Growing Garlic, Onions & Alliums

When grown in loose, fertile soil rich in organic matter, alliums reward gardeners with large bulbs, excellent flavor, and long storage life. In many ways, alliums are indicators of how well the underground ecosystem is functioning.

What Are Alliums?

Garlic and onions are often casually grouped with root vegetables — but that is botanically incorrect. Garlic, onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, and chives all belong to the allium family: plants that grow as bulbs, which are modified stems surrounded by fleshy leaf bases. The underground bulb we harvest is not a root at all, but a tightly layered structure formed from swollen leaf bases attached to a small root plate.

This distinction matters for how we grow them. Root crops expand underground storage roots, while alliums build layered bulbs in response to seasonal signals — a combination of cold exposure, soil conditions, and day length. Because allium roots stay shallow, they cannot forage for nutrients deeper down and depend entirely on whatever is in the top layer of soil. Good soil structure and a healthy microbial environment are therefore essential.

When grown in loose, fertile soil rich in organic matter, alliums reward gardeners with large bulbs, excellent flavor, and long storage life. In many ways, alliums are indicators of how well the underground ecosystem is functioning. Garlic and alliums thrive in nutrient-rich conditions, but less nutrients (especially nitrogen) than fruiting and leafy veggies above ground.

Garlic Planting & Care Calendar

Fall Planting: Garlic is one of the simplest and most rewarding crops to plant in fall. The goal is to give each clove time to root before the ground freezes, without encouraging much top growth before winter. Plant garlic about 3–4 weeks before the ground freezes, ideally after the first hard frost. In Zone 6a, this typically means mid-October to early November. The cold exposure triggers proper bulb formation. Plant cloves pointed-end up, about 2 inches deep — a little deeper in sandy soil — and space them about 6 inches apart.

Hardneck garlic: For colder climates like Zones 5b–6a, hardneck garlic is usually the best choice. It handles winter well and produces the bold flavor many gardeners are looking for.

Soil blend: With garlic, more nutrients is not always better. A strong start, a light touch, and healthy soil do most of the work. Mix 30% Deep Root high-nutrient compost with 70% sandy loam topsoil. We sell 100% low nutrient sandy loam topsoil for alliums and TRUE root veggies like carrots and beets. Don’t add compost or worm castings into garlic planting holes as we do for leafy and fruiting veggies. Too much compost (above 40%) retains excess moisture and raises the risk of bulb rot. Very high nutrients keep garlic bulbs small. Soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is best

PhoSul fertilizer: Add a small amount of PhoSul fertilizer – at most an 1/8 teaspoon – in the clove hole. Phosphorus supports early root development, and sulfur is especially valuable for alliums, helping build the flavor and natural protective compounds that make garlic such a standout crop. PhoSul is gentle, so even slightly more won’t matter. When you buy our low-nutrient topsoil for root veggies, we will give you a small bag of PhoSul

Straw mulch: After planting, cover the bed with 2 to 4 inches of straw mulch to help regulate soil temperature, reduce frost heaving, and suppress early weeds.

Spring “top-dress” fertilizing: In spring, when garlic shoots reach about 4 to 6 inches tall, spread across the entire garlic bed surface a half inch layer of compost and worm castings. Garlic’s feeder roots spread outward not down, so a gentle bed-wide top-dress works better than fertilizing only at the stem.

Testing in Progress: Spring 2026 is our first season using the new low nutrient topsoil for alliums and root veggies. We invite our gardeners to experiment with us and watch how their garlic responds. Our goal is to find the minimum effective amount for strong growth and healthy bulb development in a soil blend that is already rich and active.

June Garlic Scape Removal

Hardneck garlic sends up a curling flower stalk called a “scape” in early summer. Snap or cut it off as soon as it completes one full curl. Leaving the scape to flower diverts significant energy away from the bulb — removing it can increase bulb size by up to 30%. This is one of the most impactful and most commonly overlooked steps in garlic culture. Scapes are a culinary treat: mild, sweet garlic flavor with a tender-crisp texture similar to asparagus. Use them sautéed, grilled, in stir-fries, or blended into pesto.

Spring and early summer watering

During spring and early summer, garlic benefits from consistent moisture while the bulbs are expanding. As harvest approaches, stop watering completely about two weeks before you plan to harvest. This allows the bulb’s outer wrapper layers to dry and paper over properly — essential for quality and long storage.

July Garlic Harvest

Harvest when one-third to one-half of the lower leaves have turned brown while the upper leaves are still green. Do not wait for full browning — by then the protective wrapper has often begun to deteriorate and cloves may be separating. Loosen bulbs gently with a garden fork rather than pulling by the stem. Brush off loose soil but do not wash.

After Harvest Curing Garlic

Hang bulbs or lay them in a single layer in a shaded, well-ventilated spot for 3–4 weeks. Proper curing converts fresh-dug garlic into shelf-stable bulbs that store for months. Once fully cured, trim the roots and stems and store in a cool, dry location with good air circulation — never in sealed plastic.

Onions and Other Alliums

Garlic shares its family with onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, and chives. All share key characteristics: they grow from bulbs or bulb-like bases, have shallow root systems, and prefer loose, fertile soils rich in organic matter. Like garlic, they rely on temperature and day length to trigger bulb development. Well-prepared Deep Roots beds with balanced compost content serve all alliums well.

Companion Planting: Garlic & Spinach

Garlic and spinach make excellent companions in fall-planted beds. Garlic’s scent deters pests like aphids that bother leafy greens, providing natural protection for the spinach in spring.

• Plant garlic cloves and spinach seeds in the same bed in mid-October to early November.

• Spinach sown in fall will overwinter under mulch or germinate early in spring, maturing well before garlic needs the full bed.

• Inter-plant spinach between rows of garlic. Spinach can be harvested by May or early June — long before the July garlic harvest.

• Use hardneck garlic varieties, which are better suited to Zone 5 winters.

Plant something. Feed something. Protect something.

Deep Roots Project is here for every step of the journey.

📝 "Grow Your Own Food" Blog Posts

See the full list of our Grow Your Own Food blog posts. Each post is assigned tags which appear under the post title. If you need a quick answer to a gardening question, give us a call or send a text to our customer support team:

📞 (708) 655-5299  |  ✉️ support@deep-roots-project.org

🛒 Deep Roots Online Store

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 — we use 100% compost as our growing medium.

🌱 Compost & Soil Amendments 🪴 Raised Beds & Planters

📞 Customer Service

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 in the store or by check.

📞 (708) 655-5299  |  ✉️ support@deep-roots-project.org

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Thank you for contributing to our community and for sharing our website and blog with friends and family.

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Growing Root Vegetables - A New Method

If you’ve been growing tomatoes, greens, and herbs in 100% Deep Roots microbe-rich compost and loving the results — this post is not asking you to change a thing. Your compost method is exactly right for those crops. This post is about one important exception: root vegetables.

Why root crops need different soil

Root veggie rules: Carrots, beets, radishes, parsnips, turnips, potatoes and rutabagas play by different rules than everything else in your garden. The very richness that makes your compost great for tomatoes works against root crops. The good news: the fix is simple, and Deep Roots has made it even simpler by doing most of the prep work for you.

Roots store energy. Root crops aren’t trying to grow fast — they’re trying to store energy underground. Carrots, beets and parsnips only do that when they receive a specific signal that says “nutrients are present, but limited.” When nitrogen is too high — as it often is in manure-based compost — that signal never comes. Instead, the plant keeps putting energy into leaves. This is why gardeners sometimes see beautiful, bushy tops and disappointingly small roots. The plant is doing exactly what the soil chemistry is telling it to do.

Loamy, gritty, well-drained soil. There is also a physical reason. Pure compost lacks the mineral structure that root crops evolved in. It holds too much water, dries unevenly, and encourages shallow or forked rooting. Root vegetables evolved in mineral soils — loamy, gritty, well-drained — with only modest organic matter. That’s what allows them to grow straight, large, and dense.

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The solution: one dedicated root veggie bed

You don’t need to change your existing beds at all. Simply set up one dedicated root vegetable bed or large container with a different soil. Deep Roots will sell you the perfect soil to fill it – pulverized mineral topsoil — a clean, low-salt, loamy base that gives roots exactly the growing environment they need:

• Low in nitrogen – so roots get the signal to store energy underground

• Mineral-based – so roots can grow straight and deep without resistance

• Low soluble salts – so roots absorb water freely and expand easily

• Well-draining – so roots don’t fork, rot, or grow shallow

PhoSul: your new root veggie fertilizer

PhoSul is an OMRI-certified organic fertilizer made from rock phosphate and elemental sulfur. It contains no nitrogen — only phosphorus, which is the nutrient most responsible for root development in carrots, beets, parsnips, and turnips. It also releases calcium and silica as it breaks down, which gradually improves soil structure season after season.

Build-and-maintain amendment: The best part is that PhoSul doesn’t leach. Unlike nitrogen, which washes below the root zone every time you water, phosphorus bonds to soil particles and stays put. This means it builds a slow-releasing reserve your root crops can draw on all season long — without constant reapplication. Think of PhoSul as a build-and-maintain amendment, not a seasonal fertilizer you must continually renew. Instead, top it up lightly once a year, and over two to three seasons the bed will develop a stable phosphorus bank that works quietly beneath your root crops all season long.

To apply PhoSul: Put a pinch of PhoSul in your planting hole for seedlings and seeds. It is very gentle and a little extra will not matter. When you buy Deep Roots crop soil, we will give you a small ziplock bag of PhoSul to add in at planting.

Note - Root topsoil and PhoSul coming to our store in April 2026

Garlic and Onions are NOT root crops

Garlic, onions and leeks are alliums. It’s ideal soil and fertilizer has similarities to BOTH root veggies and above ground (fruiting and leafy) veggies. Garlic and other alliums are a heavy feeders that require nutrient-rich soil, generous organic matter, and good nitrogen levels in early spring to grow large bulbs. The Deep Roots compost-rich beds your tomatoes thrive in are too nutrient-rich for garlic and cause tiny under-developed bulbs. Read our blog post: Planting Garlic in Fall.

Alliums need a soil blend: The solution is growing garlic and other alliums in their own bed or container using a soil blend of 30% high nutrient compost and 70% low nutrient mineral topsoil. Plant in fall (mid-October to early November), mulch with 2–4 inches of straw, and apply a pinch of phosphorus fertilizer next to the clove or seed. In spring when seedlings reach 4–6 inches tall, top-dress (spread on all soil growing alliums) about a half inch of compost and worm castings. Harvest garlic when one-third to half of the leaves have browned..‍ ‍

Soil blends for regular and sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes prefer well-drained low-nutrient sandy or loamy soil, do not require large quantities of organic matter, and over-fertilization tends to produce foliage instead of roots. That makes a leaner mix, around 20% rich compost, better than a rich one.

Regular Potato Soil Blend
Mix 2 parts low nutrient sandy loam with 1 part nutrient-richcompost. Blend thoroughly, then fill beds or containers with loose, well-drained soil. This gives regular potatoes enough fertility without making the mix overly heavy.

Sweet Potato Soil Blend
Mix 5 parts low nutrient sandy loam with 1 part nutrient-rich compost. Keep the blend light and only moderately fertile, since sweet potatoes produce better roots in leaner soil and too much richness can lead to excess vine growth.

Starting and Transplanting Root Vegetable Seedlings

Root vegetables that can be started indoors and transplanted include leeks, onions, and specifically "Clancy" variety potatoes, as they are less sensitive to root disturbance than others. Beets can sometimes be started indoors if transplanted very early, but most root crops like carrots, radishes, and parsnips are best direct-sown. 

Root Vegetables for Indoor Starting 

• Leeks: Start 8-10 weeks before the last frost, as they handle transplanting well.

• Onions: Can be started indoors 8-10 weeks early, with tops trimmed to 3 inches for stronger, transplant-ready plants.

• Potatoes ('Clancy' variety): These can be started from seed indoors.

• Beets: Generally better direct-sown, but can be started indoors and carefully separated if moved while small. 

Why Most Root Crops Dislike Transplanting

Root vegetables develop a single taproot that is very sensitive to disturbance. Transplanting them often causes stunted, misshapen, or split roots. 

Tips for Success

• Use biodegradable pots (like peat pots) to minimize root disturbance during the move to the garden.

• Ensure all plants are properly hardened off before moving them outside.

• For root crops that must be direct-sown (carrots, radishes, turnips), it is best to do so as soon as the soil can be worked. 

What to expect

Learning to grow root crops is not a complicated change. Use dedicated beds or containers, pre-filled with Deep Roots mineral soil and amended with PhoSul. Everything else about your gardening stays the same. Your compost beds keep doing what they do best for tomatoes and greens. Your root veggie bed gets the lean, mineral, low-salt environment that finally lets carrots be carrots and beets be beets.

Plant something. Feed something. Protect something.

Deep Roots Project is here for every step of the journey.

“Grow Your Own Food” blog posts

See the full list of our Grow Your Own Food blog posts. 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 or send a text to our customer support team – support[at]deep-roots-project.org AND 708-655-5299.

Deep Roots online store

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 in the store or by check.

(708) 655-5299 and support[at]deep-roots-project.org

Sign up for our newsletter

Please leave your cell phone number when you sign up for our eNewsletter, if you want text message announcements now and then.

Donations help us provide organic kitchen gardening education to individuals, organizations, and entire communities. Thank you in advance for contributing to our community and for sharing our website and blog with friends and family.

Storing and Using Spinach and Lettuce

Freeze Lettuce & Spinach in Soups, Stews & Dips

Here are 8 delicious vegan recipes for soups, stews, and dips that make excellent use of an abundant lettuce and spinach harvest, and also freeze well.

Healthy Soups & Stews

Spinach and Lettuce Green Soup

•   Ingredients: spinach, lettuce, onions, garlic, potatoes, vegetable broth, coconut milk, salt, pepper.
•   Preparation: Sauté onion and garlic, add diced potatoes, spinach, lettuce, and broth. Simmer until tender. Blend until creamy, then stir in coconut milk.
•   Freezing: Freeze in airtight containers; reheat gently.

Spinach, Lettuce, and White Bean Stew

•   Ingredients: spinach, lettuce, cannelloni beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, vegetable broth, Italian herbs, olive oil.
•   Preparation: Sauté onion and garlic, add spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, and broth. Season with Italian herbs, simmer until thickened.
•   Freezing: Freeze portions in containers; thaw overnight before reheating.

Curried Lettuce and Spinach Soup

•   Ingredients: spinach, lettuce, coconut milk, vegetable broth, onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, chili flakes, lime juice.
•   Preparation: Sauté aromatics, add spinach, lettuce, broth, spices. Cook briefly, blend until smooth, finish with coconut milk and lime juice.
•   Freezing: Freeze in serving-sized portions; thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Lentil and Spinach Stew

•   Ingredients: spinach, lentils, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, vegetable broth, cumin, smoked paprika.
•   Preparation: Sauté vegetables, add lentils, spinach, lettuce, broth, and spices. Cook until lentils are tender and stew thickens.
•   Freezing: Cool completely and freeze in airtight containers.

Delicious Dips

Spinach-Lettuce Pesto Dip

•   Ingredients: spinach, lettuce, basil, garlic, nutritional yeast, walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper.
•   Preparation: Blend all ingredients until smooth. Adjust seasoning as needed.
•   Freezing: Freeze in ice cube trays for easy portioning. Thaw cubes in the fridge overnight.

Creamy Spinach & Lettuce Hummus

•   Ingredients: chickpeas, spinach, lettuce, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper, olive oil.
•   Preparation: Blend all ingredients until creamy, adjust seasoning.
•   Freezing: Portion into containers or bags; thaw overnight in fridge.

Spinach and Lettuce Artichoke Dip

•   Ingredients: spinach, lettuce, artichokes, vegan cream cheese, nutritional yeast, garlic, onions, vegan mozzarella, salt, pepper.
•   Preparation: Blend spinach, lettuce, garlic, cream cheese; fold in chopped artichokes and onions. Top with vegan mozzarella, bake until bubbly.
•   Freezing: Freeze before baking; thaw and bake as needed.

Spicy Spinach and Lettuce Avocado Dip

•   Ingredients: spinach, lettuce, avocados, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, salt.
•   Preparation: Blend spinach, lettuce, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro. Mash with avocado, add lime juice, cumin, salt to taste.
•   Freezing: Freeze in small airtight containers; defrost overnight in refrigerator and stir well before serving.

Join the Deep Roots movement

We’re not just about gardening; we’re about changing the way people grow food. Whether you have a tiny balcony or a full backyard, we’ll help you grow like a pro.

Stay in the loop: Signup for our email newsletter. If you also provide your phone number you will get text message updates that link to our best blog posts.

Get involved: Attend a free workshop, become a volunteer, grab a raised bed, or simply follow along for expert tips. Contact our support team any time you have a question at 708-655-5299 and support@deep-roots-project.org.

Learn. Share. Grow. Volunteer: We invite you to be a part of our sustainable movement right here in our own backyards! We want all our volunteers to have fun and learn while they contribute to expanding the Deep Roots community. We can customize a volunteer assignment to your time, interests and skills. Learn more on our Volunteer page

Dive Deeper

Click on the Blog Posts below for more about our Innovative methods.

Beautify Your Garden with Our Cedar Raised Beds!

 Our Deep Roots handcrafted cedar raised beds are designed to endure outdoors while adding a touch of style to your yard. As a bonus, they are the perfect depth to hold just the right amount of our nutrient-rich compost growing medium, which comes free with each bed.

Deep Roots Supports Gardeners

We provide our gardeners with the best products for success – like cedar raised beds, microbe-rich compost and microbe-rich worm castings.

Call our customer support team with any questions or help with calculations. Then place your order online. If you need help or have a question contact us at support[at]deep-roots-project.org and 708-655-5299.

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

Signup for Our Newsletter

Please leave your cell phone number when you sign up for our eNewsletter to get gardening and seasonal text messages announcements now and then.

Donations help us provide organic kitchen gardening education to individuals, organizations, and entire communities. Thank you in advance for contributing to our community and for sharing our website and blog with friends and family.

Red Malabar Spinach: A Heat-Loving, Edible Beauty

A Heat-Loving, Edible Beauty

If you’re looking for a leafy green that thrives when the summer sun is blazing and most other greens have called it quits, Red Malabar Spinach is your new garden best friend.

Not a True Spinach

With its deep red stems, lush vining habit, and glossy, succulent leaves, this plant is as beautiful as it is useful. Although it’s not technically a true spinach, the taste and texture are close enough that many gardeners use it the same way and fall in love with it for its resilience and beauty.

Red Malabar Spinach, also called New Zealand spinach, climbing spinach, or Ceylon spinach, is officially known as Basella rubra. Native to India and tropical Asia, this plant thrives in heat and humidity. The hotter the summer, the more it seems to flourish.

Eat Raw or Cooked

The leaves are crisp and citrusy when eaten raw and mellow and earthy when cooked. You can toss it into salads, stir it into soups and curries, or blend it into green smoothies. It even produces vivid purple berries that aren't particularly flavorful, but they’re so striking that they’re sometimes used as a natural dye.

In India, the leaves are often sautéed with garlic, onion, chili, and mustard oil—a delicious combination worth trying. Cooked, the leaves are silky but not slimy. Raw, they’re juicy and full of bright, fresh flavor.

Growing Tips

At Deep Roots Project, we grow Malabar spinach using our signature method—100% living compost instead of traditional soil, enriched with worm castings for maximum microbial and nutrient density. This creates the ideal environment for Malabar spinach to grow large, strong, and flavorful, with none of the synthetic inputs used in conventional gardening. Our raised beds packed with life are perfect for heat-loving climbers like this one.

This vigorous vine needs a warm environment, a sturdy large trellis, and consistent moisture to perform at its best. It prefers full sun, though it can tolerate some shade, and it grows rapidly once the weather warms. A couple of plants are usually plenty for a household, producing baskets of leafy greens all through the hot months of summer and into early fall.

Plant Seeds or Stem Cuttings

You can grow Red Malabar Spinach from either seeds or stem cuttings in raised beds or containers. Seeds benefit from scarification—lightly scratching the surface with a nail file or sandpaper helps speed up germination.

Start the seeds indoors six weeks before the last frost if you live in a cooler region like Zone 5b or 6a. Transplant seedlings into the garden only once the soil has fully warmed and there’s no longer any threat of frost. In warmer zones, you can direct sow the seeds in late spring.

Stem cuttings root easily, and pruned vines can often be re-planted directly into the soil to continue growing. That’s just one more reason gardeners love this plant—it’s generous and forgiving.

When planting, give each vine plenty of space to spread out and something to climb. A fence, an arbor, or even an old tomato cage can do the trick. Some gardeners train it to grow over entryways or pergolas, letting the edible vines double as ornamental greenery.

Don’t plant next to large plants like tomatoes and cucumbers since it will grow all over the neighboring plants.

Keep Well Watered

The plant does best in rich, moist soil, and like many leafy greens, it can become bitter if it’s allowed to dry out or go to seed. So keep it well watered and pick the young leaves often to encourage fresh growth and discourage flowering.

Harvesting Tips

Harvest begins once the vines are established. Just snip off the growing tips and tender leaves as needed, leaving the stems to keep producing. The more you harvest, the bushier and more productive your plant becomes.

This plant is a gift for anyone who loves greens but struggles to keep them alive in the peak of summer. Where lettuce and spinach wither, Malabar spinach comes into its own, providing a steady harvest of greens during the hottest weeks of the year. It’s also a great choice for small-space gardens, since it can be grown vertically, freeing up room for other crops.

Save Your Seeds

If you want to save seeds for the next season, let a few berries mature on the vine until they turn deep purple. Once they dry, store them in a cool, dry, dark place. Avoid exposing them to high heat, which can damage their ability to germinate. A paper envelope or sealed glass jar in a cupboard works well.

Perfect for Hot Summers

Malabar spinach is one of those plants that seems too good to be true—gorgeous, delicious, productive, and practically bulletproof in the heat. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or trying your hand at summer greens for the first time, this one’s worth a spot in your raised bed or container garden.

Free Seed Offer for Spring 2025

To help introduce Red Malabar to our local community, Deep Roots is offering free seeds during May and June 2025. Please contact our customer service team at 708-655-5299 or support@deep-roots-project.org.

Join the Deep Roots movement

We’re not just about gardening; we’re about changing the way people grow food. Whether you have a tiny balcony or a full backyard, we’ll help you grow like a pro.

Stay in the loop: Signup for our email newsletter. If you also provide your phone number you will get text message updates that link to our best blog posts.

Get involved: Attend a free workshop, become a volunteer, grab a raised bed, or simply follow along for expert tips. Contact our support team any time you have a question at 708-655-5299 and support@deep-roots-project.org.

Learn. Share. Grow. Volunteer: We invite you to be a part of our sustainable movement right here in our own backyards! We want all our volunteers to have fun and learn while they contribute to expanding the Deep Roots community. We can customize a volunteer assignment to your time, interests and skills. Learn more on our Volunteer page

Dive Deeper

Click on the Blog Posts Below for more about our Innovative methods.

Beautify Your Garden with Our Cedar Raised Beds!

 Our Deep Roots handcrafted cedar raised beds are designed to endure outdoors while adding a touch of style to your yard. As a bonus, they are the perfect depth to hold just the right amount of our nutrient-rich compost growing medium, which comes free with each bed.

Deep Roots Supports Gardeners

We provide our gardeners with the best products for success – like cedar raised beds, microbe-rich compost and microbe-rich worm castings. Check our online store. Always talk to our customer support team before placing your order online. If you need help or have a question contact us at support[at]deep-roots-project.org and 708-655-5299.

Deep Roots Online Store

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 in the store or by check.

Signup for Our Newsletter

Please leave your cell phone number when you sign up for our eNewsletter, if you want text message announcements now and then.

Donations help us provide organic kitchen gardening education to individuals, organizations, and entire communities. Thank you in advance for contributing to our community and for sharing our website and blog with friends and family.

Tomato Growing Myths & Mistakes

Tomatoes are the crown jewel of backyard gardens. No vegetable gets planted with more anticipation or more heartbreak when things go wrong. If you’ve struggled to get a good tomato harvest—or you’re growing them for the first time—this guide is here to help you avoid five common mistakes and grow juicy, healthy tomatoes the Deep Roots way.

Mistake #1: Leaving the Lower Leaves On

One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is leaving the lowest leaves on the tomato plant after it's been transplanted. These early leaves once served a purpose—helping the seedling break through the soil and photosynthesize—but once the plant grows taller, they become liabilities.

Rain and irrigation can splash soil up onto these bottom leaves, spreading fungal and bacterial diseases. By trimming the leaves below the first flower cluster, you dramatically reduce the risk of infection. This also improves airflow at the base, helping your tomato plant stay dry and disease-free.

Pro tip: If you’re planting tomatoes deep to encourage rooting along the stem (a great idea), trim the lower branches a few days before transplanting. That gives the stem time to heal and prevents infection from open wounds.

Mistake #2: Fertilizing the Wrong Way or Not Enough

Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Unlike forest ecosystems, vegetable gardens don’t replenish their nutrients naturally—everything the plants take from the soil must be put back by you.

Many gardeners under-fertilize or use low-quality fertilizers. At Deep Roots Project, we recommend a powerful, soil-friendly combination: worm castings and fish emulsion.

Why Deep Roots fertilizers work better. Most powdered fertilizers—especially the ones sold in bags at big-box stores—are manufactured from isolated nutrients. These quick-fix formulas may “green up” your plants fast, but they don’t feed the soil, and over time, your soil becomes depleted.

Worm castings are nature’s perfect slow-release fertilizer. Made by red wiggler worms from nutrient-dense organic matter, they’re packed with microbes that wake up your soil and help roots absorb nutrients better. They improve soil structure, water retention, and disease resistance—benefits that powdered fertilizers just can’t match.

Fish emulsion, especially cold-processed organic types, gives your tomatoes a gentle, balanced dose of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It’s also loaded with micro-nutrients and beneficial bacteria. When watered in every two weeks, it keeps your tomatoes growing strong without the harsh chemical burn of synthetic options.

Our Suggested Routine (Every Two Weeks):

•   Top-dress each plant with ½ to 1 cup of worm castings.

•   Water in with fish emulsion (about 2–3 tablespoons per gallon).

•   Repeat every 14 days for happy, productive plants.

Want to go 100% organic? Great. Need to cut costs and mix in a bit of a commercial product? Fine. But always keep high-quality compost and natural fertilizers at the heart of your routine. Healthy soil = healthy tomatoes.

Mistake #3: Over-Pruning Tomato Plants

Pruning has become a trend among tomato growers—but many are doing too much. For determinate (bush) or dwarf varieties, never prune above the first flower cluster. These plants are pre-programmed to stop growing at a certain height. Over-pruning means fewer fruits.

For indeterminate tomatoes (which keep growing all season), it’s tempting to remove every sucker (the shoots that grow between the main stem and branches). But unless you're growing inside a greenhouse with 20-foot vertical space, this "single-stem" method will lower your yield. In a home garden, allow suckers to develop—especially ones low on the plant that your support structure can handle. More suckers = more flowers = more tomatoes.

Key takeaway: Prune for airflow and structure, not out of habit. If you can’t explain why you're pruning a certain branch, don't prune it.

Mistake #4: Planting Too Late in Warm Climates

If you live in a hot, humid region, timing is everything. Once daytime temps consistently hit 90°F and nights don’t dip below 70°F, tomato flowers won’t pollinate. Pollen becomes sticky, and flowers drop without forming fruit.

In cooler regions, gardeners are taught to wait until the danger of frost is well past. But in the South and other hot climates, waiting too long can mean a total harvest failure. Tomatoes should be planted early in spring, so they reach their peak flowering before the worst summer heat arrives.

If you're relocating from a northern state, adjust your timing expectations. Aim to plant tomatoes on the shoulder season—early enough to flower before the summer swelter.

Mistake #5: Believing the 'Full Sun' Myth

“Full sun” is a misleading term. While tomato seedlings love spring sunshine, intense summer sun stresses the plants, making them more vulnerable to disease and insect attack.

In their native tropical forests, tomatoes grow as sprawling vines under a canopy of dappled light. That’s why Deep Roots recommends 40% shade cloth during the summer.

Here's the winning formula:

•   Let your tomatoes soak up the full sun in spring (April–May).

•   Then, install shade cloth starting around Memorial Day to mimic their native light conditions.

This keeps your plants cool, reduces disease pressure, and extends your harvest by 45 to 60 days.

Final Thoughts on Tomato Mistakes

Whether you’re growing five tomato plants or fifty, mastering these five tips will set you up for success. Use Deep Roots Project’s organic fertilizers, plant at the right time, prune wisely, and protect your tomatoes with shade when the summer sun turns brutal.

Tomatoes may be the most beloved crop in the garden—but they’re also one of the trickiest. With a little knowledge and the right soil-building approach, your tomato patch can become the envy of the neighborhood.

The Tomato Pruning Debate

Pruning tomato plants has been a topic of debate among gardeners. Some claim that it increases yield, while others believe it's unnecessary. Scientific evidence does suggest that pruning can have specific benefits, but the extent of its impact on yield can vary based on factors like tomato variety, growing conditions, soil nutrients/microbes and pruning techniques.

Recent research has begun to challenge the long-held belief that pruning tomato plants invariably leads to better yields and healthier crops. While pruning can offer certain benefits, such as improved air circulation and disease prevention, studies suggest that its impact on yield and fruit quality may not be as significant as once thought.

Are Benefits of Pruning Tomatoes Just a Myth?

Pruning is not a myth, but its benefits can be specific to certain circumstances:

Indeterminate vs. Determinate Varieties: Pruning is more beneficial for indeterminate varieties that continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the season.

Disease Management: Improved air circulation from pruning can reduce the risk of fungal diseases.

Fruit Quality: Pruning can result in larger, higher-quality fruits.
However, for determinate varieties, which produce fruit in a shorter, more concentrated period, pruning is less critical and may not increase yield.

A Recent Science on Tomato Pruning

Studies collected by The Spruce suggest that while pruning can have specific benefits, such as disease prevention and plant manageability, it may not universally enhance yield or fruit quality. Home gardeners should consider factors like tomato variety, local climate, and available resources when deciding on pruning practices. For instance, determinate varieties often require minimal pruning, while indeterminate types may benefit from selective pruning to manage growth. Read full article by The Spruce “Should You Prune Out Tomato Suckers.”

The Spruce is committed to the quality and trustworthiness of their content and editorial processes. Their team of writers, editors, fact checkers, illustrators, photographers, and medical and financial professionals rigorously researches and reviews all content on an ongoing basis to ensure it is up to date, accurate, and puts the needs of their readers first. Learn more at The Spruce Content Integrity Promise

Customize Your Pruning Methods

In summary, pruning should be tailored to individual gardening contexts rather than applied as a one-size-fits-all solution. Understanding the specific needs of your tomato plants and observing their responses to pruning can lead to more informed and effective gardening practices.

Join the Deep Roots movement

We’re not just about gardening; we’re about changing the way people grow food. Whether you have a tiny balcony or a full backyard, we’ll help you grow like a pro.

Stay in the loop: Signup for our email newsletter. If you also provide your phone number you will get text message updates that link to our best blog posts.

Get involved: Attend a free workshop, become a volunteer, grab a raised bed, or simply follow along for expert tips. Contact our support team any time you have a question at 708-655-5299 and support@deep-roots-project.org.

Learn. Share. Grow. Volunteer: We invite you to be a part of our sustainable movement right here in our own backyards! We want all our volunteers to have fun and learn while they contribute to expanding the Deep Roots community. We can customize a volunteer assignment to your time, interests and skills. Learn more on our Volunteer page

Dive Deeper

Click on the Blog Posts Below for more about our Innovative methods.

Beautify Your Garden with Our Cedar Raised Beds!

 Our Deep Roots handcrafted cedar raised beds are designed to endure outdoors while adding a touch of style to your yard. As a bonus, they are the perfect depth to hold just the right amount of our nutrient-rich compost growing medium, which comes free with each bed.

Deep Roots Supports Gardeners

We provide our gardeners with the best products for success – like cedar raised beds, microbe-rich compost and microbe-rich worm castings. Check our online store. Always talk to our customer support team before placing your order online. If you need help or have a question contact us at support[at]deep-roots-project.org and 708-655-5299.

Deep Roots Online Store

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 in the store or by check.

Please leave your cell phone number when you sign up for our eNewsletter, if you want text message announcements now and then.

Donations help us provide organic kitchen gardening education to individuals, organizations, and entire communities. Thank you in advance for contributing to our community and for sharing our website and blog with friends and family.

Pruning Blackberry, Raspberry and Blueberry Bushes

Pruning is an essential gardening practice that keeps your blackberry, blueberry and raspberry bushes productive, healthy, and easy to manage. While pruning can seem intimidating, it’s straightforward once you understand the seasonal needs of each plant. Here’s what you need to know about pruning your berry bushes in both spring and fall.

Pruning Raspberry Bushes

Spring Pruning (Late Winter to Early Spring)

Raspberry pruning depends on whether you’re growing summer-bearing or ever-bearing (fall-bearing) varieties.

As a rule, for both varieties, always remember to cut the canes out at the ground level and remove the cut canes completely from the bed. The cut canes often harbor diseases, so you do not want to use them as mulch around the existing plants.

For summer-bearing raspberries:

• Summer-bearing raspberries require two prunings.

• Immediately after harvest, remove all the canes that fruited (floricanes).

• Thin remaining canes to about 6 inches apart, keeping the strongest ones for fruit production.

• In spring, cut back the side shoots on the floricanes slightly - remove less than one-fourth of the length of the cane. This procedure is called “heading back” and prevents the shoots from becoming too heavy.

• Trim any overly long or weak canes to about 4-5 feet tall to encourage sturdy growth.

For ever-bearing raspberries:

• The most efficient method for fall bearing raspberries is to cut them all down every fall after harvest. Treating them like an annual crop this way gives you only one large crop in late summer or early fall. But it is a good way to avoid disease and damage from rabbits by overwintering canes.

• If you want a summer and fall harvest, remove only the top portion of canes that fruited in the fall, leaving the lower part to bear fruit in early summer. After these canes fruit the following summer, cut them out at ground level.

• Be sure to monitor carefully and immediately remove any canes that show signs of disease.

Black and Purple Raspberries

• When the primocanes are 2 feet high in the summer, pinch out the tip of each shoot. This will cause side shoots to grow, increasing your harvest and making the berries easier to reach.

• After harvest, cut out all the canes that fruited.

• In early Spring, cut back side branches to 12 inches, and remove all but four to five of the best canes.

Final Tips for Success

• Always use sharp, clean pruning shears to prevent damage and disease spread.

• Label your berry varieties if you grow both summer-bearing and ever-bearing raspberries to ensure proper pruning.

• Prune on a dry day to reduce the risk of fungal infections entering fresh cuts.

• Prepare for winter. If you live in a cold climate, consider tying up raspberry canes to prevent wind damage and adding mulch at the base for insulation.

Pruning Blackberry Bushes

Note - Blackberries are not generally recommended in northern Illinois. They are not normally hardy enough for our climate. However, if you are in a more moderate micro-climate close to Lake Michigan and have a spot protected from strong winds - then you may be able to grow Blackberries successfully.

Training & Pruning Blackberries

• Blackberries produce on second year canes. You train them the same way you do black raspberries: prune the tips of the canes the first season when they reach four feet in order to stiffen the canes.

• Prune out canes that have fruited immediately after harvest or any time before Spring growth begins.

• In early Spring while the plants are still dormant, cut back each side shoot to 8 inches.

• Remove dead, damaged, or diseased canes. This prevents disease and promotes healthy growth.

• Tip-prune the canes. Cut back the top few inches of young, vigorous canes to about 3-4 feet to encourage lateral branching and increase fruit yield.

• Space out canes. Keep about 6 inches between canes to ensure good airflow and reduce disease risk.

Fall Pruning (After Harvest)

• Remove spent floricanes. If not done earlier, cut back any canes that fruited during the summer to ground level.

• Thin the primocanes. Leave only the healthiest, strongest new canes for next year’s fruiting, spacing them about 6 inches apart.

• Cut back lateral branches. Trim lateral growth to about 12-18 inches to encourage better fruit production the following season.

• Prepare for winter. In colder climates, consider tying canes to a trellis and applying mulch around the base for insulation.

Final Tips for Success

• Always use sharp, clean pruning shears to prevent damage and disease spread.

• Label your berry varieties if you grow different types to ensure proper pruning.

• Prune on a dry day to reduce the risk of fungal infections entering fresh cuts.

Pruning Blueberry Bushes

Special reminder: Blueberries require acid soil of pH around 4.5. Our regular Deep Roots compost and worm castings have a pH of around 7. Create special soil blend and use a low pH fertilizer.

Skip the first 3 years

• It is not necessary to prune new blueberry bushes for the first three years after planting.

Spring Pruning (Late Winter to Early Spring)

• After three years, begin pruning every year while the plants are still dormant.

• Late Winter or early Spring is the best time to assess winter damage and shape your blueberry bushes for a strong growing season.

• Remove dead, damaged, or diseased branches. These branches won’t contribute to healthy growth and can spread disease.

• Remove weak shoots and twigs less than 6 inches long to let in more light, reduce the risk of fungal infections, and produce more fruit.

• Renewal Pruning. Blueberries produce fruits on second year growth. Every couple of years remove the oldest and heaviest branches. New shoots will grow from the base of the plant and produce a better crop.

  •   Limit excessive height. Trim back overly tall stems to keep the plant manageable and promote fruiting within easy reach. Ideally, prune back long canes to about 4-5 feet in height.

Fall Pruning Not Needed for Blueberries

• In general you do not prune Blueberries in the fall.

• Fall pruning will stimulate new growth too late in the season, which may not survive winter.

• You may want to remove any diseased or broken branches. This helps prevent issues from carrying over into winter. But avoid major cuts. Save heavy pruning for early spring when the plant is dormant.

• Clean up debris. Rake and remove fallen leaves and pruned material to reduce the risk of pests and disease overwintering in your garden.
  

  Happy Gardening!

With regular pruning, your blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry bushes will reward you with abundant, high-quality fruit for years to come. See the full list of our Grow Your Own Food blog posts. Each post is assigned ”tags” which are under the post title.

Deep Roots Supports Gardeners

We provide our gardeners with the best products for success – like cedar raised beds, microbe-rich compost and microbe-rich worm castings. Check our online store. Always talk to our customer support team before placing your order online. If you need help or have a question contact us at support[at]deep-roots-project.org and 708-655-5299.

Deep Roots Online Store

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 in the store or by check.

Please leave your cell phone number when you sign up for our eNewsletter, if you want text message announcements now and then.

Donations help us provide organic kitchen gardening education to individuals, organizations, and entire communities. Thank you in advance for contributing to our community and for sharing our website and blog with friends and family.

Cabbage Family (Brassica) Tips

Broccoli and kale are super foods and worth their weight in gold. Cabbage/Brassica Family includes Arugala, Bok choi, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, Cress, Horseradish, Kale, Kolhrabi, Mustard Greens, Radishes, Rutabagas, Turnips. In greater Chico area Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower and Cabbage.

Planting and care tips

Our goal is healthy veggies. The goal is to keep the pests under control so your harvest is not severely damaged or your yield reduced. Cruciferous vegetables is another name for the Cabbage Family (Brassica) plants.

We don’t expect 100% perfect veggies. We can eat green leafy veggies with a few (caterpillar (cabbage worm) holes as long as we wash them first. A few holes doesn't hurt humans or the plant. But a few holes may not be okay with neighbors and friends who share your harvest.

Biodiversity planting helps control pests. Mixing together many friendly plants (companions) in the same bed masks the scent of the plant that the pest is attracted to. It also helps to grow pest resistant varieties of your favorite veggies. View our blogpost on biodiversity

The swede midge fly (Contarinia nasturtii), an invasive pest from Europe, has begun wreaking havoc on brassica crops. including radish, horseradish, rutabaga, turnip, rapeseed (canola), arugula, bok choy and Chinese cabbage. Crops that are most damaged include common favorites such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, collards and Brussels sprouts. Since we have not yet found a pesticide for swede midge our sollution is to grow only collards and kale. We harvst as soon as large leves appear throughout the sesaon. If swede midge damage appears on the base of the leaf, we cut it off and wash all harvested leaves. View our blog post on Swede Midge.

Club Root disease: Many local home gardeners have given up growing broccoli and focus instead on other greens like kale, Swiss chard, Chinese cabbage, Chinese broccoli and Bok Choy. Protection from Club Roots takes time, knowlege and determination. It’s best to grow from seed to avoid buying contaminated seedlings. Watch this video on club root disease.

Companion plants that discourage cabbage worms are catnip, dill, geranium, nasturtium, sage, and thyme. Plants that discourage cabbage loopers are catnip, dill, nasturtium, peppermint, rosemary, sage, spearmint, and thyme.

Companion aromatic plants that repel and block pests are sage, rosemary, thyme, mint and nasturtium. The smell of these herbs and flowers in particular make multiple brassica pests turn the other way.

Get help from the experts on pests from your local botanic garden and state university agricultural extension.

In our experience kale is more resistant to pests than any of the other cabbage family varieties.

The three main brassica pests are flea beetles, aphids, and cabbage worms. Flea beetles are very tiny and hop around like fleas.

An easy first line of defense against pests are crop rotation, biodiversity planting and “floating row cover.” If you still get some caterpillars check our post on Environmental Pest Management.

Floating row cover on all brassicas for the whole season will prevent cabbage moths from laying their eggs on your plants. Floating row cover is a thin white gardening fabric that allows in sunlight and rain. Weight down the fabric edge so the moths can’t fly inside. This only works in a bed that has NOT grown cabbage family veggies last year since the eggs could be in the soil and will hatch into cabbage moths. See our blog post Installing Hoops on Raised Beds.

Bok choi (Pak choi) is a type of Chinese cabbage. The plant is a member of the brassicae or cruciferae families, also known as mustards, crucifers, or cabbages.

The easiest brassicas to grow are short-season greens like baby kale, mustard greens, or bok choy are the. Sown in early spring or late summer, they will start producing baby greens in just a few weeks and maybe harvested at full size for cooking.

The healthiest cruciferous vegetables may include Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale. Various studies have reported that eating more cruciferous vegetables has several health benefits.

For more tips on planting seeds and seedlings, managing pests and our local Planting Calendar go to our blog posts:

Broccoli growing tips

Broccoli is a sun-loving, cool-season crop that is best grown in the spring or fall. It’s also incredibly healthy, rich in vitamins and minerals, and is a good source of Vitamin A, potassium, folic acid, iron, and fiber.

Broccoli is attacked by multiple pests and diseases in our area. Our main problem is “Club Root.” Many local home gardeners have given up growing broccoli and focus instead on other greens like kale, Swiss chard, Chinese cabbage, Chinese broccoli and Bok Choy. The Deep Roots team is still researching this problem. We suggest growing broccoli in a container with fresh Deep Roots compost. Don’t use tools and gloves that have been used with other soil,

Planting: Broccoli thrives at 65°F to 70°F and is very sensitive to temperature. Plant in early spring when the soil is damp since broccoli will bolt in warm weather and not produce the “floret” (the bushy part). You want the plant to move slowly into seed and have time to give maximum energy to producing the large floret. Plant seedlings (with 4 or 5 leaves) about 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost date. Consult planting locations in our Biodiversity method post.

Care: Keep moist but don’t over water. Provide consistent soil moisture especially in drought conditions (1-1.5 inches of water per week.) Don’t get the heads wet when watering, as it can encourage rot. Roots are very shallow, so try not to disturb the plants. Mulch to suffocate weeds and to help keep soil temperatures down. To promote the growth of a second head after the first has been harvested, maintain watering schedule.

How to harvest broccoli: Harvest broccoli in the morning before it heats up when the buds of the head are firm and tight, just before the heads flower. If you do see yellow petals, harvest immediately, since flowering will decrease quality of florets rapidly. Most varieties have side-shoots that will continue to develop after the main head is harvested. You can harvest from one plant for many weeks, in some cases, from spring to fall, if your summer isn’t too hot. Also harvest and eat the leaves.

How to store broccoli: Store broccoli in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you wash before storing, make sure to dry it thoroughly. Broccoli can be blanched and frozen for up to one year.

Kale growing tips

Seasonal tips: Hearty kale is the most reliable crop of the cabbage gamily – cold-hardy and resilient plant. It will continue to grow through the summer. The flavor changes depending on when you harvest it – mildest in spring, more bitter in hot weather, and sweeter after a frost. We like this video: Growing kale for sowing to harvest

Plant in early spring or late summer for a fall crop. Cool weather brings out the sweet, nutty flavor of this highly nutritious green. Plant seedlings very early in the spring (3 to 5 weeks before the last frost). Since the temperatures can dip below the 20s, have floating row covers on hand so you can cover them on cool nights. Mulch the soil heavily after the first hard freeze in the fall.

Plant 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost for fall. Harvest it from fall until the ground freezes in winter as the flavor sweetens after a couple frosts. You can extend the harvest season with a mini hoop house covered in plastic. Add a row cover fabric resting directly on the plants inside the hoop house.

Kale will grow throughout the summer. But in hot weather it tends to become tough and bitter. For best results, kale should be allowed to mature in cooler weather. Kale tastes best when plants grow rapidly and mature before the heat of summer (before temperatures exceed 75°F) or after fall frosts. We grow kale through the hot weather in the Chicago area.

Watering and mulch: It’s important to keep kale well watered but don’t over water. Water 1 to 1.5 inches each week. Mulch the soil with a layer of compost and a layer of straw to keep down the weeds and keep kale cool.

Harvesting: Kale is ready to harvest when the leaves are about the size of your hand. Start harvesting the oldest leaves first from the lowest section of the plant. Discard any yellowed or torn leaves. Avoid picking the terminal bud (found at the top center of the plant) because this will help to keep the plant productive.

Our Innovative Food Gardening Method

Learn more in our two recently revised blog posts.

Our online store

See our online store for details about prices, ordering and delivery of raised beds, compost, worm castings and more. Please contact our customer support team before placing an order online so we can assist you with the details and answer your gardening questions.

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Tomato Growing Tips

You’re not alone on your “Grow Your Own” journey

Grow your own food advantages: We all know that the taste of any store-bought tomato (even organic ones) cannot compare to homegrown tomatoes. It is also great to be able to experiment with so many different varieties – each with its own unique flavor.

The Deep Roots innovative growing method is designed to make food gardening successful for beginners and all gardeners year after year. We accomplish this by following a new soil science that first supports the beneficial soil microbes. We don’t fill our raised beds with conventional soil and instead use 100% Microbe-Rich Compost. We use top quality “worm castings” (worm poop) instead of commercial organic fertilizers. The microbes in our compost and in our worm castings feed the plants.

Below are links to our growing method.:

Plant tomato seeds or seedlings?

Buy or grow seedlings (transplants). Most new gardeners prefer to buy young starter plants called “seedlings” or ”transplants.” Advanced gardeners grow their own seedlings from seeds.

Beginner gardeners in Chicago area (climate zone 6a) should plant seedlings no earlier than mid May to avoid cold nights. Some neighborhoods in Chicago are warmed by the “lake effect” (climate zone 6b) and can plant in early May.

Tips for buying seedlings (transplants): Always buy seedlings immediately after they are delivered to the store. Don’t buy seedlings with yellowing leaves. If you have tiny seedlings in very small pots and are not ready to plant yet, move them immediately to larger sterilized pots. Soak used pots in water with 10% bleach for 20 minutes and soak for 20 minutes in fresh water. Place the newly potted seedlings in a bright southern window or under grow lights.

Tomatoes are sensitive to temperature

Understanding the temperature tolerances of the vegetables you grow is crucial for their growth and productivity. By providing the optimal temperature conditions, you can ensure healthy plants and a bountiful harvest. Peppers and eggplants have similar sensitivities. Most tomato seedlings survive cold nights (temperatures between 40º and 50º). Severe damage occurs under 40º. Learn about season extension techniques to protect tomatoes from extreme cold and heat. See our blog post: Season Extension.

Cherry tomatoes are warm-season plants and prefer temperatures between 70°F to 80°F. They can tolerate slightly cooler temperatures but don't grow well in temperatures below 50°F. If temperatures exceed 95°F, cherry tomato plants may drop their flowers and fruits.

Roma tomatoes are also warm-season plants and prefer temperatures between 70°F to 85°F. They can tolerate slightly cooler temperatures but don't grow well in temperatures below 55°F. Like cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes may drop their flowers and fruits if temperatures exceed 95°F.

Heirloom tomatoes are also warm-season plants and prefer temperatures between 70°F to 85°F. They can tolerate slightly cooler temperatures but don't grow well in temperatures below 55°F. If temperatures exceed 95°F, heirloom tomato plants may drop their flowers and fruits.

Spring temperatures are very unpredictable during climate change. Most Zone 6a and 6b experienced gardeners prefer to plant tomato seedlings within the official planting date (May 1-15). Experienced gardeners have some tricks to protect against unexpected later frosts. Be patient when planting tomatoes and other very cold-sensitive crops that should never be exposed to under 50º F. To be safe beginners should plant on May 18 a little later than the official last frost date.

How to plant tomato seedlings

Preparing the soil: If your bed is filled with our 100% compost and you have added 2” fresh compost after the previous growing season, just add 1 cup of worm casting to your hole. But, if your bed is filled with conventional soil, dig a bigger hole to make room for several cups of half-and-half compost and worm castings mixture. Another option if you are planting in conventional soil is to dig out the top 4 to 6 inches of the soil and replace it with our Microbe-Rich Compost.

Planting the seedling: Use biodiversity planting – only one or two tomatoes per bed – 2 feet apart to get air flow that prevents dampness that promotes fungi and blight. Fill the spaces on the edges and between the tomatoes with other plants.

Give your tomato seedling an amazing head start. Prune bottom leaves and plant deep. If it’s a large seedling prune the bottom leaves off and dig an extra deep hole. Plant the roots extra deep so a lot of stem is covered by soil. The hair on the buried stem will become roots and produce a healthier tomato plant. View this excellent tomato planting video – but remember we use top quality worm castings instead of traditional fertilizers.

Add mulch and water deeply, but don’t over water

Watering tips from Oak Park’s Tomato Lady (Lissa Dysart): “Don’t water very much, other than at the beginning to help them get settled in. I’m a tough-love gardener, so I don’t pamper them. Watering a little bit every day is a mistake, because you’re frequently only watering on the surface and because the water evaporates really quickly. If you need to water due to heat or new plants, try to water every other day or every several days, but water really deeply when you do. If there’s been no rain, I’ll water to keep a medium level of hydration on the plant, especially when they’ve set fruit, to avoid cracking. When it hasn’t rained for a while and the plant has fully formed fruit, the sudden influx of water from a rainstorm can cause the fruit to rapidly increase volume, and then crack, so I will give them a drink in a period of no water to avoid that issue. Generally speaking, the less you water your tomatoes, the denser the flavor, so I err on the side of less watering.” – Tomato Lady

For more about the Tomato Lady (and more tips) see this article: Oak Park’s Tomato Lady.

Sunlight and temperatures

Tomatoes always want morning sun. The sooner the sun strikes their leaves in the morning, the faster the dew will evaporate and the healthier the plants will be. Choose the sunniest spot in your garden. Too much sun can be a problem to your tomatoes caused by intense, direct sunlight for extended periods during very hot weather. Historically this is not an issue in the Chicago area, but climate change has made intense, days-long extreme heat more common in our area.

Extreme heat is bad for tomatoes: Excessively hot temperatures - over 90 degrees consistently during the day and 75 degrees or higher overnight - stress tomato plants. Most tomatoes stop producing blossoms and fruit, and simply concentrate on surviving. The 2 Chicago heat waves in July 2022 shut down 12 hybrid tomato plants in the Deep Roots experimental garden in Oak Park, IL for the rest of the growing season. Protect tomato plants during high heat with shade cloth. View this excellent video about heat protection of crops.

Determinate OR indeterminate

Determinate and indeterminate tomatoes. Your plants are either determinate (meaning they will grow to a certain height, often about 3-5 feet tall, and then produce their fruit all at once), or they are indeterminate (they just keep on growing and producing fruit as they grow). They stop growing when cold weather hits.

Growing cherry tomatoes is easier. Most cherry tomatoes are indeterminate and have a large, sprawling growth habit that requires pruning and support. When space is limited, many gardeners choose determinate varieties as they grow in a more compact, bush-like shape. They ripen in small batches throughout the season. You usually don’t have to protect them from squirrels in the Chicago area. They don’t require as much careful pruning. Kids and adults love to eat them right off the plant.

Pruning tomatoes

Pruning helps maintain balance between vegetative (leaves and stems) and reproductive (flowers and fruits) growth, improves airflow to prevent disease, and can even help your plants produce larger fruit. As the plant grows, remove the shoots or "suckers" (see diagram below) which develop between the main stem and the leaves, up to the first flower/fruit. Above the first fruit cluster, let the shoots develop two leaves and then pinch off the tips.

Indeterminate and determinate tomatoes are pruned differently. The self-pruning gene causes determinate tomato plants to stop the growth of their shoots once blossoms form at their ends. On the other hand, indeterminate tomatoes, which lack the self-pruning gene, will simply flower blossoms along its shoots, and continue to grow throughout the appropriate season. Determinate tomatoes need no pruning other than removing all suckers below the first flower cluster because pruning won't affect their fruit size or plant vigor. If you do any pruning at all above the first flower cluster on determinate tomatoes, you'll only be throwing away potential fruit.

How to prune video we like is prune your tomato plants. See more pruning tips in the vertical growing section below.

Growing tomatoes vertically

Is growing vertically always the best option? Vertical growing is always needed when space is limited. The University of IL Agricultural Extension says: “Tomatoes can be grown successfully either on the ground or staked, but plants grown on the ground require less work, produce more per plant, and are less susceptible to blossom-end rot. The advantages of staking are cleaner fruits, no loss from soil rot or anthracnose and, sometimes, easier picking. If you grow tomatoes on the ground, mulching with clean fresh straw will reduce anthracnose and fruit rots, and help to keep the fruits clean. Also, the mulch will conserve moisture and control weeds.”

Trellis or staking: Most people grow indeterminate tomatoes which will need a trellis, staking, a tomato cage, or another way to keep the plant from collapsing. Most large determinate tomatoes need a cage or will need to be staked. There are many ways to trellis tomatoes. A wooden or metal frame with wire or netting grid attached secured to the raised bed is best. Traditional trellis designs assume you are growing all the tomatoes in one spot close together. BUT, we strongly recommend you put at least 2 feet or more between tomato plants or grow them in separate large containers.

Tomato cage: Since it’s very important to space the tomatoes 2 feet apart we suggest a tomato cage for each plant. Large tomato plants can topple over if their only support is a tomato cage. Before you plant your seedlings, secure your tomato cage with a sturdy 50-60 inch tall stake down the middle of the cage. Secure the main stem to the stake as it grows. Contact Deep Roots support if you want to borrow some of our extra large tomato cages stored at our Deep Roots garden in Oak Park, IL.

There are several methods of staking and pruning tomatoes.

Tips from University of IL Agricultural Extension website:

• Start early with the staking. Shortly after transplanting, drive a stake about 6 feet long and 1½ inches in diameter into the soil 8 to 10 inches deep and 3 inches away from each plant.

• Tie a string tightly around the stake and loosely around the plant. Tie a knot just below a branch so that the plant cannot slide down.

• When the plants are 12 to 15 inches high, remove all but one or two main stems and tie them loosely to the stake, using soft twine or cloth.

• As the plant grows, remove the shoots or "suckers" (see diagram above) which develop between the main stem and the leaves, up to the first fruit cluster.

• Above the first fruit cluster, let the shoots develop two leaves and then pinch off the tips.

• Tie the plant loosely to the stake every 10 to 12 inches.

Squirrel protection

There are several ways to deal with squirrels biting your tomatoes. They are interested in the juice mainly,

• Place heavy-duty deer netting, chicken wire or other wire fencing around the tomato plants to keep the squirrels from spreading diseases and ruining tomatoes. Make sure the netting does NOT touch the plants.

• Plant only cherry tomatoes since squirrels rarely bother them.

• Protect individual ripening fruits with a small brown paper lunch bag tied to the plant when the tomato turns from green to beige.

• Bring tomatoes indoors when they just start to ripen. Speed up the ripening process in a paper bag that includes several green tomatoes and an apple. Ethylene gas released by apples, bananas and tomatoes naturally ripen fruit. This is the preferred method used by many Deep Roots experienced gardeners.

How to harvest tomatoes

“Harvest the fruits when they are pink except during periods when the daily mean temperature is above 70° F. At such high temperatures pick the fruits just as they are turning color and keep them at 68° F. for further coloring. These fruits will be firmer and have better flavor than those ripened on the vine when temperatures are high. Fruits exposed to direct sunlight will reach a temperature 20 degrees higher than that of shaded fruits.

In the fall just before the first frost, pick the large green fruits as well as the riper fruits. Ripen these fruits at about 60° to 70° F. in the dark. By sorting them out every 2 or 3 days you will have a gradual supply for about a month.” – University of IL Agricultural Extension

Environmental Pest Management (EPM)

An integrated approach is key

Diseases in tomatoes can be greatly reduced by good cultural practices and carrying out a fungicide dust or spray program. EPM for organic food gardening is responsible environmental stewardship. EPM is modeled after the older Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that allowed use of toxic chemicals for extreme pest invasions.

Use the organic safe sprays we recommend in our EPM post (link below). We practice these EPM principles for all of your vegetables. Details are in our EPM post. Contact your local botanic garden information service OR state university agricultural extension for help identifying and treating pest problems.

Our Innovative Food Gardening Method

Learn more in our two recently revised blog posts.

Our online store

See our online store for details about prices, ordering and delivery of raised beds, compost, worm castings and more. Please contact our customer support team before placing an order online so we can assist you with the details and answer your gardening questions.

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