Good Roots Farm & Gardens LLC

05/20/2026

Planning is underway now! Saturday June 20 fun starts at 4 PM. We thank you for all your support through the years! We can use a handful of volunteers. We promise it will be fun! Call Julie -605.691.9291

05/16/2026

A May Farm Story:
In early April when it was still winter cold and windy Farmer Bill was on his knees in the High Tunnel planting onions and other greens . The soil temperature was right for cool season plants like onions. Oh, and just so you have an update about “crazy Farmer Bills” post of planting greens in February, he has been enjoying eating beautiful local grown spinach and greens since end of March. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!!!
You see, planting seeds and nurturing them to grow emits wonder and awe… if you slow down enough to feel it. It is attributed to Einstein who said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Farmer Bill says seeds are just little miracle makers of wonder.
Now, if you were a “mouse in the corner” watching Farmer Bill and no one else was around, you could hear him talking to all those little plants. You might hear him say “hey little buds, how are you doing today? Do you need a drink? Thank you for doing your miracle magic. And…and…was that a little dance that Farmer Bill was doing? Gardeners sure are a strange bunch!”

Gary Nabhan aka Brother Coyote writes, "A seed is really something spiritual as much as it is something material. It contains a life spark that allows the regenerative process to happen. We need seeds because they are the physical manifestation of that concept that we call hope."

And thanks to Liv and crew, who are helping Farmer Bill grow miracles on the farm.

05/06/2026

05/02/2026

We began the summer season May 1 with a wonderful BHS FFA Banquet. These three gals won #1 in the state for their submission on a GOOD ROOTS marketing plan!! Over 100 proud parents and grandparents attended. Grad parties and weddings start this month. Call Julie for a tour to book your event at 605-691-9291.

04/25/2026

Julie here for a SAVE THE DATE post for summer fun.

June 7, 2026. Sunday Pizza Night starts. Notice our MOSAIC pizza oven! It was a fun project-thanks to Kristi, Brenda, Lisa and Elissa!

June 20-21, 2026 : HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY to our Good Roots BARN!!! --Saturday events start at 3 PM: outdoor supper for all, storytelling, kids' activities/old fashioned games, mosaic workshop, Leopold bench-making, nature walk and talks, wine at sunset celebrating first day of summer and ending with a dance for all!!!
Sunday (Fathers Day) is pizza night and whatever else we come up with. Dads get a fun gift. Get it on your calendar and watch for details coming soon. Now to get this farm cleaned up for you!!!!

Finally, Bill and I had a great month of March in Zambia. Here's some pics and descriptions.
Son Brian, wife Lorraine, and girls live in Zambia. Love those grands!!!
Here’s a pizza oven at our bush camp…It’s a very old termite mound…How do those pizzas measure up?
This young lion doesn't seem too friendly. Maybe we got too close.
We watched orphaned baby “ellies” speed drink their milk bottles in 10 seconds time and enjoyed the safari sights and animals.

04/19/2026

An April Farm Story: Farmer Bill was recently walking through the Zambian Chifwema Arboretum with his son, Brian and granddaughters Mirabel and Juniper. It was the International Day of Forests. There was a carrot tree, pod mahogany, baobab, monkey thorn, and many others.
Some of our farm followers might not know that our son and family live in Zambia working with International Development projects but his passion is his tourism and safaris business. Check out https://thewildlifeafrica.com/ and https://everwild.travel/ .
Then the sound of the African drummers called us to a gathering where a young Zambia man, Bukhara Musonda, started with this question passed on down from his elders. “How many of you have planted one or two trees?” A few hands went up. Then, “how many of you have never planted a tree?” More hands went up. Then he said, “what gives you the right to breath?” Sounds harsh but he went on with a powerful talk on the “currency of trees”.
“For while we trade in currency, forests trade in life, the thing we need to understand about forests is that they run an economy that is essential to life. Along the way humanity decided to open a bank account and at times we would withdraw from the account but never deposit. We clear the land of trees to profit today but end up with poverty tomorrow. You can’t bankrupt a forest and expect a profitable tomorrow.” Farmer Bill was in his happy place and gave an instant standing ovation with all the others.
And from their website, https://treesforzambia.org/ Trees are life. Without them, there would be no rain, no rivers, and no crops. Trees purify and cool the air, serve as carbon sinks, and play a crucial role in mitigating global warming and climate change. They protect our soils and groundwater sources, ensuring a sustainable environment for future generations.
Now back at the farm Farmer Bill is planting trees for Earth Day and Arbor Day. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/03/earth-day-2026-climate-change-global-action-protest-movement/
https://www.arborday.org/
Join us in planting trees this year

03/19/2026

A March Farm Story:
While Farmer Bill was checking in on the goats and chickens, he heard a faint voice floating through the air. It was coming from the direction of Old Turtle.
Maybe some of our farm followers haven’t met Old Turtle as he lives in the “Forest of Wondering Why” on the north side of the farm. And full disclosure, Old Turtle is not really a turtle, he’s a big rock who looks like a turtle. But he’s not just a rock, he is a…storyteller. You see, Old Turtle has been around for a long time, and he’s been listening to the prairie breezes, the birds, the butterflies for eons so he has become very wise. That’s why Farmer Bill created a “meditative circle” of smaller rocks that surround Old Turtle and set them in alignment with the seasons of the year. It’s a place where one can come to quiet yourself to listen. Sometimes when one sits there long enough it seems that wisdom flows from Old Turtle.
As Farmer Bill was walking over, Old Turtle said, “Hey Farmer Bill the Spring Equinox is in just a few days. I’m so excited for this spring season to welcome all my friends back to the farm”. “Yes, we all are excited” smiled Farmer Bill.
You see most of our rituals, customs, celebrations were all formed from the land/nature and agrarian life. For example, Lent was not a religious invention, it was the season of the end of winter when food supplies were low, and it was essential to “ration” food/desires until a new crop was harvested. Life on this earth was connected to the land and yet in this modern age many of us now have lost that connection to the land. That is why the mental health condition is now prevalent called “nature deficit syndrome”.
So, during this Spring Equinox on Friday, find your “Old Turtle” or a tree or a river or a mountain or the equinox sunrise and sit there until you feel connected and hear the story they want to tell. “The earth has music for those who will listen.” William Shakespeare
And thanks to Douglas Wood, a Minnesota author, who wrote the “Old Turtle” children books years ago that still resonate with this old Farmer Bill.

03/06/2026

A Farm Story; I just made my annual order for trees from the County Conservation District. It’s an annual event for me… a celebration of hope for the future. As the question goes, “When is a good time to plant a tree? And the answer is twenty years ago but the second-best time to plant a tree is today”.
I have been wandering around the farm listening for the next place to plant trees for the future. Yes, it costs me time, energy and money and I won’t gain any benefits from this endeavor, as planting a tree is long term return but the land is calling. And yes, I know this is the tall grass prairie, which is not known for its trees, but geographical regions do morph over millennia.
I time my ordering of trees with my annual “repeat” reading of the book, A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. The February chapter is titled, “Good Oak” and its the life story of an 80-year-old oak tree...fascinating. I still remember reading this book as a senior in High School and the inspiration it imparted in me.
I planted my first oak trees here about 17 years ago and….full confession here, a few times a year, no, many times a year, I find myself stopping my activities and admiring them, touching them, talking to them and listening to them. I feel connected to them. I always wonder who and when the magnificent oak trees were planted at Oakwood Lake a few miles from here. I sure enjoy them and I hope someone sits under the shade of my trees decades from now.
And so, I plant, wondering what story they will tell 100 years from now.

Update from February post as crazy farmer Bill pushed the envelope on planting greens in deep winter. Check out these babies....spinach.

And of course we are still booking events for the summer. Check out our calendar at https://www.goodrootsfarmandgardens.com/

02/21/2026

Farm Story: The sun was shining brightly through the High Tunnel plastic, and it felt so good as it warmed my soul. A High Tunnel helps heat up the soil faster by the power of the sun to extend the growing season. But ingenious Farmer Bill built a “hot house” inside the High Tunnel where he can double warm a smaller portion of the garden. The temperature in the hot house was around 80 and the soil temp was above 40 degrees which is what greens need to germinate.
So, I prepared the soil and PLANTED some greens and spinach on Feb 9. Was I pushing the envelope? YUP. Am I crazy, maybe (don’t ask Julie or my Master Gardner friends). Will it freeze again? Yup. Was it a waste of time? We’ll see… but was it fun, healing, hopeful, awesome, and dirty, YES, YES, and YES.
And then it happened…I heard the call of the wild. The beautiful, haunting call of a flock of Canada Geese flying overhead. I ran outside to look, and I saw the first geese of the year. I’m a nerd for “phenology” and my google calendar is full of phenology dates which is the study of the timing and cyclical patterns on the natural world.
(https://www.usanpn.org/) They weren’t supposed to be here for a few more weeks according to my calendar.
As I was absorbing the moment, I heard the geese ask, “what are you doing in the greenhouse Farmer Bill? I answered, “planting greens”. They replied, “kind of early isn’t it?” I asked them, “well, what are you doing migrating today…kind of early isn’t it”. We all laughed. It was a good day.

Edit Update: I forgot to post this on Feb 9 so 11 days later with a very cold few days we’ll see if the greens will grow. Yes, they did germinate but I’m not sure they’ll survive the deep freeze but that won’t stop me from pushing the envelope. I just can't help myself. Not sure what the geese are thinking now!