Deep Roots Project teaches how to grow food in organic kitchen gardens with limited space and raised beds. We provide our gardeners with the best products for success – like cedar raised beds, microbe-rich compost and microbe-rich worm castings. We use the latest soil science to build on the strengths of both organic and regenerative gardening with our innovative method called Transformational Gardening.
Soil health, our health, planet health
With help from the latest soil science we are taking organic to the next level in our new “Transformational Gardening” method. We nurture healthy soil teeming with huge diverse populations of soil micro-organisms (microbes and fungi) that feed and support healthy crops and healthy eco-systems. Our certified professional horticulturist Rafa Crevoshay, created an innovative, easy-to-use and economical food growing method for beginner and experienced gardeners with busy lives.
Transformational gardening combines the best practices of organic and regenerative farming and applies them to kitchen gardens with raised beds and large containers. Integrating the two systems addresses their shortcomings and adapts them to small growing spaces. The result is a robust and resilient ecological system that promotes soil health and crop biodiversity. Read our blog post Organic & Regenerative Farming for the full story.
Learn to work in partnership with nature.
Soil health is top priority. Healthy soil promotes healthy plants and large harvests. The foundation of soil health is robust microbial populations that feed on abundant organic matter. The soil microbes transport nutrients to plant roots in a form that the plants can use more efficiently. The healthy soil microbes and the plant roots have a mutual aid pact. They need each other and they feed each other. We want the soil microbes to do most of the gardening work for us. Read more about soil science in our post Compost, Microbes and Soil Science.
Become an eater who cares
Let us teach you how to grow your own food in a yard, in a pot, in a raised bed, or in a community garden. Deep Roots connects you to the Earth and connects you to each other.
People who grow their own food care about:
Nature, native plants and protecting wildlife habitats.
Reversing climate change by switching to soil friendly farming.
Food security and food access for everyone on the planet.
Healthy lifestyle and healthy eating for our family and community
Celebrating life & the magic of nature - Planting Seeds Music Video
Grow food with 3 powerful organic products
Three microbe-rich and nutrient-rich organic products take the place of traditional top soil, soil blends and traditional bagged organic fertilizers purchased at garden centers.
Microbe-rich worm castings (also called vermicompost)
Our microbe-rich compost is your “new soil.” From a farm near Chicago, Rafa, our horticulturist, chose microbe-rich organically certified compost, containing manure and made with heat-generating microbes. It’s OMRI certified organic. For simplicity we like to call the microbe-rich compost in our raised beds and containers “soil.” We just call it “compost” when we use it for planting and restoring microbes and nutrients in our raised beds and containers.
Uses of microbe-rich compost during the growing cycle.
Fill new raised beds and containers (Don’t use conventional soil for food)
Replenish microbes and nutrients for mid-season crops,
Plant seedlings and seeds in your beds along with worm castings
Use as a growing medium for starting seeds to transplant later
Use to cover beds and containers with a 2-inch layer in fall and spring OR at the start of a new growing season.
Blend with topsoil for growing non-food plants – flowers, native plants and ornamentals.
Our microbe-rich worm castings replace organic bagged fertilizer purchased at garden centers. It is our primary soil amendment. It is rich with micro-organisms & nutrients and used when planting seeds and seedlings (also called transplants). All worm castings are not equal. Our worm castings from a Wisconsin farm have more densely packed nutrients and micro-organisms than our compost because the worms are fed huge piles of composted manure. It’s powerful and gentle. Don’t worry about applying too much. View our worm castings store page and worm castings blog post.
Fish emulsion is a popular liquid organic fertilizer made from fish waste that is rich in nitrogen and microorganisms. It supplies the primary and secondary nutrients plants need to grow healthy and strong. And most importantly, it nourishes the beneficial micro-organisms that are in the soil. Buy it online or at garden centers.
Why we don't talk about fertilizer
We focus instead on robust populations of diverse microbes. It’s time to let go of your old beliefs about how to grow a successful food garden. We don’t use the word “fertilizer” because our system is based on the principle that robust populations of diverse microorganisms (microbes and fungi) will feed and support the plants far better than commercially manufactured fertilizers like nitrogen, magnesium and potassium. A diverse army of microbes make nutrients and other chemicals available to the plant’s root hairs is forms they can more easily absorb. If the delivery of nutrients and other essentials is functioning well, your plants will be strong, healthy and happy.
Transformational gardening is flexible
Customize it to your crop preferences and available time. It’s easier to learn than traditional organic gardening since we don’t use lots of different commercial fertilizers in specific amounts. Don’t worry how much worm castings you apply since it is very gentle. More will only make your plants happier. Adjust your developing gardening habits to fit the food you love to eat and your available time.
“Learn from your plants” is our horticulturist Rafa’s favorite phrase. Gardening is an evolving and enjoyable learning experience. It’s time to change old gardening and eating habits. Most traditional organic gardening organizations and master gardeners believe you cannot use 100% compost to fill raised beds and containers. But the new soil science and our experience prove otherwise.
Want to buy microbe-rich compost like ours outside the Chicago area? Gardeners in other areas can find organic microbe-rich compost made with heat-generating microbes and containing manure through the U.S. Composting Council (USCC) database. Make sure the vendors in your area don't use wood chips or tree waste. Contact our support team to help find a vendor in your area.
Don’t amend bad soil in your yard for a food garden. It’s not worth the labor and time. Plus, you don’t know what toxins are in the soil. Don’t buy bagged commercial soil even if it says organic on the label since it usually lacks optimal nutrition. Most bagged commercial soil labeled organic contains large amounts of shredded tree bark and doesn’t have the microbe and nutrients your food crops need.
Raised beds are best
Our co-executive director, Will Schreiber, designs and builds sturdy cedar raised beds in our Oak Park, IL workshop. Eastern red cedar has excellent rot resistance and resists insect attack. It is used as a “soil contact” wood. Our raised bed design prevents the cedar boards from breaking due to freezing and thawing soil during zones 5 and 6 cold winters.
We recommend cedar raised beds that are 15” high. Pine/fir wood raised beds are okay, but they rot much sooner than cedar. You should never use wood treated with chemicals for food gardens if you choose to construct your own raised beds. Learn more in our blog post Why Raised Beds Are Best. View our raised beds online store section.
“Grow Your Own Food” blog posts
See the full list of our “Grow Your Own Food” blog posts divided into 6 categories. Each post is assigned ”tags” which are under the post title. If you need a quick answer to a gardening question give us a call, send a text message or send an email to our customer support team – support[at]deep-roots-project.org AND 708-655-5299. If you leave a voicemail include the best times we can call you back.
Deep Roots online store
Buy raised beds at 2023 prices this fall for delivery in spring. We will raise prices in 2024.
See our online store for details about prices, ordering and delivery of raised beds, planter boxes, microbe-rich compost, worm castings, leaf mulch and more. We don’t sell traditional soil, since we use 100% compost as our growing medium. Our online store has 2 sections – (1) raised beds and planter boxes and (2) compost, worm castings, fertilizer.
Please contact our customer support team before placing an order online so we can assist you with the details and answer your gardening questions. You can pay by credit card on the store or by check.
Contact us at (708) 655-5299 or support[at]deep-roots-project.org.
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