Ep. 363 (Coffee Time) We Answer Your 16 Most Frequently Asked Prairie Questions Part 1
The Prairie Farm PodcastShow Notes
In part 1 of our FAQ mini series, we answer the following questions. 1. How long does it take for a prairie planting to become established?2. How do I prepare the site for planting?3. Is tilling or breaking up the soil recommended before planting?4. When is the best time of year to sow native prairie seeds?5. How do I handle maintenance (mowing) in the first year? 6. How high should I mow in the first two years, and when should I stop?7. Should I water or fertilize my newly planted prairie?
hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP, backyard prairie, native wildflowers and grasses, hunting habitat, and more)
Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop, waterway mixes, small grains, and more)
McKay Insurance (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)
More from The Prairie Farm Podcast
Kent tells the story of the cleanest kill of his life, a muzzleloader buck stalked through standing corn on the wind. Then Nicolas runs through 17 little-known programs that help beginning and small farmers get started, from savings matches and apprenticeships to cost shares, and why marketing matters for farmers.
Tommy Hexter bought a tiny local food market at 20 and grew it to nearly seventy Iowa producers. We talk food hubs, pay-what-you-can groceries, why Walmart can’t tell you where your eggs came from, running for the statehouse at 24, and why Iowa’s soil should make it America’s food capital.
Harvest has the Hoksey crew running on fumes and fighting old combines, so naturally we’re talking tractors. Nicolas, Kent, and Judd dig into how John Deere, Case IH, Allis-Chalmers, Oliver, and Ford got where they are, why farmers stay loyal to one color, and what right to repair means today.
Iowa DNR state deer biologist Jace Elliott sits down with Nicolas and Kent to talk about the new trail camera ban on public land, drones for deer recovery, nonresident tags, crossbows, and chronic wasting disease, including surprising new data on genetic resistance that has even the experts rethinking a few things.
Harvest is here and the crew is running on fumes. Nicolas, Kent, Riley, and Judd talk through a stacked week of native seed harvest, then dig into the science of sound: how traffic noise steals sleep and health, and why birdsong, running water, and prairie soundscapes actually lower your stress.