Transformational Gardening Basics
Transformational Gardening is an innovative method used by Deep Roots Project to grow food in organic kitchen gardens with limited space using cedar raised beds and the best products for success – like microbe-rich compost and microbe-rich worm castings. Check our many tips and details in our blog posts from the links scattered throughout this post.
“Grow Your Own Food” blog posts
See the full list posts at Grow Your Own Food blog posts. Each post is assigned ”tags” displayed under the post title which go to a list of related posts. 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.
Click a link to go to a topic in this post:
Gardening is an evolving and enjoyable learning experience. Learn to partner with nature and learn from your plants. Increase the enjoyment by gardening with neighbors, friends, family and kids.
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. Remember, follow our lead on soil, fertilizers, biodiversity planting and pests.
Go to a higher level any time. Learn gardening terminology in our extensive gardening glossary.
Contact us at any time - customer support team – support[at]deep-roots-project.org AND 708-655-5299. Contact Estelle by text message with urgent gardening questions at 708-616-6473.
Transformational Gardening uses the latest soil science to build on the strengths of both organic farming and regenerative farming while adapting their practices to raised beds and limited space..
Nurture your soil and the soil microorganisms (microbes and fungi) which in turn nurture and feed your plants. Let your soil microorganisms do most of your plant maintenance for you. Read more about Microbes, Compost and Soil Science.
Plant and harvest carefully with minimal soil disturbance. Follow the No till, No dig, No pull rule which protects microbial and fungal soil structures. Cut down harvested crops at soil level. Don’t pull out the root except for root crops like beets and carrots. No till practices come from the regenerative farming movement.
Microbe and nutrient rich compost is your new “SOIL.” Fill raised beds and containers with 100% Microbe-Rich Compost from Deep Roots which is bursting with soil microorganisms and organic matter that microorganisms feast on. Your plants will love it.
Find microbe rich compost locally. If you are not in the Chicago area, buy microbe-rich compost from certified vendors in other regions using the U.S. Composting Council (USCC) database that lists the compost ingredients AND if the thermophilic heat process was used. Make sure the vendors don't use wood chips or tree waste.
Don’t grow food with the soil from your yard which can have toxic substances and doesn’t contain the best nutrients and microorganisms for flourishing healthy, pest resistant plants. Amending soil in your yard is not worth the time or labor.
If your beds contain conventional soil. If your raised beds and containers are filled with conventional soil you can easily switch to our transformational gardening method in 2 ways: (1) Replace the top 4-6 inches of the old soil with our microbe-rich compost. OR (2) make larger than normal seedling holes and seed furrows and fill with a half-and-half mixture of microbe-rich compost and microbe-rich worm castings. Read more about planting seeds and seedlings for beginners and for next level gardening.
Fish emulsion fertilizer. Spray organic liquid fish emulsion fertilizer made from fish waste once a week or twice a month to add nutrients and microbes to your soil that support the soil microorganisms and your plants.
Place mulch around seedlings. When your seedlings are 4” tall protect the soil from sunlight, weed seeds and evaporation. First spread a 1/2” to 1” layer of compost followed by a layer of chopped up straw. Don’t use hay that contains weed seeds. Buy straw in bags or grow your own straw by planting the beautiful perennial prairie plant “Miscanthus Grass.”
Enrich your beds with compost in fall and spring. Spread a 2-inch layer of microbe-rich compost over your raised beds and containers in fall after harvest and/or spring before planting starts. Read our blog post Putting Your Bed to Bed.
Use cover crops to protect bare soil and to add microbes and nutrients. See blog post: Cover Crops in Raised Beds.
More details are in our blog post Why Raised Beds Are Best
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 substitute 100% microbe-rich compost for conventional soil.
We offer the option to varnish your beds which retains their warm cedar colors longer.
We also build custom cedar planter boxes.
Grow in raised beds 15 inches tall to protect your soil and plants. The height provides extra space for moisture storage, habitat for microorganisms and space for roots to expand. Deep beds and larger containers allow your plants to grow bigger. More root space grows larger plants
Never walk on the soil in your raised beds so it stays loose and fluffy. This allows free flow of water and air that the microorganisms need to thrive and this also enables larger and healthier roots.
Cedar beds last many times longer than pine/fir beds. Our custom-built cedar raised beds are made from extra thick cedar boards using a design that withstands the force of expanding soil when it freezes during our cold winters.
Never use treated wood since the “rot-resistant” chemicals are toxic to soil microorganisms.
We transport the cedar boards in our truck directly from the sawmill in Indiana to our Oak Park, Illinois workshop in order to control quality and costs.
It’s fine to use bricks and pavers to build your own raised beds. Recycled used bricks are cheaper and work great. You can even build beds with curves and unusual shapes in your edible landscape.
Proper watering is critical to success and is one of the major reasons for failed crops. Find more details in our Moisture and Mulch blog post.
Water deeply but don’t over water. Use the “finger moisture test” before and after watering. Push your finger 2-3 inches into the soil and press it between your fingers to judge moisture present. After you remove your fingers from moist soil particles should stick. This video demonstrates the finger test.
Younger plants need more frequent watering since their roots are still shallow.
Convenient access to water or a long hose is essential.
If possible collect water from your roof with rain barrels. A small pump can supply the water pressure you need for your hose.
Never use sprinklers or water the foliage in humid climates like the Chicago area. Water the soil instead.
If possible, water in the morning to let the garden dry out by evening, Humidity and wet plants breed fungal diseases.
We use both compost and chopped straw as a mulch to retain moisture and block ultraviolet sun rays from harming soil microbes near the surface. Add the 1/2 inch of compost first and the straw on top.
Don’t use the Dense Leaf Mulch sold in our online store on your crops. We sell it to use on your non-food garden beds.
A water filter for your hose is needed if you are using municipal water containing chlorine which kills beneficial microorganisms. Buy it at garden centers or online.
Drip Irrigation is great if you have many raised beds and/or are out of town often. A slow drip directly to each plant root is a healthier way to bring water to your plants and uses less water. Experiment to find the correct amount of time to irrigate. Ask our support team about our drip irrigation kits that have many tiny hoses attached to the main hose. Each small hose tip is staked next to a plant stem.
Sunlight is a critical factor for plant growth. Read our blog post on finding optimal sunlight to learn tricks to explore the best sun exposure for a food garden, what to consider when choosing a location, and how to make the most of the sun in your garden.
Most veggies need 8 hours or more sun. Some crops can get by with less sun.The location of sunlight changes over the seasons.
Make sure that the southern sun is not blocked by nearby buildings or shady trees.
Put your bed in a sunny location near your house or garage. Consider your front yard, if your back yard is too shady. Check with your town or city if growing food in a front yard is permitted. View the photo gallery of the Deep Roots front yard garden.
Instructions for setting up your food garden and where to buy supplies are in our blog post Setup Your New Food Garden.
We build raised beds in standard and custom sizes. We deliver and fill them with 100% microbe-rich compost (your new soil).
Talk to our support team before placing an order on our store. Contact orders[at]deep-roots-project.org and 708-655-5299.
When you need help with your gardening journey contact our support team for advice – support[at]deep-roots-project.org and 708-655-5299.
We do additional garden setup work besides delivering filled raised beds. See our store page about general garden labor and talk to our customer support team. We can also connect you with a landscape architect and a native plant installation specialist.
For more details view all our blog posts. Sign up for our e-newsletter to find out about our webinars during the growing season.
We have 2 blog posts about planting – one for beginners and another for experienced gardeners.
Our microbe-rich worm castings replace organic fertilizers is our primary soil amendment. It is rich with microorganisms & nutrients and used when planting seeds and seedlings. Learn more about microbe-rich worm castings.
The top ten easiest plants to grow from seed are lettuce, radishes, green beans, cucumbers, peas, zucchini, carrots, beets, spinach, and swiss chard. View blog post Easiest Veggies From Seed.
Our favorite fast growing veggies: arugula, beets, broccolini, carrots, swiss chard, green onion, lettuce, mustard greens, pea, pea shoots, radish, spinach. Learn more in our Fast Growing Crops blog post.
Buying seedlings (transplants) at a garden center is the easiest and fastest solution for “first timers” growing great crops.
Best way for beginners to plant seeds. Plant easy-to-grow cool weather crops from seed outdoors in the spring or in your coolest season that gets the most rain. Read Seeds & Seedlings for Beginners.
Experienced gardeners can grow most crops from seeds. Our blog post Seeds & Seedlings: Next Level offers tips on growing seedlings indoors for transplanting later and planting seeds outdoors.
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 farmer 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 cropland 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. Planting spinach blog post.
For correct seed depth and spacing check the seed package.
If planting in a bed filled with 100% compost add 1/2 to 1 cup of worm castings to each seedling hole or seed spot. Bigger adult plants get more worm castings when planting. Mix the worm castings with the surrounding compost. Push the seeds into the mixture.
If planting in a bed filled with conventional soil (not our microbe-rich compost) make the holes and furrows extra large. Plant with a mixture of half worm castings and half our compost.
Hardening off 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.
Hardening off also encourages seedlings to grow firmer and harder, and reduces the chance of transplant shock. Begin hardening off seedlings 1–2 weeks before planting.
Place your seedlings outside for an hour or two in mid- to late-afternoon.
Lengthen outdoor time: Each day, leave your seedlings outside for an hour more than you did the previous one.
Avoid placing seedlings outdoors on windy days. Be prepared to bring the plants inside if temperatures will fall below 45°F.
Hardening off typically takes two to three weeks. Seedlings should be ready to transplant in seven to 14 days, and if possible, do so on a cloudy day. Water well after planting.
Healthy happy plants are more resistant to disease and insect pressures and produce larger harvests.
Harness the forces of nature to protect your garden from pests and diseases by using biodiversity planting and succession planting. Create a healthy ecosystem above and below ground.
Consider creating an edible landscape that includes crops, native plants, flowers and shrubs.
Avoid monocultures (filling a space with only one crop). Instead, create several small areas for tiny plants like carrots in a bed instead of one large area with all your carrots.
We use succession planting to grow more food in limited space. We fill any empty spaces with new seedlings or seeds. But make sure the space allows sun for the seedlings and space for the adult plant.
Planting a mix of crops can help improve soil health, prevent disease, and attract beneficial insects like bees and butterflies. Consider planting a mix of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers to create a diverse and beautiful garden. View our blog post about Biodiversity Planting.
Careful utilization of space: Be mindful of how much space and sun each plant needs to grow properly. Some crops, like tomatoes and squash, can take up a lot of room in your only raised bed and are best planted in large cloth containers. But cloth containers need lots more watering. Small plants like lettuce, radishes, beets and carrots can be planted in smaller spaces between medium-size plants like kale, collards, basil and swiss chard.
Consider using trellises, vertical gardening, and other space-saving techniques to maximize your growing area.
Healthy soil and healthy plants are more resistant to pests and diseases in general.
Biodiversity planting and nontoxic organic sprays are our other 3 main tools. Learn more how we use Environmental Pest Management (EPM) to prevent and reduce pests in harmony with healthy soil and a diverse ecosystem of insects, birds and other creatures.
Our favorite safe sprays are biofungicide, BT (Bacillus thuringiensis), Neem oil. pyrethrum, and nontoxic soap.
Use diatomaceous earth (powder from crushed rocks) to kill slugs. The gray garden slug, Peroceras reticulatum, is generally found in Illinois.
Sterilize your tools to avoid spreading diseases that can live on both foliage and the soil.
Observe your garden daily or as often as possible to catch pests and diseases early.
Get expert advice for pest problems and much more from your local botanic garden or state university agricultural extension. Email them photos of the problem. For the Chicago area, use Chicago Botanic Garden plant information service: plantinfo[at]chicagobotanic.org and (847) 835-0972.
Read about common pests and diseases that attack the popular vegetables listed in our Planting Calendar for northern IL.
What are climate zones? The U.S. is divided into 11 “climate zones” also called ”plant hardiness zones.” Each climate zone has an average first and last frost date which determines the length of the growing season.
Climate change makes safe planting dates unpredictable. Find your frost dates by zip code. Find your climate zone in a map of U.S. climate zones.
Follow a planting calendar for YOUR climate zone to know planting and harvest dates for each crop. The Deep Roots Planting Calendar Guide is for the greater Chicago area and is a combination of climate zones 5b and 6a. Find a reliable planting calendar for your area at state university agricultural extension office websites.
Know WHEN to plant & harvest. It’s important to understand how average temperatures shift through the seasons and the preferred temperature range for specific crops in your climate zone.
Know the crops that are cold tolerant for planting in spring and fall. Know the crops that need warmth to thrive and are planted in late spring, early summer and mid-August.
Know the highest and lowest safe temperatures for each crop. Some spring veggies survive only light frosts. Some veggie seeds need certain temperatures to germinate. Some plants like tomatoes, peppers and squash must be planted outside when all danger of frost has passed.
Spinach seeds can stay in the ground all winter and germinate in early spring, plus produce a bigger harvest.
Know the heat tolerance of your crops. With climate change temperature is unpredictable. For example, many tomato varieties react badly to temperatures above 90º and stop producing fruit. View our blog post Optimal Sunlight for details about heat reducing “shade cloth.”
Timing is key for August planting for a fall harvest. Some plants that you already harvested can be planted again in a second-round. Choose veggies that love both hot and cool weather. Plant more than one of each crop – so, if one doesn’t make it – you’ve got some others!
Weather is unpredictable in fall, especially now during climate change. Any plant that we suggest for August planting could be overwhelmed by an unexpected heat wave or cold snap. View our blog post about planning a fall harvest.
Soil health and fertility. Cover crops help improve soil structure, add organic matter to the soil, suppress weeds, reduce erosion, and provide essential nutrients to the soil. Find more in our post about cover crops
Cover crops are optional if using our method. It’s usually done by farmers to enrich their soil. Our method of adding 2” layer of compost in fall and spring and planting with worm castings keeps your soil bursting with microbes and nutrients all season long.
Cover your soil covered in the off season. Use cover crops, landscape fabric, leaves, straw or organic matter that does NOT contain seeds.
Common cover crops include mustard, buckwheat, clover, legumes, and cereal grains, such as wheat and oats. They can be grown between main crops, improving soil health and fertility for future crops.
They provide habitat for beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and lacewings, which help to control pest populations.
Don’t till in the dead cover crop cuttings. We follow the ”no till, no dig, no pull” rule. Instead cut it down at soil level and use it as mulch.
Don't let the cover crop go to seed since you don’t want it to sprout when growing your main crop.
For more information see: Cover Crops in Raised Beds.
Local climates vary even in the same climate zone depending on growing season length, average temperature, amount of sunlight and wind exposure. See more details in our blog post Season Extension.
Raised beds can be protected with row covers, cold frames, hoop houses, and greenhouse tunnels. These covers help trap heat, protect plants from wind, cold temperatures, pests and diseases.
Floating row covers are lightweight fabrics that can be draped over the beds and secured with stakes or pins. Bury the ends of PVC plastic pipe or metal wire hoops in the soil. A lightweight row cover might provide 2ºF of frost protection, whereas a heavy-weight row cover might provide as much as 6ºF to 10ºF of frost protection. In the spring, when transplants are small, row cover can often be simply draped over plants without a frame.
Floating row cover allows sunlight, water, and air through. They protect crops from frost and pests. Remove them to allow pollination.
Cold frames are made from a wooden frame and a clear plastic or glass top. They store heat during the day and release it at night. They are ideal for early spring and late fall crops.
Hoop houses are larger than raised beds and more permanent and constructed of metal hoops covered with clear plastic. Use them through winter in mild climates.
Explore more details in our post Harvesting and Storing Food.
Avoid pulling out crops by the roots. Follow the “no till, no dig, no pull rule.” For non-root veggies, leave the roots in the soil and cut the stem close to the ground. Only pull out the roots of root crops.
Allow nature to improve the soil. Pulling a plant out by its roots interferes with bacterial colonies and fungal networks which are invisible sites that the fungi and bacteria build and live in.
Harvest from the same plant as long as it is producing. Don’t remove healthy prolific plants too soon.
Encourage growth by frequently picking salad greens, tomatoes, beans, peppers, cucumbers, squash, herbs, etc. Harvest frequently the large leaves from leafy green veggies like spinach, lettuce, kale and swiss chard so pests don’t damage them.
Harvest outer leaves of leafy greens to make room for airflow between neighboring plants and to encourage more foliage.
Learn to recognize when a plant is past its prime. Aging plants lose taste and take up precious space.
Explore more details in our post about storing food. Also more details are in our blog posts on crops groups and specific crops, with more to come.
Plan ahead for a large final harvest. Think about how you will cook, store or share the harvest – recipes, freezing, canning, fermenting, drying, storing in sand, storing in a basement, “vacuum sealing” before freezing, and more.
Many ways to use and store your harvest. The simplest is to buy an inexpensive chest-style freezer for your basement.
Store unharvested carrots and parsnips by leaving them in the ground over winter which makes them sweeter.
Store leafy greens for a few days in a tight closing plastic bag with all the air squeezed out. Or, chop the leaves before freezing in tightly closed plastic bags.
A “vacuum sealer” countertop appliance allows you to freeze your harvest in plastic bags for longer and also compresses the food into a smaller freezer bag.
Find more details in our blog post Putting Your Bed to Bed for winter
Cover with 2” layer of compost. In cold climates like the Chicago after harvesting, re-charge your beds and containers with a 2-inch layer of microbe-rich compost. The microbes will have many months to enhance the soil. You can also add a second layer of compost in spring.
Plant spinach seeds and garlic cloves in fall. Get a bigger harvest by planting spinach seeds in November after you spread the 2” of compost. October is the best time to plant garlic for spring germination and harvest in July.
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 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.
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.
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
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Co-directors of Deep Roots Estelle Carol and Will Schreiber say “Happy Gardening”. Please send us photos of your garden to support[at]deep-roots-project.org.