WHY DRP GROWING METHOD IS SO INNOVATIVE.

Our March 3 (2022) webinar at the Oak Park Library was cut short due to technical difficulties. We will be creating a series of blog posts and shorter videos from the longer video that was to be viewed at the webinar. In the meantime, you can read about why our DRP Core Method is so innovative, economical, and easy to use.

PRE-ORDER YOUR BELOVED TOMATOES NOW!

If you are a First-Timer and have not grown tomatoes before - please scroll down and see our suggestions BEFORE placing your order. Take the time to view our favorite supplier’s amazing list of special tomato varieties (Oak Park’s Lissa Dyssart, aka “Tomato Lady”) and try something different - yellow, black, blue or from Napal! Lissa’s list also has lots of historical info and amusing stories - take some time to enjoy it!

NOTE: please remember to put DRP on your order form - so we can know that you saw our blog post.

MEET THE DRP TEAM AT MARCH 3 WEBINAR - HOSTED BY OAK PARK LIBRARY

Soil Health & Raised beds: DRP’s secrets to tomato growing success!

Of course, getting great seedlings is essential to having success with your harvest. That is why we encourage you to go with our trusted, local supplier. She sells the healthiest, highest quality plants. But - don’t forget to visit DRP’s STORE with the highest quality organic growing materials. Our products have been identified and selected with the help of our new team member, horticulturist, Rafa Crevoshay. Visit our soil, compost, mulch and fertilzer STORE page here.

In addition to having the best organic materials for planting - DRP is proud o the custome deigned raised beds built in-house (by co-Executive Director Will Schreiber, and his team). Be sure to visit our Raised Bed STORE page here.

DRP Core Method: our special organic growing method (DRP Core Method) can help all gardeners have a great harvest every year. Before you go to our STORE pages, you can start taking notes!

FIRST-TIMERS: BEFORE YOU ORDER THINK INDETERMINATE!

Most of us who have grown tomatoes know that like most things we love - they can be difficult sometimes. Truthfully, they are not the easiest plants to grow. First, because there are lots of animals who love them as much as we do. Then, because there are some devastating diseases that can destroy them. We have copied and pasted some of the tomato varieties fromLissa Dyssart’s list (aka Tomato Lady) that we think first-time gardeners should consider. We are sharing a few notes - but please consult Lissa’s list for detailed technical/growing info.

DRP Editors NOTE: we are not saying it is bedtime reading material - but Tomato Lady’s list is really fun - our favorite variety name (it was so hard to choose) is Mortgage Lifter: Apparently it was developed in the 1930's by a gardener who was so successful at growing it, he sold enough to pay off his mortgage!

FUTURE BLOG POSTS WILL SHARE ALL THE INSIDE INFO YOU NEED TO HAVE A GREAT TOMATO HARVEST.

We will write many future “tomato growing tips” blog posts - but for now, we want you to pre-order ASAP with a few suggestions that can make your tomato growing easier. For now, we offer a short and sweet (non-technical/user-friendly) definition of determinate vs indeterminate taken from Chicago Botanical Garden:

Determinate tomato plants grow to a certain size, then produce their fruit all at once and generally do not grow much larger after the fruit is set. (DRP editor: these are often referred to as the “bush” variety).

Indeterminate tomato plants, keep on growing and setting fruit at regular intervals along the main stem all season long. (DRP editor: these are the typical “vine” variety that may need a stake or trellis as they get taller).

Indeterminate tomato plants are the ones that we think will give inexperienced tomato growers a greater chance for success (from their first season!) because they are easier to take care of, to prevent disease. This is because of the watering technique which makes the plants less prone to disease and the manner of taking care of the leaves. Our tomato specialist-team member, Rafa Crevoshay, will be helping us write all the important details for our blog posts. (NOTE: make sure we have your phone number, so we can send you the links to the new blog posts as soon as they are published).

ESTELLE CAROL’S PERSONAL FAVORITES (DRP’s CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

“Green Zebra tomatoes are rarely bothered by squirrels since they never turn red. And they are delicious. Another absolute favorite on the list is Sun Gold”. (DRP Editor: both of these are on Lissa’s list - so pre-ordere ASAP because many people love them too). Estelle also suggests  her favorite “squirrel fighting technique” - brown paper bags hide ripening tomatoes from squirrels

Green Zebra’s sweet and zesty flavor is as appetizing as its appearance is spectacular. Always a ravishing table presentation, Plants just keep producing these breathtaking fruit throughout the season.

Sun God. Rare in grocery stores, 'Sun Gold's' plump, tangerine-colored fruits are a special treat at the peak of flavor in the garden-very sweet and juicy! So sweet a local producer uses them to make tomato jam. Disease resistant (DRP Editor: be sure to take note of Lissa’s suggestions on how to take care of this special treat).

There are two detrminate plants we suggest - they are listed below under “Determinate Suggestions”. . The first is “42 Days” because it is ready to harvest earlier than all of the others (in 40 - 50 days). The second is Other suggestions include:

Cherry tomatoes can be determinate and indeterminate . The indeterminate varieties will keep growing taller and the determinate plants will be more like a bush. Both types produce lots and lots of tomatoes - if the conditions and care are right. Lissa will indicate this on her list. We have chosen the varieties below, but check the list for specific, technical info. We suggest cherry tomatoes because they an be covered easily so squirrels and other animals don’t feast on them before you’ve had a chance to harvest.

TOMATO LADY CHERRY TOMATOES (beware - you will have tons and tons to share!).

!!!! super easy Napa Chardonnay:  this variety is very easy to grow and does especially well in containers. (DRP Editor: not only does Lissa tell us this is one of the easiest - but she als tells us that “this one has “a super-amazing flavor,” with many who tasted it for the first time proclaiming it the very best cherry type they had ever tasted”)!

!!!! great for limited space Patio Hybrid. Perfect for container gardening or limited space. Vines are extremely compact, yet produce medium-sized, deep oblate fruits that are smooth, firm and flavorful on plants with rugose leaves. Dwarf Determinate.

Barry’s Crazy Cherry: Pale yellow cherries are delicious, and grow on some of the largest clusters known!

Bi-Color Cherry : An interesting and still unknown cherry tomato variety with exceptionally flavored fruits. The fruits are quite unlike most common cherry tomatoes in appearance and their excellent flavor sets them apart as well. (DRP Editor: this sounds super uniue!!!).

Mary’s Cherry Dwarf: Perhaps the most prolific dwarf variety, Dwarf Mary’s Cherry tomato is awesome! There is some sweetness and a bit of earthiness also - a really good tomato for snacking and fresh tomato salsa. Another good variety for growing in containers or in the ground, with side disease resistance. (DRP Editor: I am a tortilla and salsa lover - so if you are too, please try this one for making their salsa & send in the results!).

Matt's Wild Cherry : Deep red cherries are smaller than average with an exceptional flavor many consider the best. Matt’s keeps producing copious quantities when every other tomato in the field is down for the count with early blight. Pick frequently!

Micro Tom: Astonishing! The world's shortest tomato plant, fit for a fairy garden, reaching a mere 6-8” tall!. These dainty, dwarf determinate plants were developed by the University of Florida and are the ultimate potted vegetable plant.

Midnight Snack: A unique indigo-type cherry tomato that ripens to red with a beautiful glossy black-purple overlay when exposed to sunlight. Plentiful fruits will ripen all season long! Midnight Snack is great in salads or eaten straight off the plant. (DRP Editor: this variety is bountiful - but take note of Lissa’s suggestions on how to take care of it as it keeps growing and growing and growing!)..

Pink Cherrywine: a pink tomato with green shoulders that fade with time, Pink CherryWine's flavor is bright and complex. It is an indeterminate vine and is very productive. (DRP Editor: be sure to follow Lissa’s suggestions about how to take care of this plant so you can enjoy the tons and tons of cherry tomatoes)!

DETERMINATE SUGGESTIONS

42 days: Could this be the earliest ripening tomato variety? Quite possibly. Fruits can ripen in as little time as its name implies, just 42 days. Believed to be from Mexico, so the variety performs well in both cool and warm climates. Bears 1 oz, salad-ready, red fruits.

Micro Tom: Micro Tom  Astounding! The world's shortest tomato plant, fit for a fairy garden, reaching a mere 6-8” tall! These dainty, dwarf determinate plants were developed by the University of Florida and are the ultimate potted vegetable plant. Super productive little plants are completely enveloped in bright red, tasty 1 oz fruit. The possibilities are endless with this novel dwarf tomato.

ONE-STOP SHOPPING: PRE-ORDER ALL YOUR VEGGIES TOO!

 While you are pre-ordering your tomatoes - don’t forget to look at Lissa’s list of Summer & Winter Squashes, Melons, Peppers, Eggplants, Cucumbers, Kale & Greens, and more. She’s got a great selection of herbs too!

COME MEET DRP TEAM AT MARCH 3 WEBINAR

FUTURE TOMATO-TIPS BLOG POSTS

Our new tomato-specialist team member, Rafa Crevoshay is a tomato specialist with over a decade of experience as Certified Crop Adviser to an organic tomato farm. She will be helping us create some new blog posts with successful tomato growing tips.

NOTE: Make sure we have you telephone number so you can receive our text message alerts when we publish new blog posts.

DRP is really excited to have a new gardener support team - so we will be able to support you and answer any questions you might have.

NOTE: Be sure to sign up for our newsletter.



VEGANUARY - Food Gardening Awareness Month

GET INVITED!

Deep Roots is participating in Veganuary, a special January promotion for raising awareness about veganism.

We are offering a FREE webinar so you can see if vegan-organic gardening is right for you. Scroll down on this blog post to Vegan section and read more about our journey to becoming a “vegan-aware” organization.

Go to DRP Newsletter Form (GREEN BUTTON BELOW) and check “Vegan Organic Gardening” in Webinar Section. Eventbrite link for FREE event registration will be sent to your inbox soon.

Learn more about our Core DRP Method at our “standard” webinar (that uses products that are not vegan).

For an invitation to our “Standard” webinar about DRP’s current method (that uses non-vegan products) go to DRP Newsletter (GREEN BUTTON BELOW) and check “Organic Kitchen Gardening” in Webinar Section. Eventbrite link for FREE event registration will be sent to your inbox when dates have been finalized.

(Click Button Below to go to Newsletter)

We have chosen the month of January/Veganuary as Food Gardening Awareness Month!

Our in-person workshops on organic kitchen gardening and onsite teaching gardens had to be phased out due to social distancing concerns. Thanks to a new team, a new website, and new online content (blog and webinars), we “pivoted” from a community-based organization to a global, virtual one overnight (literally). Our focus (near obsession) with teaching about biodiversity and about soil health has remained the hallmark of the DRP Brand (along with our love for worms)!.

Connecting you to the earth. Connecting us to each other..

Thanks to an overwhelming interest in our planet’s future during these challenging times, our lock-down inspired “Grow Your Own” movement has exploded! Our kitchen gardening community is excited about learning with us - from the world’s leading research organizations, organic growing specialists and enviornmental journalists. Our NEW Webinar Series is STILL in the works – so sign up for our newsletter and tell us what you’d like to know more about in 2022!

Learn more about how you can grow your own - by attending our informative, Q & A webinars.

Own the “Grow Your Own” movement with Deep Roots!

(Check “Vegan-Organic Gardening” OR “Organic Kitchen Gardening”)

Check “Vegan-Organic Gardening” webinar on Newsletter Form

When Deep Root’s Social Media Manager Ludovica Cavalieri, an enthusiastic vegan, signed up for an online course on vegan-organic gardening - she enlisted DRP’s Marketing Director, Lesley Pritikin to join her. Neither of them had ever heard of “vegan gardening”. That was in August 2021.

In December 2021, Lesley and Ludovica were curious about how many vegans had joined the blossoming Deep Root’s kitchen garden community. Then, they discovered Veganuary (www.veganuary.com), the international challenge that urges people to adopt a vegan lifestyle/diet for the month of January - and the idea of launching a “Vegan Grow Your Own” movement was born.

Flash Forward - Veganuary 2022

Some DRP team members loved the idea of using the month of January for learning new organic methods and philosophies (they are Chicago-based and don’t grow much during the winter). They decided to start their journey on becoming more vegan-aware with co-Executive Directors, Estelle Carol and Will Schreiber leading the way.

First 2022 Webinar on Vegan-Organic Basics

Don’t miss it this Q & A opportunity!

Meet Learn Veganic founders/teachers at our first “Vegan Organic Gardening Basics” webinar. Be sure to check the “Vegan-Organic” webinar box on our Newsletter sign-up now (GREEN BUTTON BELOW). Eventbrite link with FREE event registration will follow with Zoom link & February date.

Click on button below and check “Vegan-Organic Gardening” webinar on Newsletter Sign-Up Form

Teaching Gardens at Deep Roots Project Chicago Headquarters

FOOD GARDENERS

ARE THE FUTURE!

Magic of Everyday Nature - Austin Price

If you have not yet enjoyed our homepage video featuring this piece, click HERE.

Magic in Everyday Nature

A few months ago, when packing up books in preparation for a big move, I stumbled upon one of my favorite childhood reads, Brian Jacques’ 1988 Mossflower, part of his long-running fantasy series, Redwall. I turned randomly to one of the yellowed pages in the middle and read: “Early morning was enveloped in white mist. It clung to tree and bush like a gossamer shawl, sparkling with dewdrops in the promise of a hot sunny day ahead.”
 
Well, that was enough of a hook for me, so I turned back to page one.
 
There’s something evocative about Jacques’ brand of nature writing. Yes, Mossflower is a children’s fantasy — with personified mice and ferrets, medieval battle scenes between good and evil, and a hero’s journey — but, to me at least, the magic in Mossflower Wood isn’t the talking animals but its everyday nature, the magic of the place itself. The River Moss flows with life through the silent and tangled forest canopy. Dewdrops sparkle through the mist. Woodland inhabitants feast together in their arboreal great halls — their primary connection to one another is the landscape they all call home. As a kid, and still today, these scenes helped me recognize the kind of person I wanted to be and the kind of life I wanted to experience.
 
The good news is that this magic of everyday nature doesn’t exist in fantasy literature alone. Five weeks ago, my wife and I planted a garden at our home in Canada’s Northwest Territories. I didn’t expect to be harvesting so soon in the season, but I underestimated the miracle of 20-hour sunlight. (The kale runneth over! What am I to do with all this chard?) Earlier this week, we sat spellbound by Alexandra Falls on the Hay River, which boomed like the thunderstorm that greeted us when we arrived home later, and sent shivers down our spines.
 
Everyday nature, whether in the garden or in the wilderness, is a magic that’s very real. Literature is a great place to help us notice it and be enchanted by it. Now it’s time to cherish it, and even fight for it, not unlike those woodland creatures in Mossflower Wood. Enchantment may prove essential in overcoming the ecological crises we face.

Austin Price
Contributing Editor, Earth Island Journal

New Garden Coaching Service

Get your lists of questions ready…

We are very excited to be able to offer customers personalized garden mentoring with our new team member and Kitchen Gardening Guru, Rafa Crevosay, Horticulturist and Certified Crop Adviser. We are still developing the promotional material and pricing based on general gardening level/experience- but if you’d like details ASAP, write lesley[at]deep-roots-project.org and please put “coaching” in the subject line.

MEET New Team Member

Rafaela A. Crevoshay - aka “Rafa” (Soil Health Guru) was introduced to food gardening as a volunteer on her brother’s homesteading project in Vermont’s North East Kingdom in the transformative ’60s. Rafa’s Vermont adventure led her to obtain a degree in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. It resulted in finding a career far from New England with sojourns at mushroom farms in Oregon and California, international agri-sourcing for a west coast avocado cooperative, a leading sustainable farming certification firm in Berkeley, and ultimately with a producer of organically grown Heirloom Tomatoes in Baja California, Mexico. Along the way Rafa completed certifications in Compost Management, Turf Management, and International Agriculture. She has earned the elite Certified Crop Adviser title from the American Society of Agronomy. Raised not on a farm but in suburban Boston, her story represents the rewards of gardening as a life-long journey of discovery.

NEW COACHING SERVICES

Your 2022 successful harvests start by preparing your soil with organic materials now!

Ms. Crevoshay will be offering new coaching services soon - to help you best prepare your raised beds or gardening area for next spring. Send request for more info here (please put Coaching Info in the subject line of your email). Leave your telephone number if you’d prefer a call instead of an email. Our new Gardener Support Manager will call you.

Funny tale of a middle-aged urban farmer’s first harvest.

This is not my elegant plant (I lost the photo) but you can get the idea…

Flash back

I had always shared my mom’s love of cooking, but not her green thumb. In fact, I was convinced that plants and I did not get along. I had never planted anything in my life. Not even an avocado plant – and almost all my friends and family members without green thumbs had had success with those!

My mom had been a proud gardener. In the suburban Chicago house where I grew up, our backyard was the envy of many. When my mom sold that house and moved back to the city, her glorious indoor plants went with her (including her avocado plant). As she moved over the years, they graced each new home. They even outlived her.

Flash Forward

One day in March 2016, I had gone to a garden store in Rome, Italy, my adopted city, to buy some flowers to plant for the first time in my life.

As I stood staring at all of the amazing plants and flowers, whose names in any language were totally foreign to me (except roses, rose in Italian) I thought of how my mom would have enjoyed this scene. I literally had no idea what I was doing and was too embarassed to ask for assistance.

I had decided that it was time to make my front balcony planters less barren. Everyone else in the building had at least tried to grace their balconies with some color. I was with Bruno, my Italian partner, who had grown up planting and harvesting every fruit and vegetable known to mankind at his summer home, like most Italians. In fact, his dad had climbed ladders to harvest olives even in his 80s. But, unfortunately, Bruno was no urban farmer and had not a clue about what to purchase at the garden center.

One of the store’s owners heard that I wanted to buy flowers for my great sunny spots and she suggested growing vegetables instead. I told her that kind of adventure seemed way beyond my capabilities. Then, I saw the most beautiful plant (that I NOW know was a seedling) with elegantly shaped leaves and graceful, long, skinny, green peppers hanging from it. The photo of what the adult parent would look like that usually hung from seedlings was missing. I had no idea what kind of peppers these were – but got excited about growing something that I could use in my cooking experiments and bought it. With my passion for creating dishes, I was confident that I would come up with some dish where I could use them, even though I had no idea what they were. Bruno, agreed they were odd looking, but beautiful. Neither of us had thought to ask the nursery owner what the plant was.

Bountiful Harvest (of what?).

The hanging green peppers multiplied quickly and the plant got fuller and fuller. I was thrilled.

I sent photos to friends and family members back in Chicago (where it was snowing in April. They were truly amazed that I had actually grown something!

Everyone asked me what kind of peppers they were. I never answered.

We joked about my bountiful “harvest” and I wondered when I should pick my peppers and what I would do with so many of them (probably around 100). At various times, I had tasted one, but could not distinguish a definitive taste. They were neither spicy nor sweet. I decided to keep waiting until the flavor became fuller before cooking with them. I just enjoyed looking at this elegant plant each day outside my kitchen window (sorry to have lost the photos of this plant - but soon, you will get to the punchline!).

Then, one day – I noticed a few of my green peppers had turned red! I could not believe my eyes! They actually looked like pepperoncini – the Italian spicy red pepper that is used in every household throughout Italy. It is also the symbol of good luck (buona fortuna) seen on tourist key chains (like the one in the photo) and hanging dried in Italian restaurants all over the world. The famous Roman dish called aglio-olio-pepperoncino (garlic and oil with red hot peppers) is my family’s favorite. Well, as you might have guessed - my special, green-turned-red hanging things outside my kitchen window were, in fact, pepperoncini! Bruno and I laughed so much thinking about our not knowing that these popular, very spicy red peppers are green during the early planting stage.

When they were all red, I place them in little bottles of extraordinary olive oil from my friend’s olive grove in Umbria, Italy. The deep green oil with red peppers in little bottles tied with green and red ribbons made made exquisite Christmas gifts. My friends doubted that I had actually grown the peppers, so I carried photos in my wallet to prove it and shared them like many proud parents show off pictures of their children.

One of my proudest moments came when I read on the internet how to dry and string the pepperoncini together with thread, like I had seen in hundreds of Italian markets, homes, and Italian films. They were picture perfect - could not believe that I had grown them (see photo below).

NOW a seasoned kitchen gardener!

Needless to say, I went back to the same garden center after my successful pepperoncini “harvest” and enthusiastically bought seedlings of eggplants, bell peppers (green and red) and tomatoes - that I have been growing now for the last 5 summers. They are featured in the photos in this post.

I became an avid organic kitchen gardener and encouraged many of my friends to try this wonderful hobby. I watched online videos and read blog posts frequently. Of course, now, thanks to Deep Roots Project, I know about soil preparation and natural fertilizers and how to test the amount of water each plant needs. I still feel like a kid who just did something great that they’d never thought they would be able to do. The best part is cooking for my vegetarian and vegan friends and the ingredients are all produced by me.

My mom would really be surprised. I still am! Just sorry that I missed so many years of such joy…