Welcome to the Deep Roots Project's full season guide for climate zones 5b and 6a. We go step-by-step through our innovative and easy to learn organic gardening method from early spring preparation through fall harvest. It will bring you success from the first season in limited space using raised beds. Whether you're a beginner or experienced gardener, our methods will help you grow nutrient-dense food while revitalizing your soil with the power of microbe- and nutrient-rich compost.
Start Small and Learn at Your Own Pace
Adjust your developing gardening habits to fit the food you love and your available time. Remember that many of the Deep Roots “Transformational Gardening” methods are different from what you will find in YouTube videos and articles about traditional organic gardening. Follow our lead that uses the new agricultural science on soil, fertilizers, biodiversity planting, pests and more. Go to a higher level any time. Learn gardening terminology in our extensive gardening glossary blog post.
First Read our “Gardening Basics” Post
To get the most from this blog post, first read our “Transformational Gardening Basics” overview blog post for a broader understanding of the new soil science behind our innovative method. If you are already an experienced gardener OR when you are ready for a deeper dive into our innovative method, browse our full blog posts archive at Grow Your Own Food blog.
This post is a clear, step-by-step guide, through each phase of the gardening season, while maintaining a focus on Deep Roots Project’s core principles and innovative method.
Early Spring: Prepare Your Garden for Success
As winter fades and spring begins to stir, it’s time to start laying the foundation for a successful growing season. Follow these steps to ensure your garden gets off to the right start:
Clean and inspect your garden beds: Begin by cleaning any leftover debris or weeds from the previous year. Follow the “No till, no dig, no pull rule” and don’t pull out roots. Instead cut the stem at soil level. If you’re using raised beds, inspect the structure to ensure they’re still sturdy.
Make sure that the southern sun is not blocked by nearby buildings or shady trees. Do any trees or shrubs need trimming to allow maximum sunlight? Consider growing in your front yard, if your back yard is too shady.
Consider adding a raised bed. Raised beds allow you to grow a lot of food in a small space. We take advantage of the protected space that raised beds offer to grow in 100% Microbe-Rich Compost which is bursting with soil microbes and organic matter that soil microorganism populations feast on. Your plants will love it. Plus, never walk on the soil in your raised beds so it stays loose and fluffy. Plants grow poorly in compacted soil.
Spinach cover crop: If you planted spinach seeds from November 15 to 30, be careful to not disturb the spinach seedlings that sprout in early spring. You get a much larger spinach crop when you plant spinach seeds in the fall instead of in the spring. Harvest individual spinach plants to make empty spots for other early spring crops.
Amend the soil with compost: Deep Roots Project emphasizes the use of 100% microbe- and nutrient-rich compost. Spread a 2-3 inch layer of compost on the surface of your garden beds. This compost acts as both a fertilizer and soil conditioner, enhancing soil health without the need for chemical inputs.
Follow biodiversity planting: In early spring, start planning where spring and summer plants will go. Carefully follow the “biodiversity” section in our “Transformational Gardening Basics” blog post.
Install trellises and other space-saving vertical gardening techniques to maximize your growing area. Growing vertically in a food garden offers several advantages, including increased yields, efficient use of space, improved air circulation, and easier maintenance. Grow Vertically on a Trellis blog post.
Start warm season crops indoors from seed OR from tiny inexpensive garden center seedlings. Move the tiny seedlings into bigger pots as soon as you bring them home. Wash and soak used pots in dilute bleach. Place the small pots under grow lights or next to a very large sunny southern window. Use equal parts of our compost and worm castings for the soil. Read more about planting seeds and seedlings for beginners and for next level gardening.
Decide where to plant cool-season crops outdoors like leafy greens, peas, and root vegetables. Get planting dates for the greater Chicago area (climate zones 5b and 6a) from the Deep Roots Planting Calendar Guide and Frost-free Planting Dates and Plant Protection in Zones 5b & 6a.
Plant spinach seeds March 9 to 23. But it’s much easier to plant spinach seeds in late November.
Plant cool season seeds and seedlings (also called “transplants”). Root crops are best planted as seeds. Carefully follow the “seeds and seedlings” section in “Transformational Gardening Basics.”
Put worm castings in your seedling holes and seed furrows. Microbe-rich worm castings is the best fertilizer. If you are growing in conventional soil make larger than normal seedling holes and seed furrows. Fill with half-and-half compost and worm castings.
Drip irrigation: Spring is best time to start setting up Irrigation. If you have a large garden and/or are out of town often, irrigation on a timer is very important. Experiment to find the correct amount of time to drip irrigate. Water deeply but don’t over water. Ask our support team about drip irrigation options.
A garden water filter for your hose: If you are using municipal water containing chlorine and other toxins which kill beneficial microorganisms the filter is required. Not needed if you collect rainwater from your roof. Buy a filter at garden centers or online.
Mid Spring: Planting Time
With the soil amended with compost, early spring crops ready, and you checked planting dates, it’s time to plant your cool weather crops. Here's how to get the most out of your mid-spring gardening:
Plant seeds and seedlings of your cool-season crops – hardy vegetables like lettuce, radishes, and carrots. These cool-season crops thrive in the mild temperatures of early spring.
The top ten easiest veggies to grow from seed are lettuce, radishes, green beans, cucumbers, peas, zucchini, carrots, beets, spinach, and swiss chard.
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. Veggie Temperature Tolerance blog post.
Continue to grow warm-season seedlings indoors either from seeds or small inexpensive seedlings you buy. See “start warm season crops indoors” paragraph in the early spring section above. This allows them to grow strong until the soil is warm enough to transplant them outdoors. Seedlings Next Level post.
Watering: Different plants need different kinds of watering. Water regularly but avoid overwatering. Seeds and seedlings need to be constantly moist. Over watering can also stress your plants. Consider the amount of rain and other weather conditions. Moisture and watering post.
Moisture and mulching: When plants are about 4” tall mulch with straw (not hay) to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and keep the soil temperature stable. Hay contains weed seeds.
Late Spring: Strengthen Your Growing Plants
As the days lengthen and temperatures warm, your plants will begin to take off. Here’s how to give them the best care during late spring:
Hardening off: Hardening off warm-season seedlings is the process of gradually exposing plants raised indoors or in a greenhouse to outdoor conditions before transplanting them. This process helps seedlings adapt to the harsher outdoor conditions, such as lower humidity, increased air movement, and sunlight, wind, and rain. Follow the instructions in the hardening off section of “Transformational Gardening Basics.”
Transplant warm-season crops: Once the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up (usually by late May or early June), transplant your warm-season seedlings into the garden. Make sure to space them according to their growing requirements and size at maturity. Seeds & Seedlings: Next Level blog post.
Provide a trellis or a support cage for plants like squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, vining beans, and peas.
Spray fish emulsion weekly as a nutrient and microbe boost. You can also spread some worm castings around the stems of plants.
Watch for pests and control them early. As your garden flourishes, keep an eye out for pests like aphids and caterpillars. Control with organic methods early. Use natural deterrents like neem oil, BT and pyrethrum. Or introduce beneficial insects like ladybugs to control infestations. Learn more about environmental pest management.
Early Summer: Maintain Growth & Build Healthy Plants
Your garden is now in full growth mode! Here are the steps to ensure your plants stay healthy during early summer:
Consistent watering: Keep your garden well-watered, but avoid overwatering, especially in raised beds. Water deeply and less frequently to encourage deep root growth. Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to target the root zone.
Apply more compost and worm castings: Mid-season is a great time to give your plants another dose of nutrient-dense compost or worm castings. Lightly scratch the compost and castings into the top layer of soil.
Support climbing plants: For plants like beans, peas, and cucumbers, provide trellises or stakes to support their upward growth. This keeps them off the ground and maximizes space.
Pruning tomatoes is optional. 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. Pruning tomatoes blog post.
Late Summer: Encouraging Fruit & Veggie Production
By late summer, your plants are producing flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Here’s how to maximize yields:
Harvest early crops: You may begin harvesting early crops like leafy greens, radishes, and beans. Harvesting regularly encourages the plant to produce more.
Pick full size tomatoes before fully ripe, when they just start to turn warm beige and slightly red to prevent animals like squirrels from biting them.
Prune and trim: Trim back overgrown plants, especially tomatoes and vines, to direct energy into fruit production. Removing dead or yellowing leaves can prevent disease and improve air circulation.
Add a final layer of compost: Before the final growth push of the season, add another light layer of compost around fruiting plants. This keeps them well-nourished for the last phase of production.
Early Fall: Prepare for the Final Harvest
As fall approaches, your garden enters its final stages. Here’s how to wrap up the growing season with a successful harvest:
Harvest warm-season vegetables: It’s time to gather tomatoes, peppers, squashes, and other warm-season vegetables before the first frost. Keep an eye on the weather and harvest tender crops as temperatures drop.
Harvesting squash: Harvest some squash when they are light beige or slightly green (summer squash). Or wait until they are a warm peach color (winter squash). The winter squash skin is tough and can be stored indoors for 5-6 months in a cool location.
Plant fall crops: Fall is also a great time to plant cool-season crops again. Spinach, kale, and carrots can thrive in cooler temperatures, giving you fresh produce well into the fall.
Late Fall: Garden Clean-Up and Winter Preparation
As the season comes to a close, it’s important to prepare your garden for winter. This will ensure a healthy and productive start next spring:
Final harvest: Harvest any remaining vegetables, especially root crops like carrots and potatoes. For plants that won’t survive the frost, it’s time to cut them down.
Clean and store tools: Clean and sharpen your garden tools before storing them for winter. This will prolong their life and ensure they’re ready for next year.
Apply compost: Spread a 2” layer of compost over your beds. This protects the soil from winter erosion and adds nutrients that will break down and enrich the soil during the colder months.
Plant garlic in fall October 15 to 30 for a bountiful harvest in July. It sprouts in spring and is harvested in July. Plant the biggest and healthiest organic garlic cloves you can find at a farmers market since the variety is best for our local climate. Planting garlic blog post.
Plant spinach seeds between November 15 and 30 for an early spring crop, and after you apply the 2” of compost. But don’t cover with mulch or leaves that will block the tiny sprouts from emerging in the spring. Spinach planting blog post.
Avoid leaching of nutrients. Cover the bed with fallen leaves or landscape cloth to protect soil from snow and rain over the winter. But remove the leaf cover and cloth March 1 (or earlier) so spinach seeds can germinate and perennials like green onions can sprout.
Planting a cover crop is optional. Cover crops are an effective way to improve soil health, suppress weeds, and provide other benefits to a raised bed food garden. By choosing the right cover crop for your growing conditions, planting at the right time, and following good maintenance practices, you can enjoy a healthier and more productive garden. See our blog post: Cover Crops in Raised Beds.
Find more details in our blog post Putting Your Bed to Bed for winter
Happy Gardening!
By following the Deep Roots Project’s transformational gardening methods through the seasons, you will create a thriving, nutrient-rich garden that supports both your plants and the soil.
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.
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