,
About Us
Established 2007
My Story

I was drawn to Organic Gardening after my mother gave me an autographed copy of Seeds of
Change by Kenny Ausebel.  After that I knew I just had to get my hands in the soil and grow
things and preserve heirloom seeds.
We grew up on an old abandoned dairy farm in Wisconsin.  My grandpa rented out the fields to
farmers.  They grew corn, soybeans, and alfalfa, fertilized with eggshells from my grandpa's
egg breaking business.  But, we were not encouraged to farm.  Yet, I didn't take to college,
cities, or a commute.  I had a calling that I didn't understand, until that book.
After I graduated from the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics, I moved up to Northern
New Mexico to become an organic farm apprentice.  My mentor was a shiatsu master and a
garlic farmer.  Farming at 8300 feet in the Rocky Mountains will teach you a lot about growing!  
It's not like it comes easy, so if you can grow food up there, you can grow it anywhere!  We
created the 151st Organic Farm in New Mexico in 1999.  
The Spanish village that I lived in was inhabited since the mid 1500's.  They had lost a lot of
their traditions and seeds.  So, when I was told that "tomatoes won't grow here anymore", I just
knew I had to bring them back.  I searched for seeds that would survive naturally in this climate.
 My master would not allow any plastic to be used on her farm, so it was all done according to
the seed and the season.  After we harvested bushels of red, ripe tomatoes in late summer,
the natives were reinvigorated about gardening and seed saving, again.  And, I was hooked on
farming!
Finding a place of my own to garden was my next task, and to that end we found a little outpost
in Alpine, Oregon.  Nestled in  the foothills of the Willamette Valley, the Rodale Institute had
studied our climate to find it was almost the same as most of the southern U.S.  Now we're
cookin', (vegetables, that is)!  
We like to call it A Bun Dance Farm, growing everything from arugula to zucchini.  My partner
and I raise fruits, nuts, vegetables, grains, bees, chickens and Angora rabbits for fiber.  My
vision is creating a botanical research garden for food, fiber, "farmaceuticals", fuel, and fun!  
I have been producing and studying soil block gardening since 2001.  I find it fascinating and
productive.  My idea for PottingBlocks.com came from my need to educate Americans on this
innovative technique.  (Europeans have used blockers for many decades.)  I would call them
Potting Blocks to avoid confusion with the building block material (soil blocks), and to appeal to
the American potting culture, so popular today.  By educating people on the soil block, they
learn about the vitality and necessity of living soil.  All Organic Growers know the importance of
healthy soil, but not all gardeners do.  PottingBlocks.com makes an environmental impact as
well.  By using this system you can move one step closer to what I like to call a "petroleum-free
farm", versus the "gigantic pile of dilapidated plastic pots farm".  And, they're just so much fun!  
I am relentless on my pursuit of education and dissemination of blockers.  Our farm is also a
Potting Blocks Research Farm, experimenting with countless ways to efficiently use soil blocks
to reduce our dependency on plastic.  We are also saving and breeding heirloom,
drought-tolerant organic vegetable seeds.

So, "Pot On", and "get on board the Block".

Happy and Healthy Growing,

Jason Beam, The Potting Block Guru
The original "Old Farm Boy", Jacob
Kramer, was my great grandfather.  
He started Echo Lake Farm Produce
Co. with my Grandpa. The business
lives on today..........
Check them out at
www.echoforeggs.com.
Circa mid 1940's.  My grandpa next to his first commercial truck.  He sold eggs, chickens and rabbits until he
discovered the egg separation business.  He sold millions and millions of egg whites and egg yolks,
separately, to bakers and food giants like McDonalds, Kraft, Hellman's, and bakeries all across the country.  I
strive to be as innovative as my grandpa, Paul.  Thanks Grandpa for all your hard work and clever traits,  
keeping us out in the country, and making food for millions!
Second Generation of Food Suppliers.
Here is my Grandpa, Paul.  He and my
dad, and uncle Jeff continued to build
up Echo Lake Farm Produce.  After he
was a  farm boy, he was a "fly boy". He
loved to fly and take pictures
overlooking our family's home and
farm in South Eastern Wisconsin.
The next generation farm boy,  Jason.
Always innovating, always striving to
learn from the past, combining the
old-fashioned organic ways with new
ideas and technologies of the future, to
bring forth the most efficient farm
possible.
Jason Beam is a Soil Block Agriculture
Consultant and Certified Compost
Technician and Certified Compost Tea
Technician.  
He created, "Old Farm Boy," the first
commercially available potting soil
made specifically for soil block
gardening.  
He is an avid tool inventor and will be
releasing his own line of farm and
garden tools and products in 2013.  He
makes his living off of a 5 acre
homestead in Alpine, Oregon called "A
Bun Dance Farm", a nursery, farm,  mail
order and online garden product store
located between Corvallis and Eugene
on the way to the coastal village of
Waldport.  
Things may come to those who wait, but
only the things left by those who hustle.
-Abraham Lincoln
If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to meet it.    
-Jonathan Winters
The Author's Farm Photo Gallery
Herman's Garden
A Seed Saver's Exchange Seed
Donation Program
PottingBlocks.com
is a Proud Sponsor
of these two  
Organizations
(c)  2007-2012 by Jason Beam.  All rights reserved.  Any reproduction without written consent strictly prohibited.  Thank you.  Jason Beam, Eliot
Coleman, PottingBlocks.com, Season Cycles,  Old Farm Boy,  Ladbrooke, Micro 20, Mini 4, Mini 5, Maxi 1, Multi 12, Multi 20, Multi 6, Multi 4, Mega 1,
and Potting Blocks, are all trademarks of Jason Beam, Oregon.
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Our Story Continues...

Since the launching our website in 2008, we've been assisting gardeners and farmers all over
the world to choose appropriate soil block supplies, start healthy seedlings, transplant into the
field and harvesting bounty.  Our motto has become:  "Your Success Is That All Counts."  We
know "The Customer is Always Right", and we deliver the highest quality service on the planet!
 
Our operation is growing!  We strive to bring you the highest quality garden and farm products
that will not break down at a time of need.  It is of utmost importance to us that all of you learn
how to garden easily, efficiently and successfully with soil block makers, so that you may grow
a large percentage of your family's food needs with nutrient dense produce.
We believe that nutrition found in your garden produce is a source of preventative medicine
and healing of many common problems of body and mind.  Grocery store food is not what it
used to be.  You have to rely on yourself to provide your body with vitamins, minerals,
enzymes, and the life force with your own garden produce.  We call it, "nutrition intervention".

Buying through us is easy.  There are real strong people behind this website who are
concerned with your happiness and success.  You have helped us succeed by buying our soil
block makers and supplies.  We will continue to serve you to the best of our ability, taking
NOTHING for granted, and delivering QUALITY products and SPEEDY service with Free Live
Consultations 24/7, Lifetime Gardening Help, and advancing the art and science of soil block
farming far beyond what anyone can imagine is possible.  We treat all of you as how we'd
LOVE to be treated.  We are privileged  to SERVE YOU!  Thank you for your support.

"Dr. Dirt" Jason Beam, Managing Director PottingBlocks.Com
A Family Tradition of Serving