Welcome to the Obsessed with Plants podcast with David Starbird and Kristofer Edler. This deep-dive podcast will cover some of the nerdy topics that need a little more attention in the permaculture community. Both David and Kris have extensive backgrounds in regenerative agriculture with years of growing experience. In this introductory prelude to the podcast, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know your hosts a bit and learn about their passion and experience.
And along for the journey are our friends, a diverse group of plant, animal, and ecosystem enthusiasts; we all share a passion for education and learning. However, with a group that loves to ramble for hours... and hours, it's hard to condense their info into a short video.
So that's where this podcast comes in! The goal of the podcast is to provide useful information that we normally summarize into very brief snippets.
And to give an outlet to ramble on about our love for plants.
Each episode will be themed and cover a range of topics.
We hope you love our rambling about plants, and we hope to see you in the garden!!
Ep. 12 How to Create a Middle Earth Themed Garden If have ever had the desire to create a Lord of the Rings themed garden or food forest - this is for you. If you having, we just might inspire you to doing this very thing! Imagine a space in your yard that reminded you of the Shire, Rivendell, or the gardens of healing in Gondor. Yes, the knowledge of the lore of middle earth botany runs deep in this podcast episode, as does the knowledge of the plants in the Lord of the Rin...
6 Jun 2026
Episode 11: How to Overcome Burnout on the Homestead
Let's be real - farming and homesteading are a blast, but can also very exhausting. With all of the joy also come pain. Sometimes, even with lush gardens, we can feel a little barren inside our hearts. Both activity and rest are natural parts of our built in rhythms, but so is rest - deep and genuine rest. Once and a while though, we each face burn, but for whatever reason, homesteading burnout just seems to hit different. In this podcast episode, we'll talk a...
15 Apr 2026
Ep. 10: How to Get Rid of Weeds in a Food Forest
Weeds, which are often referred to as the right plants in the wrong places, can be a nuisance for some food foresters and gardeners. In this episode, we'll share ways to control weeds in a food forest or agroforestry system. Before we jump in, we'll talk a bit about why they are there in the first place. Understanding the concept behind their presence in the landscape will help us navigate them in our own garden spaces. This episode covers weeding strategies like hand-pul...
28 Mar 2026
Episode 9: Pro-Tips for Hiring a Food Forest Designer or Installer
Should you hire a permaculture designer or simply do it yourself? Both are viable options, but it's important to understand the journey a bit before getting started. This podcast episode explores the benefits and drawbacks of Homesteading DIY vs Hiring. If you want to do it yourself, we have some really practical strategies on how to streamline the process for your homestead. Not to mention...a few pro-tips! If you are interested in hiring a designer (or installer), we al...
12 Mar 2026
Episode 8: Do you need to mulch with woodchips forever?
One of the most effective initial ways to cover, build, and protect your soil is to blanket new garden areas with a deep layer of wood chip mulch. As they decompose, the mulch builds organic matter and increases the soil biology, resulting in healthier plants and more abundant fruit. Although there are many benefits for a land steward when we choose to continue the wood chipping process, it's not a blanket scenario that needs to happen indefinitely. So, if you are wondering how long...
23 Feb 2026
Episode 7: How to Help a Food Forest Recover
How do you help your garden or food forest after a natural disaster? Regardless of where you live, increasing weather extremes can have a massive impact on the food forest and home garden. If you are in the cooler climates, the harder (and dry) winter months can wreak havoc on your fruit trees. In the coastal regions, hurricanes can leave us in panic mode before or after the storm hits. And nation-wide, hail, drought, or tornado threats can cause unnecessary stress. ...
10 Jan 2026
Episode 6: The ABC's of Soil Amending
A successful food forest starts with rich and living soil. If you want to experience high yields of fruit and vegetables from your food forest, the soil life is the key to abundance. As with all things, there are many ways to approach soil building, amending, and fertilization within a regenerative system. Some methods require human interaction, while others invite animals within the system. Some methods are free, while others will cost money for the whole ingredients....
9 Jan 2026
Episode 5: How to control pests in the garden.
Crack the code on how to deal with pests in the garden and food forest. In this podcast, you will learn about how to deal with various insects, rodents, and other pests around the homestead. Learn how to stop songbirds from eating fruit, halt insect and rat problems, and how to prevent deer from eating your fruit trees. As a permaculturist, there are unique ways to deal with pest problems around the farm. This podcast will help you navigate the journey of living wit...
24 Dec 2025
Episode 4 When a food forest stops producing food
If your food forest is struggling to meet the expectations for annual food production, it is often beneficial to step back and analyze the system. No one wants a "food-less forest" when the initial goal was abundance. In this permaculture podcast episode, we will have a lengthy chat about what can cause a slowing of production and what can be one to bring back the abundance. Whether your new system (< 3 years old) has never started producing OR your mature food forest ...
23 Nov 2025
EPISODE 3: Planting Native Species
Native species of plants are a multi-layered gift to the ecosystem. Not only are they hardy and resilient, but they also support soil life, insects, and songbirds. In this episode, your hosts (David and Kris) will interview Chris & Christie Leibner from Wild Garden Co. Chris and Christie specialize in Florida native plants and garden design, and have served many families in Central Florida by integrating natives into the food forest and home landscape.  ...
25 Oct 2025
EPISODE 2: STARTING ON A BUDGET
Wouldn’t it be nice if we each had $500K to get started on our dream property and food forest? Better yet, wouldn’t it be nice if we had $1M and could retire and just become full time farmers on that land? Well, unfortunately many of us need to start on either a limited budget or limited time constraints, however – we can still take steps forward. In this episode, David and Kris will share not only how they got started planting their food forests, but also g...
20 Sept 2025
EPISODE 1: Which planting style should you start with?
One of the initial hurdles to creating an abundant permaculture property is choosing the planting style. Do you want the space to be neat and formal with repeating colors and patterns? Or, would you rather your space be like a woodland forest covering a larger area? In this episode, David and Kris will talk about some of the options for planting styles, the benefits and drawbacks of each, and how these styles can impact overall yield. Among the many plan...
19 Sept 2025
The Obsesed with plants podcast Episode 0.5 (About us)
Welcome to the Obsessed with Plants podcast with David Starbird and Kristofer Edler. This deep-dive podcast will cover some of the nerdy topics that need a little more attention in the permaculture community. Both David and Kris have extensive backgrounds in regenerative agriculture with years of growing experience. In this introductory prelude to the podcast, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know your hosts a bit and learn about their passion and experience. Dav...
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