Rita Roots

Rita roots Backward Harvest

Backyard harvest.

%-@, >> growing your own food is an art and a science.

If toiling in the garden is a favorite way to spend your time or something that you hope to master, there's no time like the present.

On this week's food friday, we're happy to welcome back rita bachman, owner of rita's roots and backyard harvest and thank you so much for joining us.

>> thank you for having me.

>> how have you been?

>> i've been good.

Managing my team of six at home with my two children, so like almost everybody else, it has been challenging and we're making our way.

>> you had a baby, and how old is she.

>> she's 4 and a half months right now and she's taking a little nap.

>> what's her name.

>> rosemary.

>> perfect name for a beautiful baby and a mom who knows a thing or two about gardening and that's why we wanted to talk about this.

I think a lot of people at this time of being in quarantine are thinking about shortages at the grocery store and how to become more self-sufficient.

I know we talked about this before when we came to the studio, it's very rewarding to be able to grow your own vegetables.

So what kind of advice are you giving folks who are stuck at home and trying to master the art of growing veggies?

>> we always recommend to start simple.

Pick a few that you're interested in growing and focus on those, and one of the tenants of growing a good vegetable garden, healthy soil, and using all-purpose fertilizer when you plant so they can have the nutrients for their life cycle and bring you something you can eat.

>> and that's the most important part of all, sowing the seeds and having the wonderful bounty that comes afterwards.

So for someone who is interested in taking the time to plant indoors if you live in an pant, you can use a pot to grow tomatoes and things that we previously discussed but what would you say are the good beginner vegetables for folks?

>> sure, right now, we're in the warm season planting time.

So we have moved past the salad greens and kale, which are the most easy to start.

In the warm season, we can plant eggplants, which have very little disease.

And okra, and peppers are easy, and we love the sweet potato for a good summertime vegetable.

The sweet potatoes love the heat and have very few pests and disease, and we plant them after the cool season plants come out through late may and june, and they glow throughout the entire summer, and they're ready for harvest in the fall right before we plant our fall gardens, and through the fall, you can plant the greens, and they're very similar to spinach when cooked.

>> just before the lockdown, i had purchased this little kit.

It's an arugula kit.

And it comes with everything that you need, the soil and seeds and the grow container and you recommend something like this to get my feet wet with?

>> absolutely.

I think one of the best parts of growing a garden is watching those seeds sprout and that's what you're doing with the microgreens kit.

In two or three days, the arugula seeds will sprout and in two or three weeks, you'll have greens that you can cut and add to your salads and dishes.

So it's instant gratification to getting your thumbs green.

>> i like that, i like instant gratification.

Before all of this lockdown typically would have been the months when you're growing the seeds before you put them in the ground, and now we're not mid spring, but spring is already here, and we're looking toward summer.

So are there vegetables to plant now from seed or seedling?

>> right now, we have mostly seedlings, so we have a store on our site where we sell only the appropriate plants and seeds to be put north ground right now.

So if you are a gardener with rita's roots, we keep you on the planting calendar so you have success later on.

So you can still plant beam seeds, cucumber seeds and melons for a couple of weeks, and then we have transplants for peppers and herbs.

It's too late to start the seeds now, but you can still put the plants in.

>> now is a good time to plant and plan for next year even.

Remind everyone what rita's roots is.

>> we're a full service organic vegetable gardening company.

And our clients determine where to put their gardens and they get the full sun.

We have started classes, which have been a huge success, and in the past, we have done plant sales in person, but we moved everything to online, which has also been a huge success, and we have a garden grower's club, which is online garden coaching program, which lasts an entire year.

Before the covid, we had about 50 member, and now we're up to 125 members.

So people are really looking for support to get their gardens have seed to harvest.

>> that's great, and you have a class on saturday, is that right?

>> we do.

It's a virtual class, it's called harvest and beyond, and i grew it, and now what?

I get a lot of stories from people, i picked in and i must have waited too long and it went bad.

When i was a new gardener, i did the same thing, and i watched a head of lettuce grow, i watch today, and it was big and before i knew it, it shot up has flower stalk, and it was too late to eat because i didn't know what to do with it at the time.

>> timing is everything, right?

>> yes, so true.

>> well, i can't wait to start growing my arugula, rita, you inspired me.

And months ago you inspired me, and now i have the time and i'm going to get started.

We'll have all of our fox facebook page if someone knees to order something, and you have contractless pickup, but not deliveries, right?

>> yes, not at this time.

>> i want to thank you so much.

>> it's so good to see you.

>> back in 2 minutes.