YouTube Channel.  Each of us had some comments (pros and cons) about this kind of small business, and there are some logistical and price point questions that will need to be explored.  As Michael Bell puts it, "It hasn't been done like this before, so why not give it a try?"

You can view the video and get all the show notes on [Small Scale Life](smallscalelife.com)

Michael is using some really interesting and simple marketing techniques to develop business opportunities and increase his urban farming operation.  As you will hear, he is employing techniques with great success! Michael feels that there are a lot of growth opportunities for profitable urban farming in the future, and he provides some positive encouragement to those who might be considering an urban farm as a side business.

Topics Discussed on the BellCast: Profitable Urban Farming

Micheal Bell and I discussed the following topics in this podcast:

Welcome Back to the Show

Texas weather
Minnesota weather

What’s Growing on the Farm?
Tomato varieties
Peppers
Squash and zucchini
Greens
Onions
Radish
Beets

Tomato Tips
Septoria Leaf Spot
Pruning Tomatoes
Watering - low and slow
Marketing and Customers for Profitable Urban Farming

Instagram Strategy
Telling the story
How to sell a superior product
Vegan Body Builder - YouTube Video
Try to get restaurants for the Summer
Start Profitable Urban Farming: 100 families = $100,000

Community Building
Other farms are starting in the area, but there is a big market
Rose Creek Farm
Singing Frogs Farm
Scott Hebert at Flavourful Farms
Opportunities to collaborate and work together
Diego Footer's Farm Small; Farm Smart Podcast
Connect with Michael Bell on Instagram

Putting It All Together

As Michael stated, you can start profitable urban farming using simple techniques: connecting with people who are looking for great tasting, fresh produce in your area using Instagram.

By starting small, you can focus on your client’s needs and share you story as you sell your produce.  As Curtis Stone has said on many occasions, your customers want to share your story with others, and once you sell your produce, customers will share their experience with others.  Michael experienced that very thing with the ladies who spent time at the farm and essentially sold his product to the whole office!

You can do this, and there are people out there that can help!  We will continue to explore these topics with Michael in future BellCasts!

As a programming note, this is the first episode of the BellCast: a monthly podcast on Small Scale Life focused on the ups and downs of urban farming on Michael’s Half Acre Farm.  Michael has been farming at this location since purchasing the land in 2016, and he sells produce locally to friends, colleagues and others.

Topics

In this podcast, Michael Bell and I discussed the following:

Minneapolis Miracle and Football Games

New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Patriots Super Bowl and Dynasties

Introductions

Who is Michael Bell?
Half Acre Farm - Humble Beginnings
2000 square feet to 15,000 square
30 inch wide garden beds that are 25 feet long

Urban Farming 

Winter Conditions: Wind Storm and Cold Weather this Year
Crops:  Damage and Destruction
Low Tunnels: Success or Failure?
Long Term Weather Outlook in Texas
Bouncing Back: Planting New Crops
Salinova
Zucchini
5 Tomato Varieties
50 Large Cherry
25 Super Sweet 100's
10 Glacier (will blossom in 38 degree F temps)
Marigolds
25 Black Cherry Tomatoes - they get big!
Aggressive pruning and blight control - how to control blight
Selecting crops based on vegetable and profit potential
Customer Service and Sales
Breaking Bad News
Getting New Customers - Developing the "Waiting List"
Grocery Store Clients
Instagram connecting People and Customers
Eating Real Food - Michael's Salad Mix creates a Unique Taste which Sells Itself

Regenerative Agriculture

Rebuilding Soil using Regenerative Agriculture Techniques - Gabe Brown
Rancher and Soil Expert from North Dakota
Regenerated Soil in 3 or 4 Years on His Ranch
Five Laws to Regenerate Soil
Urban Farm
Backyard Gardens
Micheal's West Texas Project
Tom's Central Wisconsin Project

Philosophy and Continuous Learning

Time waits for no one
Getting things figured out; having a successful life
Why Michael and I REALLY do chores

Farm Expansion and Logistics

Greenhouse Purchased!  How to transport?
Future Greenhouses of Half Acre Farm
Keeping the Greenhouses Warm
Putting It All Together

Key topics discussed and next steps
 

One cool thing that happened during this interview was that Scott announced starting a weekly Vlog on his YouTube Channel. 

Scott Hebert and I discussed the following topics in this interview:

• Who is Scott Hebert?
• - Flavourful Farms and Farming
• - Starting the Farm
• - Mindset
• - Cost of Entry for Farming
• - Case for Being Debt Free
• - Pricing and Customers
• - Plan for 2018
• - Physical Requirements for Farming
• - Bees and Chickens
• - What would Scott do differently?
• Stoic Mettle, Stoicism and Tribalism
• - Why stoicism?  How does this relate to farming?
• - Starting and revising the Stoic Mettle Podcast
• - Stoicism, Tribe, and Friend Gap
• - Future of Stoic Mettle
• Growing and Maintaining a Beard
• Key Take-Aways from the Interview