Roots Watering Hole: Recent Episodes
Orrin Williams and Akilah Martin
The Roots Watering Hole podcast series is provided through generous support from the Kalliopeia Foundation. Thanks to their support we have been able to begin the Roots Watering Hole series while navigating the learning curve and making mistakes regarding equipment and services required to produce a podcast series with people who are not well known, but who do good in the world while providing information to our target communities.Roots Watering Hole will be producing podcasts for multiple purposes. One track will be a monthly gardening education and food literacy series co-hosted by Orrin Williams the Food Systems Coordinator at the University of Illinois at Chicago and soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin. The second track will be devoted to independent content created by Orrin Williams and Dr. Akilah Martin as co-hosts and individual producers. The independent track will focus on topics related to lifestyle, health and wellness, the arts, and humanities. Both tracks will include guests from multiple disciplines and backgrounds. While focusing on BIPOC communities in particular we think that all open-minded people interested in our general well-being as a nation and planet will find the content we will be producing useful.
This is a very short episode. If you are looking for gardening information, see the show notes for content regarding ideas for September. We are seeking ideas related to cooking, cooking skills, recipes, and other culinary topics for the next few episodes. Please email me with any ideas you may have.
Plantophiles: What to Plant in September, Zone By Zone
Knollwood: The Beginner's Guide to Fall Vegetable Gardening in Zone 6
September 2022 Food Literacy Podcast Episode
September 2023 Food Literacy Podcast Episode
Here is an interesting article you may want to check out: Chiara Certomà & Chiara Tornaghi (2015). Political gardening.
Contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
August offers opportunities to sow seeds for crops that will carry our gardeners into autumn. There will be about 60 days before the first frost date. Check out the video links for crops that will mature before October 15th. Because frost dates are not set in stone, you may even have a longer period. Last year, I harvested some warm-weather crops after November 1, so you never know. Just know there is ample time to continue your 2025 gardening journey...
I am elated to offer this episode after beginning my gardening adventure thinking that everything had to be sown before July 1st. There are plenty of crops that you can sow for a fall harvest. The main things to remember is that they should mature in the next 60 days of so and that they can endure cooling late summer and early autumn temperatures, especially at night.
Here are some links for you to check out.
From one of my favorite YouTube channels, the Gardening Channel, here is a video with 20 potential crops you may want to consider sowing in August.
I want you to think outside the box and have fun gardening. I have experimented with multiple varieties of crops such as kale, collards (my favorite), okra, beans, peas, and others from the African Diaspora. So, I am happy to share this video from a plant person in Brooklyn that grows cotton! Also, check out this offering.
I love our plant kin, without them, life as we know it on Mother Earth would not exist. Check out some videos regarding plant research:
The Sleepy Scientist: How Plants Make Life Possible
New Scientific Discoveries That Change Everything About Plants
How Plants Think...
I always thought bolting was something you wanted to avoid except perhaps if you wanted to collect seeds. But the Benefits of Bolting?
Happy August, look out for the September episode dropping soon!
Contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no medical or health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Here is a short 15-minute episode with reminders about what to pay attention to in our gardens in July.
July has arrived and gardening season is in full swing. There are approximately 105 days left in the typical growing season. Of course, if you take some steps to extend the season you may be able to grow crops such as collard greens, kale, etc. in early winter.
Here are some crops you may want to consider growing in July that will provide a yield before the frost returns. Stony Acres Gardening and The Gardening Channel offer options for growing in the USDA Hardiness Zones 5, 6, and 7 before the first frost date. Zone 5 may have a shorter window and zone 7 a longer window but we are looking at a range between 80 to 110 days, with climate change being the wild card.
It does not hurt to reiterate the importance of water for your garden. We often discuss watering and the proper technique, but this video happens to be the best I have ever seen on the topic. Please watch it.
You may want to take a deeper dive into research, but here's a reminder that fertilizing your garden, especially a container or grow bag garden, is essential. Proper watering and fertilization are necessary for maintaining and producing healthy plants. Healthy plants are a deterrent for pest problems as pests are nature's way of dealing with weak and dying plants.
I am closely watching the supply chain issues we may experience nationally as farm workers are not showing up to harvest and prepare produce for distribution to market. Stay tuned for more on that coming up but it is also a reason to vastly and quickly increase home and community gardens as well as urban and peri-urban farms. How we do that is something we need to discuss as vulnerable communities. The recent Congressional action on taxes, along with the attacks on Medicaid, will find millions of people uninsured and unable to access food. Alas, here is another reason to invest in and engage in practices to expand our gardening sector. The need for a care and self-care economy is growing rapidly.
Best herbs for container gardening:
Momzone
Medicinal Backyard
Garden Answer
Please, please remember we do not offer any medical advice, so please consult with your primary care physician and/or the health care team of your choice before proceeding with any herbal or personal health care journey...
I am going to stop here until the next episode when I will update you on the state of the food supply chain...
Produced by Orrin Williams orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no medical or health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Tune in for some general observations about June gardening and seasonal shopping. Also, remember to get some Vitamin N—the N stands for nature. Get outside, get moving, and eat real, whole seasonal fruits and vegetables as the main part of your diet.
The summer solstice is almost here in the northern hemisphere, and it is time for one of my favorite foods- watermelon. Make sure you know how to select a great melon.
This summer, seasonal produce will be abundant in addition to watermelon. See what to expect in Illinois.
See this link for June gardening tips in our June 2023 Food Literacy podcast episode. Check out the Chicago Grows Food website, especially for information about grow bag container gardening.
Register here for the first Narratives and Nourishment project's first event on June 28th at Burst Into Books in the Roseland community area. Stay tuned for upcoming Narratives and Nourishment events, including the Back to School event at Da Book Joint, another vital partner on the project. Thank you to Jurema Gorham of Burst Into Books and Courtney Woods of Da Book Joint for their awesome support!
Contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
May 2025 Food Literacy Podcast Notes
May is here in Chicago with the typical temperature swings. We had temperatures ranging between 80 and 90 degrees for a couple of days last week, and now, as I write and put the podcast together on May 20th, it is 53 degrees with a blustery wind. The keyword in this era of climate instability is unpredictable.
Rather than being redundant, I invite you to visit the Roots Watering Hole and Chicago Grows Food websites for more information. The Collard Project inspired our African Diaspora Crop project, which has distributed hundreds of seeds to local urban farmers, as well as home and community gardeners. The seeds are various collard, kale, okra, beans, peas, and peppers from the Diaspora. Seed companies we have sourced from include Sistah Seeds, Truelove Seeds, Ujamaa Seeds, Southern Exposure, and The Seedstead. Here is some recently discovered information about seeds and crops from the African Diaspora, Oro House, The Local Palate, and Yisrael Family Farms.
Also see: The Heirloom Collard Project, and the NPR report on collard seed saving.
More in the upcoming months on the dangers of ultraprocessed foods and nutrition and wellness information.
Contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Enjoy the April 2025 Food Literacy Podcast!
Of significant importance to successful gardening is the number of hours of sunlight available (see the amount of daily sunlight available via your zip code) at this time of year. Now is a good time to start warm weather crop seeds indoors, such as tomatoes, peppers, etc., they should be mature and ready for transplanting after the last frost date (check last frost dates, understand there is no way to know precisely when the last frost date will be, the safest bet is late May or the beginning of June.
In these uncertain times, and that is all I will say about that for now, food prices are probably going to continue to rise, and there may be supply chain issues as well. This made me remember the rise and use of victory gardens. Victory gardens provided as much as 40% of the produce consumed during WWII. We may not be able to completely replicate the victory gardens of old, but the point is we may collectively need to grow as much of our produce as possible to reduce food costs, increase our consumption of produce, and even be healthier.
Grow bag container gardening is nothing if not versatile, for example, this video of large-scale grow bag container operations, with the point being we can grow produce at various scales based upon the space available.
Benefits of Gardening:
Healthline
Ecotero
Cleveland Clinic
Mayo Clinic
If you want to start your 2025 garden early, see some crops you may want to consider for April:
Growfully with Jenna
Fox Run Environmental Education Center on Lettuce
The Gardening Channel 10 Crops to Grow in April
MI Gardener: Why Fabric Grow Bags Are Superior
Chicago Grows Food
Grow Bag Vegetable Gardening
Best Vegetables to Grow in a 1-Gallon Bag
Direct Seeded Grow Bags
How to Reuse Old Potting Soil
Documentaries
Food Revolution...
Talking Plants...
Contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
This month's Food Literacy podcast is entirely devoted to gardening. Happy Meteorological Spring, here's to a great gardening season!
It is March and the plant and gardening communities are raring to go. In fact, I have distributed thousands of seeds to our partners to begin seedlings and their crop plans.
One site we like is Mind & Soil and their YouTube Channel where they have done numerous experiments on garden-related processes. I think the Mind and Soil website is worth a deep investigation—the following video details and experiments that will influence our soil mix for the upcoming season. The soil mix we will use this season will include 50% potting mix and 50% compost. Into the transplant hole, I will add worm castings and organic granular fertilizer. See the video for rationale and details:
Garden Experiments With Mind and Soil-Compost vs Fertilizer
Check out the videos from the site for tips on seed starting, grow lights and the optimal hours of light required for your seedlings, if you anticipate starting seedlings this season. Remember, do not rely solely on this information source do a search of keywords such as grow lights, best grow lights for vegetable seedlings, vegetable seed starting, best methods for starting vegetable seeds indoors, etc.
The next consideration is a seed starting schedule for cool and warm weather crops, also see. In addition to the schedule other factors to consider are the last frost date for our area, soil temperature and soil temperature requirements for various crops. There are no hard and fast dates or rules, every year is different as you study various sites you will quickly see that for our USDA Hardiness Zone last frost dates vary widely from April 15th to May15th. It is critical for you to begin with cool weather crops because should your guess about frost dates be off it may not damage your crops, Collard greens can tolerate frost, tomatoes cannot. Frost dates are used to determine when to start seeds indoors if you are so inclined so pay attention. See Growfullly with Jenna also in Zone 6 for crops you may want to consider for March.
Here are the links from the 2023 and 2024 March Food Literacy podcasts that you may find useful.
Contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Please listen to this episode of the Roots Watering Hole podcast with Dr. Christy Garrison Harrison of Southern University. We asked Dr. Harrison to respond to a question we asked of respondents to our collaboration with the Center for Humans and Nature for their Questions for a Resilient Future series. The question is "What can we learn from the soil about our fundamental interconnectedness?"
Additionally, we followed up by asking Dr. Harrison to respond to how people in the African Diaspora should deal with the meta-crisis or poly-crisis threatening all beings with extinction. For more information on the term see: https://www.realitystudies.co/p/explaining-polycrisis-and-metacrisis.
We asked the question from the framework of acknowledging that the people of Africa and the African Diaspora are the oldest human populations on Mother Earth. After over 200,000 years of adapting to life, how do we take responsibility and leadership for the future of humans and all of our relations?
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Introductory podcast for the 2025 season. Tune in for updates about what to expect in 2025. Also, please share topics you would like to see us cover beginning in February 2025. We are looking for guests as we will offer video episodes with content experts in February or March of 2025. Stay tuned for that, in the meantime let us prepare for a healthy and happy gardening and food literacy season!
National Seed Swap Day is January 25, 2025. Check out the Cool Beans website for more information. Thinking of doing a seed swap this year check out the Cool Beans video on the topic?
Many of us who are advocates of home and community gardening, as well as urban farming, do so because we believe the future is a diversified food system, check out this video regarding why planning for the future is urgent.
Check out this interview on unlocking the secrets of longevity and healthspan from the Center for Food as Medicine. Here is another article to consider regarding the treatment of diet-related diseases versus prevention.
Finally, (and again I am not promoting Traditional Chinese Medicine), is food enough, or are other considerations required for health and well-being?
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the CUT, or the RWH podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
We are signing out of the Food Literacy Podcast for 2024 and anticipate having a wonderful 2025 with episodes and resources devoted to all things food literacy from gardening to cooking to consumer information and exciting programming being planned for 2025 in Chicago. Stay tuned!
December 2024 Food Literacy Podcast Show Notes
Urban Farmer Zone 6 Planting Calendar Guide
Farmers’ Almanac Seed Starting 101
The Garden Magazine 15 Tips for Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors
Botanical Interests Seed-Starting for Beginners the Complete Guide
In the Garden Budget Indoor Seed Starting Set Up (Video: Tell us what you think and share other budget ideas you may have.)
MI Gardener The Easiest Seed Starting Mistakes to Avoid
Food Literacy
Satisfying Fruit and Vegetable Recommendations Possible for Under $3 Per Day
Harvard Chan School of Public Health No One Size Fits All For Improving Longevity
Contact Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
This is a very brief episode of the food literacy podcast so as usual pay attention to the show notes for what we hope is useful information. More importantly, I want to make sure to thank all of the people and organizations I work with throughout the year.
The new year is just about 7 weeks away and 39 days away from the winter solstice and the journey of the return of the sun and longer days. Spring arrives in just 128 days from the date of this recording. The last frost date is usually reported as April 15th for our USDA hardiness zone 6a but we know better and recommend using May 1st as the last frost date. There is no certainty about frost dates. See the chart here with a planting schedule for various crops and flowers you may find useful.
Here is an excellent article about the benefits of gardening that I think you will enjoy.
On the food as medicine front, I have a link to an American College of Lifestyle publication of 23 articles regarding food as medicine.
Finally, we have heard a lot about the impact sugar consumption has on health, so here is an article about how low sugar consumption early in life may cut the risk of developing chronic diseases later in life. Perhaps these offerings will help you and your family make food choices during the upcoming holiday season.
I will close this brief episode before returning in December and beyond with plenty of information regarding programs from Chicago Grows Food and our partners. Have a wonderful holiday, and if possible, spend quality time with family and friends. Peace!
Contact Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Hello, listeners to the October 2024 Food Literacy Podcast. Harvest time is upon us but as strange as it may seem it is also time to think about the 2025 gardening season. Get ready for winter and 2025!
Here are some resources I hope will inform your decision(s). In doing research for this episode, I came across the Gardenary YouTube channel and an episode that suggested we stop using fertilizers to grow our gardens. The title was a bit misleading, but I agreed well sort of. The host talked about synthetic fertilizers so check out the entire video for useful information.
That said for those of us using grow bags for our gardening projects I recommend using a bit of organic fertilizer with the techniques described in the video because containers need a bit more nutrient support. For some excellent information regarding organic fertilizers see the Ecofriendly Homestead site regarding organic fertilizers, I recommend reading the entire post. I repeat I agree with the Gardenary host about the importance of compost and in her words poop for fertilizing our gardens. The host recommended manure and worm castings, and I recommend worm casting and staying away from animal manure in our home gardens. Generally, I recommend organic fertilizers in the beginning stages of your garden such as when transplanting seedlings into the grow bags and when seed you direct sowed have germinated, after that you can get by with compost and worm castings although I mix a very small amount of organic fertilizer to the worm casting say 10% of the mixture.
I will provide information about local sources for local compost for those that are not making compost at home in an upcoming episode.
Gardenary, offered some additional information that I think you will find useful regarding potential growing opportunities to consider for October. Also see the Gardenary 2024 calendar and watch for the 2025 edition. The general information will not change regarding frost dates, seed starting schedules, etc.
Think of your budget for items such as amendments, hoses, garden tools, etc. you can usually find them at a lower price now and into the winter. Once, spring arrives the prices go up...
I saw interesting videos from America’s Heartland regarding cultural foods and the food as medicine benefits of cultural foods and gardening that resonated deeply with me as I have been promoting cultural food primarily from the African Diaspora this past season and we will be continuing the program in 2025 while adding cultural food from other cultures in the ethnosphere. What is the ethnosphere you ask? The ethnosphere according to Dr. Wade Davis is defined here.
Additional resources:
Can you still plant crops in October? Check it out.
Preparing now for your seed starting projects in the spring.
Thinking about growing an herbal apothecary? (Remember to consult with your health care provider.)
Orrin Williams contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP.
Hello Listeners, this is a concise episode devoted to encouraging our listeners to establish a fall vegetable garden Longer episodes will begin in September 2024 where we will discuss myriad food literacy and wellness issues as well as follow up on fall vegetable gardening methods.
I am having a hard time believing that it is August but alas it is! But it is fall garden and crop time, personally because of early season illness the fall season will be crucial for us as we will be planting many cool weather crops. Also, I have had several conversations with growers of all types and there is a lot of interest in growing at least a fall crop. It is the beginning of August and in terms of the traditional garden season here in Chicago is about 70 days left before the first frost date of around Oct. 15th some estimates that I have seen suggest that it may be pushed back to Nov 1st.
You never know but early frost is not a problem for many crops such as green leafy vegetables like turnip, mustard and collard greens, kale, spinach, etc. There are a lot of wonderful sites for information but one I recommend is Harvest to Table with their wealth of information. Check the show notes for more information about crops to grow in August.
On that note, we are distributing seeds for fall crops to many of our partners as part of the African Diaspora Crop Project. We are contemplating changing the name to the Ancestral Crop Project as we will be adding seeds from around the world to the distribution for 2025 to integrate our friends and neighbors from various ethnicities. Are you South Asian, Latinx, or any other ethnic background please give us recommendations for next years project. This year’s pilot program is a success, and I will be discussing how it went and changes for 2025 in an upcoming episode.
Here are a couple of videos about fall gardening Growfully with Jenna and Chicago Gardener. There are advantages to growing a fall garden such as cooler days and reduced pest pressure to name a couple. Embrace the fall and extended gardening opportunities.
We have talked about it before and will cover season extension in more detail in the September episode. Season extension will lengthen your growing season making it possible to grow into the winter and even in some cases next spring.
Bonus: The Gardening Channel with James Prigioni and the same site...
Orrin Williams contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
The Food Literacy podcast resumes after a hiatus. I am better now and returning to the microphone with the July 2024 Food Literacy Podcast. This is probably more accurately described as a shortcast but we will cover some gardening topics for July and a few Food as Medicine items in the show notes. I hope you enjoy the episode!
I have commissioned carpenter friends Mike Reynolds and Rudy Taylor to design and build garden tables to enhance the gardening experience for elders and those with mobility challenges, that can be included in the home garden kits distributed by the CGF coalition.
Check out the videos included in the show notes. Remember there is plenty left of this season with things you can start in July and a selection of crops appropriate for the upcoming cool season. According to the tool at Almanac.com, the first frost date is predicted to be November 1, 2024, and our growing season is 197 days which may be increased with season extension and appropriate crop selection strategies.
Check out the Gardening Channel with James Prigioni for ideas about what to plant in July and July garden tasks. Near us in Michigan check out the MI Gardener video with suggestions for July, it is a little long so fast forward a bit. Remember you still have about 100 days of growing season left if you choose wisely. Reach out to Chicago Grows Food for technical support regarding what to plant in July and for fall, cool weather crops.
Check out this episode from Hollis and Nancy and Nancy’s Homestead about container gardening that inspired our decision to create an elevated table system for home gardening solutions or elders and those with limited mobility.
On the Food as Medicine front check out the Guardian article on how healthy childhood diets may mitigate cognitive problems as we age underscoring the importance of providing nutritious food and diets to our children.
However, it is not too late as a study reviewed in Eureka Alert suggests that eating well in your 40s is a boost to healthy aging influencing your life at and into your 70s. Here is more information about the NUTRITION 2024 conference held in Chicago, which is the source for the Eureka Alert article.
**Stay tuned for the August 2024 Food Literacy podcast, happy warm season growing!
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.**
Let's get going on the upcoming garden season for 2024!
Bill of Health Food is Medicine Approaches to Address Diet-Related Health Conditions.
Take a look for yourself and study how your food choices may be good for you and the environmental health of the planet. Some cities while not banning meat, want to encourage us to eat more plants and have signed on to the Plant Based Treaty, see information about the treaty.
The Gardening Channel Seed Starting, MIGardener seed starting. Chicago Gardener March Tasks. Chicago Gardener flower variety for containers to start seeds for now.
MIGardener starting potatoes in containers. Search the keywords, “seed potatoes for sale” for vendors for seed potatoes.
See the Chicago Grows Food website to register for the monthly Lunch and Grow program at noon, the second Wednesday of the month.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Since discovering the Food Institute website I have spent considerable time reading through the offerings and found the following to share:
Food Institute Food as Medicine Conundrum
https://foodinstitute.com/focus/the-food-as-medicine-conundrum/
No surprise here but the Food Institute shares insight about the causes of the global Type-2 Diabetes pandemic.
The Food Institute research found that food as medicine initiatives do improve health and save household consumer dollars. The conundrum is related to the impact of food insecurity.
Find the True Cost of Food: Food as Medicine Case Study report here.
There are three new books on our bookshelf:
Grow Big In Small Spaces: The Urban Gardeners Guide to Container Gardening & Home Canning by Luke Potter.
The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline by Kim Eierman
Forager’s Garden by Anna Locke
My fellow gardeners are anxious to get going so you may want to do the following in February. Videos produced by Chicago Gardener on garden tasks and planting schedule for February. The Chicago Gardener channel has videos specific to Chicago.
Also see:
MIGardener
The Gardening Channel is located in USDA Zone 7 but the information is still valuable I would wait about 3 weeks or so to adjust to our zone 6 requirements. Check out the information you should know before buying seeds.
I am excited to let you know that the March episode will include a session my co-host and co-producer soil enthusiast and scientist Dr. Akilah Martin and I did last year currently going through postproduction.
Also, I will have more details about how you may participate in the African Diaspora Collection and Collard Project collaboration we are organizing with the Urban Growers Collective, Community Food Navigator, Chicago Grows Food, Stein Learning Garden, Gardeneers, Openlands, Healthy Schools Campaign and the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion at UIC, among others.
Contact: orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is about food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
The Roots Watering Hole podcast series is back after some life issues that kept us from publishing except for our food literacy podcast for several months. We return with a compelling interview with Dr. Gerald that we think you will enjoy,
Bio: "Dr. JPB Gerald is an educator and theorist with a day job in non-profit education management and a side hustle trying to dismantle these systems we're all in. He writes and speaks about the intersection between racism, language education, and ability, and lives on unceded Munsee Lenape territory (aka NYC) with his wife, toddler, and dog."
Dr. Gerald came to the Roots Watering Hole podcast series after my co-host and co-producer Dr. Akilah Martin shared a podcast episode where Justin appeared as a guest on the Integrated Schools podcast. To say the least, I was intrigued and picked up Justin’s book, Antisocial Language Teaching: English and the Pervasive Pathology of Whiteness. Dr. Akilah and I both read the book and reached out to Dr. Gerald, and he graciously agreed to be a guest on the RWH podcast. Thank you again, Justin! Tune in now for our episode with Dr. JPB Gerald.
Book: https://www.multilingual-matters.com/page/detail/?K=9781800413269
Podcast for All of Dr. Gerald’s Episodes: https://radiopublic.com/unstandardized-english-G27J3n/episodes
Website: https://jpbgerald.com/
Indie Bound Book Sellers
Additional Dr. Justin Gerald Podcasts
Language Teaching and the white Working Class, with Nicole Pettitt Podcast
Dr. Justin Gerald on Linked in
Again, thank you to Dr. Gerald, the aftermath of the episode led to an exploration of linguistics, especially as it relates to the use of language and dialects. The exploration that had its antecedents in earlier explorations of topics such as Ebonics and Black English also led to the exploration of how people speak in places such as Appalachia, the Caribbean communities, Gullah communities on the Atlantic coast.
Think deeply about language and words as it is important to how WE tell OUR stories.
“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”
**― Chinua Achebe
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the Center for Urban Transformation or the Roots Watering Hole podcast series. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only.**
The Roots Watering Hole Podcast Series returns to full-time regular programming with at least one episode per month in addition to the food literacy podcasts. Listen to the trailer, thank you for listening.
Please look for information coming up about supporting our work via Patreon...
It is the beginning of 2024 and we embark upon a new trip around the sun. This is the first episode of the 2024 food literacy podcast and we will be providing a brief overview of what the upcoming season will include. Thank you for listening and may we provide you with a wealth of information for building healthy individuals and communities.
In this episode, we give our decidedly grassroots definition of food literacy. Well, there is no set definition of the term and if you want to dig into the weeds do a keyword search, but here is a good starting point for defining food literacy.
The food literacy podcast will kick off in full swing with the February 2024 episode. However, we know many of our gardening people are ready to get going but slow down just a bit and whet your appetite with these video offerings from MIgardener. We like their information and find it useful because they share the same USDA Hardiness Zone with Chicago.
MIgardener discusses the new hardiness zones and their implications for your gardening adventure in 2024. Then check out their episode on seeds you may want to consider starting in January.
If you are going to start your seeds indoors and use grow lights here is some information you may find useful, The world of grow lights is extensive so be sure to search the keyword "indoor grow lights" and do your research.
That's all we have for now, HAPPY NEW YEAR and HAPPY GARDENING, COOKING, and EATING!
If you would like to recommend topics, guests, etc, here is the contact information you need orrinw@uic.edu.
For information about the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion at UIC program mentioned in this episode go to the website. Consider reaching out about potential partnerships with one of their interventions.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
A wide-ranging conversation about being human and co-creating with Nature/Mother Earth. I think you will enjoy this sonic experience!
This is the final food literacy podcast for 2023. Please listen in and check the show notes for important season-ending information.
As is stated in the trailer there is some news on the gardening front that I wanted to mention. There is a recently released USDA Hardiness Zone map. Check out Gardener Scott’s YouTube video about the new USDA Hardiness Zone map, who lives in a similar climate in Colorado and who was also part of the advisory team that put the new map together. Check out the USDA website to see the map and for more information, you may find useful for the 2024 gardening journey.
Winter is an important season for the plant world, and it should be for us according to the Horticultural Therapy Institute as related in an article that I will read a bit from that was published in their blog entitled, “Dormancy: Nature’s Answer to the Dark Days of Winter.” Here is a link to the article.
Remember there are two key ways to think of winter in the Northern Hemisphere if you are a gardener, the lunar winter season, and the meteorological winter season check the link for an explanation of the difference.
Well since I mentioned seeds and seed catalogs check out these sites with important information about seeds from Gardener Scott and Epic Gardening sites. Stay tuned for more information about starting seeds and direct sowing in the upcoming early 2024 episodes.
See the following links for winter recipes, and seasonal produce for winter.
Bonus links:
Midwestern Seasonal Produce
Best Winter Vegetables for Seasonal Eating
That is all for now as we wrap up 2023, celebrate the holiday or holidays of your choice and happy new year, food literacy and gardening for 2024. For more information contact Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu, especially if you want to discuss seeds and seed companies. Please note that we have no endorsement deals and receive no compensation from seed companies.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
November typically marks the end of the growing season for most of us in the Chicago region. However, there are some gardeners who may apply season extension strategies that carry them through the winter. If that is not you do not fret, it is time to close out the 2023 season, get some rest, and begin planning for 2024.
We will not cover much at all regarding gardening tasks for November but in the show, notes please find information about garden tasks for our hardiness zones USDA zones 5 and 6. Please share our podcast with your network regardless of what hardiness zone they live in because the link covers all of the November tasks for the USA found on the Sow True Seeds website. Also, please note the 2022 November podcast for information.
It is the season where we may be tempted to overeat and eat things that may not suit our health and well-being, so I offer a cautionary tale and remind you that food is a core element in our health and well-being. No judgment though just be mindful... Check the show notes for tips on mindful eating from Psychology Today and see Mindfulness Exercises and remember to apply mindfulness eating strategies beyond the holidays into our daily lives.
Remember in the last episode we covered ultra-processed foods well a recent article in the Washington Post indicates the new dietary guidelines to be published in 2025 may include a warning about ultra-process food and their impact on our health. The article also indicates the food industry has already begun to push back on warnings regarding ultra-processed food in the next dietary guideline go figure...
We are complete beings and there should be no separation between, physical or mental health. On that note check out this article on ultra-processed food and mental health. So, check out keywords such as ultra-processed food and health, ultra-processed food, and mental health, define ultra-processed food, and the true cost of ultra-processed food. Hopefully, your journey will assist you and your family in living healthier lives. Check out this article on why you should do your research before embarking upon any strategy that will hopefully make us healthier.
I want to let you know that in the December 2023 episode, we will give you an overview of what to expect in 2024, including changes to the Chicago Grows Food program offerings. Check out the Chicago Grows Food newsletter to hear about the book club being planned. I will not reveal the book title here but know that it will be related to rest. So, if you want to get a jump start check out Pause, Rest, and Be by, Octavia Raheem.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
This is the October 2023 Food Literacy Podcast episode. The weather is cooling and it is time to prepare for the winter though it may seem strange you also want to prepare for the 2024 growing season. Check out the episode and accompanying show notes for what we believe are pertinent issues for October.
Check out this article by the Piedmont Master Gardeners about nutrient density and leafy green vegetables. Consider applying the information to your garden plan for the 2024 season.
Here is more information about seasonal eating and a seasonal eating chart.
In deciding what topics to cover in this episode something that has been of interest in our quest to assist with the development of healthy communities is ultra-processed foods. One of the simplest and most elegant definitions that I heard about processed foods is that they cannot be produced in your kitchen. Here is https://www.verywellhealth.com/defining-ultra-processed-foods-is-debated-5509462 for you to ponder. Also, check out this Center for Food as Medicine panel discussion on ultra-processed foods and consider removing them from your diet. The National Institute of Health National Library of Health provides a scientific review of the topic that like many others in the food policy realm is subject to being confusing. That said the bottom line is to avoid ultra-processed foods as they are associated with negative health outcomes.
Now, October offers many opportunities to work in your garden whether it is to clean it and prepare for the Spring 2024 season and/or to establish your season extension strategy of choice. There is no need to spend a lot of time on October gardening, instead, I direct you to the October 2022 episode. If you are going to overwinter crops this fall, and winter see the video produced by Chicago Grows Food and the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion at UIC. Also, see the Illinois Extension website for more information, and scroll down for keywords if you would like to expand your search.
The Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion has community-based programs for neighborhoods in need of programs to increase diet quality, movement, and saving food dollars for more information go to the CPHP website.
Contact: Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
September is here and fall is upon us. How quickly things turn as it seems that May and June were just a few days ago. See the show notes for more details and you will find a link to the September 2022 Garden Education episode for information still relevant in 2023. Thank you for listening in!
I will start by reminding our listeners that we are no longer doing a strictly gardening podcast, We shifted our format several months ago to cover food literacy which has as an element, gardening. The link for the September 2022 episode is here. You will find that the garden information for September 2022 is still relevant so our gardening information will be limited in this episode.
Fall is here, that is correct even though the first day of autumn will not arrive until September 23, 2023. There are meteorological seasons as well as astronomical seasons so see an explanation here.
I have the opportunity to work with different partners that were highlighted in a local news segment and a print article. Dr. Saria Lofton is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at UIC as well as a key member of the Chicago Grows Food coalition worked to develop a 12-week program called “Food is Medicine: Healing Together” to use cooking as a key component in an intervention to combat hypertension.
Similarly, our partner Growing Home was featured in an article appearing in Civil Eats discussing their organic farm and community programs.
I read an article about a 100% plant-based grocery store in Australia named Greens. Do you think something like that would work in Chicago? Personally, although I am not 100% plant-based, I would shop in a store like that particularly because over 90% of my diet is from plants.
Renewing soil came up in an inquiry that Chicago Grows Food received, and Elizabeth will be posting information about how to save money by renewing your soil. We will cover the topic in later episodes, especially as the 2024 season approaches.
Again, review the link above for tips on gardening in September and into the fall.
Do you want to try your hand at indoor vegetable gardening? I think I will create a small pilot indoor vegetable gardening project at my house, and I will keep you posted on our progress throughout the winter.
See, the Ripe Tomato Farm Indoor Garden episode. For more resources search keywords indoor vegetable gardening. A couple of sites I reviewed talked about bringing plants indoors from your garden, however, I DO NOT recommend bringing soil or vegetable plants indoors to avoid pest infestations.
Contact Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
This is the August Food Literacy Podcast done in partnership with the urban gardening and farming community in Chicago and posted via Chicago Grows Food. There is still time to plant certain crops for a fall garden and harvest, check the show notes for more details...
August 2023 Food Literacy Podcast Show NotesPlanting for a fall crop? Do not be deterred, go for it. In our home garden, we have crops planted from seeds including some unusual varieties of kale such as Ethiopian, Contralto, and Portuguese varieties as well as Alabama Blue and Morris Heading collard varieties.
Check out the following links for what to plant in August for if you want to experience fall growing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi6IadbVXDo&t=12s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqbCyaq63cM
Of course, speak with your healthcare provider for more information. If your physician does not seem to have much nutrition or dietary information, ask if there are nutrition and dietary services where you receive your care and how you may access dietary and/or nutrition services.
Diet and Mental Health
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/slideshows/foods-and-beverages-that-may-promote-mental-health
Heart Health
Study Shows Plant-Based Diets Are Good for Heart Health—Do You Need to Go Entirely Vegan?
https://www.health.com/plant-based-diets-good-for-heart-health-7505166
Research Suggests Eating These 6 Foods May Lower Your Risk for Heart Disease
https://www.health.com/plant-based-diets-good-for-heart-health-7505166
One of our objectives is to save you money on your grocery bills while assisting you in your quest for a healthier, higher diet quality. One way to do that is by storing your food properly to extend shelf life.
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/slideshows/ways-to-keep-veggies-fresh-longer
Berries are a great addition to a high-quality diet. Blueberries are in season through September for more information see:
https://blueberry.org/about-blueberries/seasonality/
If you get some blueberries at a great price while shopping at your favorite farm stand, farmers market or grocery store consider freezing some for future use. Beginning in November blueberries are imported from other countries so if you want blueberries from a seasonal source freeze them or buy them frozen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whDisfziTMU
Contact Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Short and sweet food literacy podcast episode for July 2023. Topics include what to plant in July as well as what seeds to start indoors for those interested in fall gardening. Food literacy topics include food fraud and the high cost of food, the health impacts of ultra-processed foods on our health, and eggs as an example of the confusion often swirling around food, health, and "healthy" eating. Happy Summer and Enjoy the episode!
Topics of Interest for the July 2023 Food Literacy Podcast Episode
Seeds to Plant in July and August:
https://youtu.be/NTVVALLPZHw
https://youtu.be/ELM5f8qSLIM
Zone 6 Vegetable for Planting in July
https://youtu.be/jCSdphFbfYs
Thinking Fall Gardening and Indoor Seed Starts in July
https://youtu.be/DiUvm7qP5lo
Food Fraud and the Cost of Food and the Potential Impact on Your Health
https://youtu.be/SaCg7t9sMZg
Eggs https://youtu.be/4l8GT9FXI3Y
Ultra Processed Foods: Article- https://www.wired.com/story/tyranny-ultra-processed-food-van-tulleken/
Video- https://youtu.be/uMv2TZUSPdg
Information about some of the terms mentioned during the podcast:
Agronomy https://www.agronomy.org/about-agronomy/
What is STEAM education? https://artsintegration.com/what-is-steam-education-in-k-12-schools/
Succession Planting Guide https://morningchores.com/succession-planting/
Determining Your Average Frost Dates https://morningchores.com/frost-dates/
Chicago Grows Food https://www.chicagogrowsfood.org/
Gardeneers https://gardeneers.org/
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
June in Chicago is the kickoff of the primary gardening season in Chicago. In this episode, we address some of the concerns of participants in the Chicago Grows Food constellation about fabric grow bag and container vegetable gardening.
Special thanks to Elizabeth Berkeley, executive director of Chicago Grows Food, Marjorie Kersten graduate student at UIC, and Taylor Swenski graduate student at DePaul University for assisting with the development of this episode.
This episode has content that responded to some of the questions participants in the Chicago Grows Food survey and focus groups had regarding in particular fabric grow bag gardening.
Participants wanted to know about reusing or revitalizing potting soil so here are a couple of videos that offer some ideas about how to do that, Epic Gardening and The Ripe Tomato Farm. Epic Gardening also briefly discusses the benefits of grow bag container gardening.
Additional topics included, Growing in the Garden on companion planting, as well as Next Level Gardening discussing the best flowers for companion planting.
Participants expressed interest in seasonality, so we chose from our USDA Zone 6 hardiness zone Growfully with Jenny planting suggestions for June.
Our research for the episode uncovered content from a local gardener in Chicago, B Betta Garden growing in 30+ containers, as well as June container vegetable gardening.
The second part of the episode is devoted to Food as Medicine content. From Oldways we have a webinar titled Putting Plant-Based Diets on the Menu in Health Care.
Medical News Today, offered a conversation asking Is Diabetes Reversible? Of course, we do not offer medical advice or diagnosis so please discuss this with your health care provider.
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder printed an article about food insecurity and the mental health outcomes of Black women. Given the food apartheid situation in predominately Black communities that limits the availability to access healthier food options, this should be a topic of concern. Is high cholesterol a concern for you? Then perhaps vegetarian or vegan diets may be helpful in lowering your levels.
Finally, check out this article about Dr. William Li the author of Eat to Beat Disease and Eat to Beat Your Diet, that is something else you may want to discuss with your healthcare provider.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.
Hello, food literacy podcast listeners. Please find and listen to the May 2023 episode. You will receive a lot of information this month including an episode on soil done in session with our co-host and co-producer soil enthusiast and soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin.
Rather than essentially repeating ourselves you will receive the encore episode of the May 2022 garden education podcast that has information regarding May gardening in Chicago.
On the food literacy front, we are focusing this month on basic cooking and cooking vegetables as an adjunct to increasing diet quality for our communities. Tune in and enjoy the episode and the additional content to get you going for the 2023 gardening season.
Let’s get cooking for ourselves and the environment...
The Harvard Health blog offers information about the benefits of cooking, be sure to check out the links within the blog post.
Check out how various cooking techniques affects the nutrient content of food. Then dig into the links about the Cooking Matters program at CPHP and basic guides to cooking and cooking vegetables.
You will find links to basic cooking classes and the Cooking Matters program in the show notes. In the future, we will be asking our listeners to provide their favorite recipes for distribution with the podcast. The cooking information in the show notes will focus on vegetables for this episode as it is important to increase produce consumption for our listeners and communities. Also, see the show notes regarding an essential for cooking, knife skills.
Cooking Matters
Basic Knife Skills
Pro Home Cooks Beginners Guide to Cooking
Pro Home Cooks Guide to Cooking Vegetables
I mentioned food, cooking, and the environment. A critical issue for us to confront as a society is food waste. According to the USEPA Reducing food waste presents opportunities to:
- Address climate change;
- Increase food security, productivity, and economic efficiency; and
- Conserve energy and other resources.
In the U.S., 30 to 40 percent of the food supply is never eaten, wasting the resources used to produce it and creating many environmental impacts. Food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S.
More than 85 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from landfilled food waste result from activities prior to disposal, including production, transport, processing, and distribution.1 In order to reduce these emissions, we need to prevent food waste from being generated in the first place. Cooking and eating what we grow, and purchase contributes to reducing food waste and increases food security.
https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from the healthcare providers of their choice.
Self-described soil enthusiast and soil scientist Dr, Akilah Martin is in her co-host and co-producer seat for a lively conversation about soil. Dr. Akilah is not as expansive as she could be regarding soil, and the time allotted is not enough. However. we endeavored to provide some useful information and I think we hit our mark.
As always I refer you to the show notes accompanying the audio for more information on the topic of soil.
Dr. Akilah Talks Soil Show Notes April 2023
SOIL MOISTURE/DRAINAGE:
https://plantcareforbeginners.com/articles/how-to-make-your-soil-retain-more-water
SOIL TEXTURE BY FEEL:
HTTPS://UKNOWLEDGE.UKY.EDU/CGI/VIEWCONTENT.CGI?ARTICLE=1139&CONTEXT=ANR_REPORTS
LUSTERLEAF SOIL TEST:
http://www.lusterleaf.com/nav/soil_test.html
SOIL JAR TEST:
HTTPS://HGIC.CLEMSON.EDU/FACTSHEET/SOIL-TEXTURE-ANALYSIS-THE-JAR-TEST/
WATER FILTER:
HTTPS://WWW.H2ODISTRIBUTORS.COM/PAGES/INFO/HOW-TO-MAKE-A-WATER-FILTER.ASP
Dr. Akilah and I want to share some United Nations reports on soil and water that speak to our concern for two of the most important components of the life support system for all life on Mother Earth.
UN FAO TOPSOIL AT RISK
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123462
UN ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF SOIL POLLUTION
https://www.unep.org/resources/report/global-assessment-soil-pollution
UN WATER PARTNERSHIPS AND COOPERATION FOR WATER
https://www.unwater.org/publications/un-world-water-development-report-2023
For more information or to contact me or Dr. Martin email: orrin@cutchicago.org
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from the healthcare providers of their choice.
It is April here in Chicago and excitement is at a fever pitch in anticipation of the gardening season for our community and home gardeners. This is the first installment of the April food literacy podcast. This episode is short but the second installment will be devoted primarily to soil with two programs featuring our co-host and co-producer, soil enthusiast and scientist, Dr. Akilah Martin. In this short episode check out the announcement for the 2023 Illinois Hunger and Health conference. Find the registration link for the May 1, 2023 event below in the show notes. If you do not already please consider growing herbs, this season, find out more in the links in the show notes...
This is the first installment of the April food literacy podcast. You will receive a link to an encore of the April 2023 garden education podcast. Shortly, you will receive the second installment of the food literacy podcast specifically focused on soil. Our co-host and co-producer, soil enthusiast and soil scientist, Dr. Akilah Martin will do a soil workshop and a podcast with me about soil. Stay tuned for that.
Register for and attend the 2023 Hunger and Health Illinois Regional Conference at Kennedy-King College, on May 1, 2023, hosted by Illinois SNAP-Education and Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. Registration is open until April 21. Register here.
Event Address:
740 W 63rd Street U building
Chicago, IL 60620
Registration at 9 am
Time: 10 am– 3:20 pm
For the upcoming garden, season consider growing herbs in your vegetable garden. Herbs can be used in your cooking and herbs are excellent companion plants that deter pests. For information about starting your herb garden go here. To find a list of herbs to consider growing and how to cook with them go here.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from the healthcare providers of their choice.
We are kicking off the gardening season with some tips and things to consider fro the upcoming gardening season. To deepen our discussion about food literacy we will be providing links for general cooking as well as using herbs and spices to create tasty meals.
Food Literacy Podcast – Garden Education Show Notes
In addition to the March 2023 food literacy podcast find a link to a clip and show notes from the February 2022 Garden Education podcast, covering topics such as hardiness zones, first and last frost dates, seed starts, etc to get you started for this season. The 2023 episode will offer more information but there is no need to, as they say, re-invent the wheel.
On a similar note, the March 2022 Garden Education episode offers more information about hardiness zones as well as topics such as sun exposure or the photoperiod for your site. How much light your site receives during the season should be a primary consideration when developing your site plan. In the simplest terms, a site is considered a full sun site if it receives 6 to 8 hours of full sun. Not receiving full sun does not deter you from gardening successfully. 4 to 6 hours of sunlight or a shady site can yield a nice crop. The difference? Your full sun site is perfect for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and many other crops including your flowers to attract pollinators and beneficial insects. Shady sites on the other hand are ideal for green leafy vegetables and many herbs. So let us get started with planning your garden for 2023 and beyond.
Check out our partner Chicago Grows Food which distributes the podcast in their monthly newsletter and is a coalition of various organizations we work with on CGF programs. See the website for a list of coalition partners. During the podcast, I mentioned the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion (CPHP) see the website about CPHP programs.
I have proudly worked for nearly two years on the Community Food Navigator project here in Chicago. The project is about all things food in the Chicago area, please check out the website and the app, great work CFN team!
Explore the Spruce Eats website that I enjoy for information about cooking. In the future, we will cover and include other websites with information about cooking and food literacy. Stay tuned!
Again, the links at the top of the page cover many of the topics you should consider during this garden and crop planning time before really jumping into gardening from April thru June.
Excitement reigns please reach out to orrinw@uic.edu. Stay tuned for the April Food Literacy podcast with more food literacy information and a segment with soil enthusiast and soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from the healthcare providers of their choice.
This is a very short trailer and announcement about Leah Penniman's new book out February 28, 2023. The full episode of our session won't drop until May 2023 when Dr. Akilah and I will devote the entire month to Black farmers and gardeners. Leah's new book is so exciting we wanted to let our audience and networks know that is coming out soon. Please share with your networks and consider purchasing this important new work, Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists.
For more also see the Soul Fire Farm website. Scroll down while you are on the site and find a book entitled A Darker Wilderness: Black Nature Writing From Soil to Stars, edited by Erin Sharkey. I just added the book to my reading stack and there you will find an excellent collection of essays including one by Naima Penniman of WILDSEED Community Farm and Healing Village, entitled Concentric Memory: Re-membering Our Way Into the Future. Consider picking up this book as well...
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, the CPHP, the Center for Urban Transformation, or the Board of Directors. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from the healthcare providers of their choice.
Well spring is on the mind of many people here in the northern hemisphere, especially here in Chicago. This particular episode is devoted to getting our home veggie gardeners off to a rousing start by planning for the upcoming gardening season. While the audio portion is great the show notes will be full of information and resources to kick off the season.
Let us kick off the 2023 gardening season! We are going to focus this episode on planning you gardening season. I hope you have had the opportunity to get into the seed catalogs and start buying your seeds or tosupplement your seed collection if you are a seed saver. If not it is not too late.
Keywords, vegetable seed companies, organic vegetable garden seeds, flower seeds. pollinator seeds, etc. There are many seed company to choose from, explore your options and look for seed companies in your region as they may specialize in seeds adapted to your region. I will not offer speicific seed company recommedations here but it you contact me at orrin@cutchicago.org I am happy to discuss seed companies based upon what you may want to grow.
Seed starting if you have the interest, space and are so inclined may begin about now. See the following: Almanac Seed Starting 101 or The Sruce How to Start Seeds Indoors. You are not limited to these sites, just search keywords such as indoor seed starting, indoor vegetable seed starts, etc. More importantly, you must base your seed starting activites around the last frost date here in Chicago (or whereever you live). Search for frost dates in your area by zipcode.
Include in your garden planning flowers and herbs, for attracting pollinators and/or companion planting that may assist in deterring pest as well as other benefits.
Other things to prepare for are soil temperature which will be really important when transplanting seedlings or sowing seed directly. Check out the temperature chart and unless you have season extension capcity you will see that you probably want to wait until April to get started. Do not for get sunlight when doing your plan we will get into more detail in future episode.
Before we run out of space here I have a couple of food related articles to share with you. Lifestyle and Alzheimer's and reading bioengineered or GMO food labels.
More on gardening and food literacy next month including information about soil.
orrin@cutchicago.org
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from the healthcare providers of their choice.
We are kicking off the 2023 food literacy podcast series with the resources you will need to create a system to reach your food literacy and healthy lifestyle goals.
Many of us hear the term "food as medicine' but what does it mean well the is no standard or concise definite according to Medical News Today.
The Center for Food as Medicine report provides some in-depth information about the topic including a report you may download here.
See the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020 - 2025, and for additional information to inform your healthy lifestyle journey and the creation of a system to reach your goals also see, the Harvard University Chan School of Public Health Healthy Living Guide 2022/2023, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Diet Fact Sheet.
Mentioned briefly in the podcast were the terms lifespan and healthspan. While they are different they overlap and we all should be striving to develop a plan and system for increasing our healthspan. To learn more about the topic click here.
In closing, we look forward to the February episode where we will be providing a lot of guidance for getting you started on the 2023 gardening series as well as more food literacy information.
Happy New Years (that's right 2023 and beyond), Happy New You, Happy Food Literacy, and Happy Gardening!
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare professionals.
Stay Safe and Well While Enjoying the Holiday of Your Choice! Happy New Year and We Will Be Back in 2023...
This is the December Food Literacy podcast episode. You will receive a bonus episode an interview with the new executive director of Chicago Grows Food. There is virtually garden education-related information in this episode but we will hit the ground running with information pertinent to kicking off the 2023 gardening season along with our coverage of food literacy information and resources. Also, our co-host and co-producer of the Roots Watering Hole podcast series, Dr. Akilah Martin will be back in 2023 to discuss her passion and specialty, soil, stay tuned for that episode!
We offer these links from physicist, Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder:
What Causes Obesity?
How Much Can You Trust Calorie Labels?
A physicist you ask, well yes Dr. Sabine offers a YouTube channel that covers a lot of science topics that I listen to at least once or twice a week, Science Without the Gobbledygook. So on that note, I found her episodes on how to read a calorie label and obesity are amongst the best done on the topic I have ever seen. I was surprised to find these titles on her site but it was through my nerdy side that I found the links.
Then there are the Blue Zones a concept that I find intriguing so check out the resources below:
National Geographic Article on Blue Zones: This American Diet May Add Ten Years to Your Life
Blue Zones Live Better, Longer
Another book and resource mentioned during the episode was Fast Food Genocide by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare professionals.
Listen in to our interview with Elizabeth Berkeley the executive director of Chicago Grows Food. Chicago Grows Food was formed as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic and operating since 2020 and will have our 3-year anniversary in March of 2023. Elizabeth will give you an overview of CGF and what the future outlook is for 2023 and beyond.
I am admittedly biased about Chicago Grows Food and the efforts that have emerged since the coalition began as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Chicago. See the Chicago Grows Food website for more information about this evolving project.
Here is the list of the coalition partners, understand that many people and organizations have contributed to the CGF program. They are numerous and I hesitate to list them for fear that I will forget one entity or another. Also, as the program evolves moving forward I am sure the coalition membership will expand.
Stay tuned for updates and also on the website be sure to sign up for the newsletter. Beginning with this episode the food literacy podcast will be distributed with the CGF monthly newsletter.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare professionals.
This Roots Watering Hole Podcast is done in support of the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion at UIC, the Center for Urban Transformation, and you the listener interested in improving the health and well-being of our families and communities.
This episode represents the first foray into a new format where we provide much more information than through our garden education version. Instead, now the podcast is the monthly Food Literacy Podcast. What is food literacy? Check out the definition here and also understand that our working definition includes food production through farming and of course, gardening. Also, see the (Food Literacy Center). So in addition to garden education, the podcast will cover food literacy topics such as nutrition, cooking, recipes, etc.
Grow bag gardening is great and we love home gardens but we need to grow more local food. Check out this example of large-scale operations that we think make it possible to bring urban farms online for less money and with design considerations tuned for our region.
Grow bags come in sizes ranging from one gallon to 200 gallons and they are reasonably priced. But how about making your own grow bags?
Our coalition of organizations Chicago Grows Food has a new executive director, Elizabeth Berkeley and we are excited about the program ideas being discussed. Check out the updated Chicago Grows Food website and learn about our programs including our successful home garden installation pilot program.
Here is a website full of information for your food literacy journey, Center for Food as Medicine. Sign up for their weekly email outlining numerous food as medicine topics including information about the latest research.
On the farming side of the food literacy equation, we are excited about regenerative farming, see Regeneration International and the definition of regenerative agriculture from the Regenerative Farmers of America website.
Hear Dr. Zach Bush on the importance of regenerative agriculture on one of my favorite websites, Urban Gardens Revolution.
Watch out for our December episode that will be released in conjunction with the Chicago Grows Food newsletter on the second Tuesday of every month. More excitement to come!
Keywords: food literacy, food as medicine, regenerative agriculture, regenerative farming, regenerative farming techniques,
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare professionals.
Podcasts evolve and this is the case for this monthly podcast from a garden education podcast for in particular, home gardeners in the Chicago area to a podcast focusing on all aspects of the food system. Why? Well, because we want to enhance our communities' ability to have a secure food supply, improve diet quality, mitigate social determinants of health and health disparities, and support for the co-creation of healthy communities for all.
Whether you have listened to the trailer and/or episode or not we are expanding our podcast. That said we are starting off here with information for our gardeners. I bet you can tell that it is fall and that the temperatures are dropping. So it is time to clean out your garden over the next couple of weeks. The tip here is for container gardens in general but is pertinent to containers that were used for your vegetable crops. Just in case you want general fall cleanup information here it is.
We did a workshop overview of season extension strategies and will distribute the recording of the session in a couple of weeks. However, as we head into the winter think about indoor gardening. We will cover indoor gardening opportunities in more depth in the next episode but consider an indoor herb garden for part or all of your indoor gardening for this winter.
As part of our newly expanded podcast, we begin with a short overview of the logistics of the grocery store. Now that you know something about the place most people obtain their groceries now dig into how products are marketed and how you may not be as in control of your consumer decisions as you think. We will be covering more consumer education so that we help you save money on your food purchases and hopefully encourage you to eat more fruits and vegetables.
In addition to covering season extension in the next episode, we will be covering crop planning so that you can get off to a great start should you decide to start seeds for the upcoming 2023 season. We also will have more food system literacy resources as well.
Feel free to contact Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu. Thank you!
Keywords: fall garden clean up, indoor vegetable gardening, indoor herb gardening, neuromarketing, consumer education, grocery store tours
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their health care professionals.
Fall gardening season and even winter gardening possibilities are upon us. Get ready for that and get ready for the spring 2023 season as well. Spring will be here before you know it and you will find that gardening (and farming) is a continuum...
There is still time to grow more crops by utilizing varieties that may be sown from seed and have a short period until maturity, watch this video by MIgardener to learn more. Seed companies such as Sow True Seeds (this is NOT a commercial endorsement, we receive no compensation from STS) offers a list of seeds suitable for fall gardening. The same seeds could be just what you are looking for for a quick spring start in 2023. Look for crops suitable for containers AND that have short maturity periods for spring and fall gardening applications.
I wanted to reinforce our commitment to fabric grow bag gardening. Our commitment is based upon safety concerns given potential soil contamination and quality issues in Chicago. There are pros and cons, it is not a perfect system but encourages home gardening rather than discouraging it as was often the case.
During this podcast episode, I mentioned a coalition we participate in, Chicago Grows Food (CGF). I want to shout out the successful CGF home garden installation program and special kudos to Gardeneers and Stein Learning Garden at St. Sabina for their logistic support that included delivery and installation of the home garden systems. There were a number of volunteers, interns, and partners that I am unable to list here but I want to acknowledge their efforts with a heartfelt THANK YOU!
We are in the planning stages for expanding the home garden program and if you are able to support the next iteration in any way please reach out to CGF. Of course, we are searching for funding so if you have any ideas let us know.
Contact Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their health care professionals.
The full episode with ecologist, community organizer and wisdom/dharma teacher Toni Anderson.
Late July-Early August 2022 Garden Education Podcast Series
Hello fellow gardeners, this is a very short episode. I had hoped to get a second episode for July 2022 out earlier but I was looking for guests to discuss season extension and four-season gardening but the people we had in mind are taking well-deserved time off for vacation.
This episode covers what crops can be started in July and August for your fall garden. Also, in response to several pest management inquiries, I included some links that may be of interest. I hope you enjoy the episode and continue to follow our garden education series.
Thank you for listening!
Rare Seeds-10 Crops to Grow in Late July.
MI Gardener-Plants You Can Grow in Late July-Early August for a Fall Harvest
Blossom End Rot
What is Calcium and the Role It Plays in Mitigating Blossom End Rot
Controlling Caterpillars in the Garden
3 Organic Sprays for Your Garden
More Organic Sprays for Your Garden
I hope you find this short episode useful, come back for more!
Contact me, Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu
Clip with Dr. Carlisle on what motivated her to write her wonderful book Dr. Liz Carlisle Healing Grounds - Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming.
Clip with Dr. Carlisle defining carbon sequestration, climate change, and the incontrovertible importance of healthy soils for all beings.
Clip with Dr. Carlisle responding to a question from Roots Watering Hole podcast co-host and co-producer regarding one of his long-time heroes Dr. George Washington Carver.
Clip with audience questions from Kali Johnson. The questions were edited from the main podcast in the interest of time, but are offered here unedited with Dr. Carlisle's answers.
This episode was very informative and our guest Dr. Liz Carlisle is inspirational and sparks optimism for the health of our species and all beings.
When I first discovered Dr. Liz Carlisle's book, Healing Grounds - Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming I was intrigued. Then I found out she was on faculty at UC-Santa Barbara in the department chaired by one of my dearest friends, Dr. David Pellow. I reached out to David and he introduced us. Then the next part was one of deep anticipation as I imagined the dialog between Liz and our co-host and co-producer soil enthusiast and soil scientist, Dr. Akilah Martin. I am beyond elated with the outcome as the episode exceeded my expectations. I think it will exceed yours. This is the full episode and you will also be receiving clips of the episode...
Liz Carlisle is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, where she teaches courses on food and farming. Born and raised in Montana, she got hooked on agriculture while working as an aide to an organic farmer and U.S. Senator Jon Tester, which led to a decade of research and writing collaborations with farmers in her home state. She has written three books about regenerative farming and agroecology: Lentil Underground (2015), Grain by Grain (2019, with co-author Bob Quinn), and most recently, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (2022). She is also a frequent contributor to both academic journals and popular media outlets, focusing on food and farm policy, incentivizing soil health practices, and supporting new entry farmers. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography, from UC Berkeley, and a B.A. in Folklore and Mythology, from Harvard University. Prior to her career as a writer and academic, she spent several years touring rural America as a country singer.
Web: https://www.lizcarlisle.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizwcarlisle
Order book: https://bookshop.org/shop/Semicolonchi (search for Healing Grounds)
Links to people and organizations featured in Healing Grounds:
https://www.piikanilodge.org/
https://www.blackfarmerfund.org/
https://www.aideeguzman.com/
https://www.masumoto.com/
https://nefoclandtrust.org/
https://www.weareminnow.org/
Also mentioned prominently in the episode were two of my favorite people who Liz interviewed for the book:
Leah Penniman - Soul Fire Farm and author of Farming While Black I had the pleasure of reviewing for the Center for Humans and Nature and available on the Soul Fire Farm website.
Dr. Monica White author of Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement.
Also, see Dan Kittredge Bionutrient Food Association.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the Center for Urban Transformation, its Board, the Roots Watering Hole Podcast series, or any partner organizations. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. The podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities using various modalities and disciplines.Doing it for those yet to be born,,,
The garden education podcast series is more than anything else presented to encourage the expansion of the home and community garden universe in Chicago and elsewhere, In the United States 95% of us do not eat the recommended amount of fiber and 88% of us are metabolically unhealthy. It is our hope that gardening will be one component of a comprehensive generational program to reverse these troubling trends.
Well, finally the season is in full swing after some weather-related setbacks for many gardeners and even urban farmers here in Chicago. Congratulations to our partners in the Chicago Grows Food (CGF) coalition for the installation of 50 home garden installations. The installations consisted of either 12 five-gallon grow bags, wooded raised beds, or a 100-gallon grow bag/raised bed system. Participants also received all necessary soil, seedlings, and/or seed and organic fertilizer. Additionally, participants have access to various members of the coalition for weekly "office hours" to assist with any issues they may be encountering. Kudos CGF!
Like virtually anything else fabric grow bag containers have pros and cons. To me, the pros greatly outweigh the cons, especially in a place like Chicago because our soils are of poor quality and often contaminated after decades of industrialization. Grow bags make gardening possible for many households in Chicago as a low-cost, versatile, and safer option.
Supporting this episode are a few videos that I came across during my research for the episode. The gardeners feature here are located in hardiness and climatic zones similar to our, in Chicago.
The Gardening Channel With James Prigioni:
Seven Crops You Can Still Grow in July
How to Grow Squash in Containers From Seed to Harvest
How to Grow a Container Garden Cheap and Easy
How to Grow Beans in Containers From Seed to Harvest
Hint: The information about growing in containers is transferable to the fabric grow bags that I prefer and that are used in the CGF programs.
Growfully with Jenna:
More on vegetable gardening in hardiness zone 6:
Seeds to Plant for a Fall Harvest in USDA Hardiness Zone 6
How to Grow Cabbage in a Container
Pepper Geek:
How to Grow Peppers in Grow Bags
Growing in the Garden:
Gardening in Grow Bags 5 Tips for Success
Want to contact me? orrinw@uic.edu or orrin@cutchicago.org
HAPPY & SUCCESSFUL GARDENING!
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their health care professionals.
The garden education podcast series is a review of pertinent vegetable gardening information in the Chicago, IL area.
It has been a challenging year on many levels here in Chicago and vegetable gardening is one area that has experienced many challenges. In Chicago, we had a spring that was cold and wet, then we had some incredible temperature swings, so many people are behind or have gotten off to a rocky start.
June has arrived and the activity level has increased dramatically with many of us working hard to catch up. So the warm weather crops are planted and now we are in cultivation mode ready for the season to unfold until the harvest.
But wait, it may seem counter-intuitive but June is the time to plan for and initiate your fall garden. Believe it or not, there are crops that you should be starting seeds for indoors before the first frost date is only 14 or so weeks away. That's right the first frost date is that close.
In the links below you will find pertinent information about planning and initiating your fall garden including what seeds should be started indoors and which seeds may be sown directly. We will revisit fall gardening in more detail in the July garden education podcast episode, but again it is time to get started.
Farmers Almanac Best Vegetables for a Fall Garden
Planting Schedule for Spring and Fall in Chicago
Leafy Place
I want to give a shout-out to our CPHP partners and our collective organization, Chicago Grows Food (the website is being updated). This year the partnership is doing a home garden pilot program installing as many as 50 home garden systems and we hope this catalyzes an expansion of home veggie gardening. The partnership includes Drs. Saria Lofton, UIC, Howard Rosing, DePaul University, and Akilah Martin, soil scientist. Organizations include organizations such as Gardeneers and Stein Learning Garden at St. Sabina, that have been responsible for the installations. Also, Openlands and Healthy Schools Campaign have been essential partners. Of course, I cannot forget about the glue for the project Marjorie Kersten, Ph.D. candidate UIC, Robert Johnson, and Peter Hoy.
If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the July podcast to discuss fall gardening and season extension please contact, Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu.
Keywords: fall vegetable gardening USDA zones, 5 and 6, high tunnels, low tunnels, hobby greenhouses, cold frames, how to start seeds, cool-weather crops, pollinator plants for vegetable gardens, season extension for vegetable gardens
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their health care professionals.
An episode in the home vegetable, medicinal, and landscape gardening series for 2022.
Hello Gardening and Farming Friends and Those That Love Fresh Hyperlocal Food,
Well, I apologize for being later than I would have liked to get this episode out. The weather in May has been like a pendulum swing from one extreme to the other. This theme is one that I mentioned before and whether you agree or not climate change and the resulting climate instability is the probable cause of this heretofore unusual weather.
What we are faced with is adapting to what the future holds. Here is the May 22, 2022 episode of 60 Minutes that may seem odd at first glance but the episode really is about how climate change realities will impact not just grapes but all gardening and farming. The message? Be adaptable!
Adaptability will require changing how we practice gardening and farming with one strategy being the application of season extension methods so that we may begin our season(s) earlier and end later.
See:
Low Tunnels, Cold Frames, Protection From Cold and Heat, High Tunnel or Greenhouse. Season extension does not have to be expensive, here is one idea that may cost around $50.
Another strategy for adapting to what seems to be the inevitability of climate change is changing what and when we grow crops moving forward. As you can see from this link the research is extensive. Do not fret you may not understand the scientific details of much of this but the point is clear, changes are certain. Skim through the links and see my point.
Do not forget to contact us with more information, questions, topics, and potential guests at orrinw@uic.edu. Look out for the June 2022 episode coming soon. Thank you for listening!
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our guests to seek guidance from their health care professionals.
An interview with the author of one of the best books we have ever read, Of Blood and Sweat: Black Lives and the Making of White Power and Wealth, Clyde W. Ford.
The Roots Watering Hole podcast series proudly presents an episode with Clyde W. Ford author of, Of Blood and Sweat: Black Lives and the Making of White Power and Wealth. My co-host Dr. Akilah Martin and I agree that this book was one of the best reads in our experience. We were intrigued by how for example, Clyde through recounting the case of Elizabeth Key and the impact it had on what would become the legal/extra-legal status of African descendants in terms of what I call enslavement policy and then the long term consequences via the social contract and the settler colony racial caste system in existence to this day.
There is so much more for you the reader to peruse when you buy Of Blood and Sweat: Black Lives in the Making of White Power and Wealth. If you are able, please purchase the book at an independent bookstore. Prepare to have to rethink much of what you think you know about the making of America.
Find Clyde W. Ford’s bio here:
Clyde W. Ford was born in NYC. He's the author of thirteen works of fiction and non-fiction. He's also a psychotherapist, an accomplished mythologist, and a sought-after public speaker.
In 2006, Ford received the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award in African American fiction. In 2019, he was named a finalist for the Hurston/Wright Award in African American nonfiction. In 2021, Clyde received the prestigious Washington Center for the Book award for Think Black, his memoir about his father, the first Black software engineer in America. Clyde also won the Nautilus Book Award in Social Justice and was named a finalist for the Goddard-Russo Prize in Social Justice for Think Black.
Clyde was honored as a "Literary Lion" by the King County Library System in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2019. He was voted "Best Writer of Bellingham, Washington" in 2006 and 2007 by readers of the Cascadia Weekly and he received the 2007 Bellingham, Washington Mayor's Arts Award in Literature.
Ford is currently a speaker for Humanities Washington, an affiliate of the NEA, where he presents a program entitled, "Technology, Race and Social Justice," around the state. He is also the Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Publishing Project at HarperCollins. Clyde has participated in hundreds of media interviews and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, New Dimensions Radio, and National Public Radio.
He lives in Bellingham, Washington where he enjoyed walking in the mountains and cruising the waters of the Pacific Northwest.
Please take the time to read an excerpt of the book here: http://www.ofbloodandsweat.com/
For bonus interviews with Clyde see:
Good Morning America
An interview with librarian (yes, we love librarians) Mary Kinser
We will close this episode out with a thank you to Clyde W. Ford. Oh, and for a special treat you can find two episodes with his sister the incredible Dr. Claudia Ford on the Roots Watering Hole podcast website, so double your listening pleasure!
Danielle Jones is the co-creator of the visionary Sankofa Village project in Arkansas. Tune in to listen to Danielle discuss her vision for communities that are rooted in a cooperative model that creates a sanctuary for the village inhabitants and surrounding communities.
Find information about Danielle's Sankofa Village project:
Sankofa Village Arkansas website
2021 Arkansas Soul Article on Sankofa Village Arkansas
Our blog Video about the developing vision of Sankofa Village Arkansas
Instagram - @sankofavillagearkansas
Legal Structures for Intentional communities in the US - https://www.ic.org/community-bookstore/product/legal-structures/
Danielle like many of us are multidimensional in addition to Sankofa Village she is a yoga devotee and instructor:
Yoga at the Bhakti Yoga Movement Center
Take yoga with Danielle | weekly Wednesdays 5:30 pm PT | virtual & in-person
Rotating teachers BIPOC-only yoga | weekly Thursdays at 7 pm PT (Danielle teaches 3/17, 4/21, 5/12, 6/30, 7/21) | virtual & in-person
Learn more about Danielle:
Danielle's personal website
The conversation with Danielle covered many topics:
Climate Justice
Just Transition (Climate Justice Alliance)
Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning: A Framework (Movement Strategy)
Portland's Clean Energy Fund
Article on stress and birth outcomes by Giscobe and Lobel (2005) "Explaining disproportionately high rates of adverse birth outcomes among African Americans: the impact of stress, racism, and related factors in pregnancy" Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16187853/
Article on the impact of racism on birth outcomes for African immigrants - Collins, Wu & David (2002) "Differing intergenerational birth weights among the descendants of US-born and foreign-born Whites and African Americans in Illinois" Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11821245/
Correction: "I said that the birth outcomes of African immigrants decrease after three generations, but it's just one!"
Feelings Inventory from The Center for Nonviolent Communication - https://www.cnvc.org/training/resource/feelings-inventory
Soul Fire Farm Reparations Map - https://www.soulfirefarm.org/get-involved/reparations/
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the Center for Urban Transformation, its Board, or the Roots Watering Hole Podcast series and partner organizations. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. This is a free speech zone.
CUT, GardenEd.
In this episode, we will be discussing spring vegetable gardening in the Chicago area in preparation for the upcoming season.
April in Chicago for gardeners sometimes can seem like it is a remote endeavor. However, there is much to do and consider. Some people are already deeply involved in gardening doing seed starts and if they have season extension they perhaps have some crops growing. In fact, at an event I went to recently I was speaking to the manager of the Urban Growers Collective Farm and was told that many cool weather crops are well on their way to maturity because of the UGC greenhouses. Most of us home-based gardeners do not have access to a greenhouse but there are other strategies that we can use to kickstart the season. At a minimum, we can start seeds early if we want to get started early.
Of course, it is just fine to wait until the weather warms a bit and get started in mid-May into early June. No guilt here most gardeners are going to grow during the warmer part of the season, the goal is that households spend time growing at least some of their food during the gardening season.
During the episode, we mentioned that in planning for your garden this season you should be certain to incorporate pollinators and companion plants into your design, click the links for more detailed information. Keywords for a deeper overview through an internet search, include pollinators for vegetable gardening, pollinators for vegetable gardening in USDA hardiness zones 5 and 6, companion plants for vegetable gardening, companion planting, etc.
Our focus as we have stated in previous episodes is fabric grow bag gardening, although there are other containers to choose from. Many crops can be grown in fabric grow bags and there are varieties that are really compatible with container gardening*. Again, get going and have fun.
In May, we will cover the topic of soil, and talk about the Chicago Grows Food coalition and their garden education programs and home garden pilot project. Of course, we will discuss garden activities you should consider doing for May.
Although we focus on fabric grow bags there are additional container options. For example, many people use 5-gallon buckets, be certain they are food grade.
Burlap bags are another option and again make sure they are food grade. Beware though that they are not portable and once filled with soil they are immovable without some effort.
Window boxes are an option as well especially if you have limited space.
***The link is an example of varieties that are especially suitable for containers and in no way should be considered an endorsement of the company.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our guests to seek guidance from their health care professionals.**
CUT, GardenEd, USDA Hardiness Zones 5 and 6, container vegetable gardening, cool, weather crops, sunlight, photoperiod, full sun. partial sun, partial shade, season extension, cold frames, high tunnels, low tunnels, greenhouses
Gardening or hardiness zones (also see) are a critical starting point. Chicago is in a zone that overlaps between zones 5 and 6. Look at the difference between the gardening tasks, crops that you would plant, etc if you were in gardening or hardiness zone 10 in south Florida near Miami.
You can search for the first and last frost dates for your zip code on the Farmer’s Almanac site. Or you can do a search by typing “first and last frost dates” in your preferred search engine. More importantly, is talking to gardeners with experience that you may know. For example, conversations I had with experienced gardeners the week of March 14th yielded a broad consensus that in spite of the answers we received via the apps we used we felt that the best date for Chicago is May 1st. The National Gardening Association app states that there is not a less than ten percent chance for frost.
As a gardener, you should be certain to check the weather forecast for your area. Although frost dates have been recommended regardless of your source for information about frost dates remember these dates are an average. So, should you use May 1st as your last frost date that is great but in case there is a frost after that date (or any time after you have plants to protect) here is a strategy to protect your crops from frost.
While the focus has been on hardiness zones and frost dates another often overlooked aspect of gardening is the heat zone (see the heat zone map). I mentioned bolting briefly and high temperatures are the trigger for bolting episodes.
Another consideration is sunlight or more specifically the amount of sunlight your crops will require each day. Now take a look at the site you use or are considering. Pay close attention though because your site may look totally different during the growing season. Why? Well, if there are trees around with no leaves now, they will have leaves for the summer and well into the fall. That tree may block sunlight and rather than your site being sunny you will find that the site is in partial or full shade. Why is that important? Well, the conditions created by the tree shading your site may mean that rather than growing those tomatoes you were anticipating growing you may need to select crops that can tolerate shadier conditions. I hope that you will be adaptable, and garden-based upon your site conditions. Over the years I have known people that have insisted that they are going to do something just because they like a certain crop and when things do not work out there is a lot of grumbling, or they quit. A better choice is to work in balance or harmony with nature to develop a crop plan around what is suitable for your site or local conditions.
The link to the webpage for this podcast will provide you with links for information about subjects such as the amount of daylight, photoperiodism
We will provide an introduction to topics such as STEAM, meteorological versus astronomical seasons, frost dates, etc. as a prelude to our March 2022 garden education podcasts.
Gardeners, please find more information about some of the topics that were covered very briefly in this short episode.
The USDA Hardiness Zone Map is here and you can see why typically we say that Chicago lies in hardiness zone 5/6 as the map depicts a small sliver that finds us in zone 6. There are a couple of reasons for this first Lake Michigan has a modifying effect and second, there is the urban heat island effect, thus Chicago can be warmer than the surrounding area. However, plants designated for zones 5 and 6 generally do well.
Also, season extension strategies such as greenhouses, high and low tunnels, etc can simulate conditions in warmer zones thus extending our season and making it possible to grow some plants that may not otherwise thrive in Chicago.
Hardiness zones must not be confused with frost dates and in fact, I have seen the last frost dates for my zip code range for mid-April to mid-May. We use April 30 as our last frost date, but note if you start seeds (also see by zip code) and the weather is not suitable for transplanting you should still have a two-week window. In other words, your seedlings will thrive until transplanted two weeks or so later than your projected last frost date. You may check for your potential last frost date by entering your zip code, but also read the notes of the site.
Now you can utilize the last frost date to calculate when to start seeds should you decide to do so (seed start tips). This chart uses a May 20 last frost date for example but it is also in line with what was stated earlier in terms of using a frost date around April 30. Note also, we recommend using the early seed start and transplant dates for broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and spinach in particular due to the opposite possibility of a stretch of warm weather happening in May that may cause these particular plants to bolt. In fact, I recommend with the exception of spinach as a fall crop, on the other hand, hardier crops such as, collards, kale, and chard do well transitioning from cool to warm weather. Spinach on the other hand germinates and can be harvested pretty quickly and easily replaced with a warm-weather crop.
This brief episode and the information should assist you with getting started for the season. Another episode will drop in early March 2022 providing more in-depth garden education information. Until then think spring! If you have questions please contact, orrinw@uic.edu.
Bonus Content: Seed Start Videos From Joe Gardener and MIGardener
Joe Gardener
MIGardener
MIGardener
MIGardener
Dr. Derise Tolliver on African-centered psychology.
After we encountered some technical difficulties, Dr. Akilah Martin and I are able to offer our entire interview with Dr. Derise E. Tolliver, One element we had to edit out was the reading of Dr. Tolliver's bio so please take the time to read it here.
BIO – Dr. Derise E. Tolliver
Derise Tolliver, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois. Her life mission is to help people “re-member” who they truly are. She has facilitated this through her teaching, scholarship, service, and being. Dr. Tolliver retired from her day job in 2019 where she was a tenured Associate Professor at the then School for New Learning, DePaul University. While there, Dr. Tolliver directed university-level short-term study abroad programs to West Africa, has accompanied high school students to Cuba, and has directed a BA degree completion program for adult learners in Nairobi, Kenya.
Professionally, she has written and presented on African-centered education and psychology, spirituality and culture, adult learning, competency-based education, international education and program development, happiness, creativity, health, wellness, and healing from racism and oppression.
In post-retirement from the day job, Dr. Tolliver has continued to expand her own learning and professional writing activities. She has served as a facilitator of learning for youth who attend an African-centered school that is based in Georgia. Dr. Tolliver is active in the local chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists. She also spends time reading, writing poetry, writing songs, painting, tending to her indoor and outdoor gardens, and volunteering at a local community farm. She lives in gratitude and finds something to be joyful about and to laugh at every day.
Dr. Derise Tolliver TED Talk: Sankofa: Going Back to Fetch Your Inner Voice
Articles
Stepteau-Watson, D., Tolliver, D. E. An African-Centered Approach to Intervening with African American Adolescents Involved in Substance Abusing Behavior. in Acheampong, C., Owens, L., Edwards, E. B., McArthur, S. A., ... & Jackson, H. (2018). The Western Journal of Black Studies Volu 42 (3/4), 147-157.
Tolliver, D. E., Martin, A. & Salome, N. (2017). Competency-Based Education, Lifelong Learning and Adult Students: Insights from International Partnerships between East Africa, Southern Africa and USA-Based Institutions of Higher Education. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Private Higher Education in Africa,
187 - 202.
The Association of Black Psychologists
The History and Visions of African American Psychology:
Multiple Pathways to Place, Space, and Authority
A Critical Analysis of African-Centered Psychology
Dr. Martin and I are deeply appreciative of Dr. Tolliver's generosity with her time to sit with us for this podcast!
Preparing for the upcoming home garden season.
Well, the first episode of the 2022 Home Garden Education Podcast Series dropped today but I wanted to add a short bonus episode about our main topic in the first episode, on soil. Dr. Akilah Martin and I had a lively conversation and this follow-up is designed to keep you stoked for the upcoming home food gardening season. That said we want to temper your enthusiasm as well because I know from experience we want to get out there and start gardening. One thing you will learn on your gardening journey is that patience prevails, whether it is getting started or waiting for those things you have planted to mature.
So while you (and I) wait patiently I will provide you with some video links proving basic information about what was covered in the first episode.
Fabric Pots or Grow Bags 101
Six Grow Bag Tips to Maximize Your Results
The Basics of Soil Biology
Learn the Basics of Fertilizers
This will get you started. Remember the internet is loaded with advice so feel free to explore, but also ask any questions no matter how simple you think they are. I will also reemphasize staying the course, do not give up mistakes happen and sometimes things beyond your control happen, but do not give up.
If you need to contact me copy and paste orrinw@uic.edu into your email address. Let us know if you have topics you would like to have Dr. Martin and I cover, potential guests or anything related to home vegetable and fruit gardening.
Stay tuned for the next episode where Dr. Martin and perhaps a guest will be covering topics such as seasonality, sunlight requirements for specific plants, frost dates, seed starts, and other topics. Until then, thank you for listening!
Reconnect to nature via houseplants and gardening.
There are multiple components that must be considered when gardening. They are sunlight, water, and of course soil. The focus of the February garden education podcast is soil with our co-host and co-producer soil enthusiast and soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin. We will be adding more content related to soil later in February and into the March episode as we will be preparing for the upcoming season. Look forward to a materials list and formulas for mixing your own potting soil for those using grow bags and other containers as well as information about raised beds and amending in-ground soils.
Also in March, we will be reviewing topics such as frost dates, seed start dates, etc. We are excited about the upcoming season in spite of the several inches of snow falling in Chicago as I write this. With this weather, it is a perfect time to go online or pull out your seed catalogs so that you can make your crop plan, order seeds, etc. The gardening sector is booming and supplies are limited so it is time to get a jump on the season by buying what you can now.
At the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion and generally, our focus is on grow bag and container gardening, here is an article providing an excellent but basic overview of the topic. We recommend 5-gallon grow bags as the default size, however, grow bags come in a variety of sizes and 5-gallon buckets are an option as well. 5-gallon buckets must be food grade so if you are going to use them look for a source selling food grade buckets, this article is a good overview of 5-gallon bucket gardening.
Dr. Martin and I will be discussing soils in the next episodes of the garden education podcast but for container vegetable gardening you will need to use potting mix as your growing medium. If you think you want to mix your own we will provide a materials list and formulas for you DIYers.
For those of you that want to explore in-ground gardening, we want to make sure you do so safely so Dr. Martin suggests you check out this link regarding soil testing for nutrient and safety profiles. We discourage in-ground gardening unless you have your soil tested for contaminants and because soils are generally so poor in Chicago we recommend a nutrient analysis as well. In Chicago, Stat Analysis has a full-service lab for your soil testing needs.
Until the next episode check out these videos or search keywords such as container grow bag vegetable gardening, container vegetable gardening, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdInZP_EtkA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhmKAoaJhio
Until the next episode get ready for a successful vegetable gardening season in Chicago!
February Garden Education Episode on Soil
There are multiple components that must be considered when gardening. They are sunlight, water, and of course soil. The focus of the February garden education podcast is soil with our co-host and co-producer soil enthusiast and soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin. We will be adding more content related to soil later in February and into the March episode as we will be preparing for the upcoming season. Look forward to a materials list and formulas for mixing your own potting soil for those using grow bags and other containers as well as information about raised beds and amending in-ground soils.
Also in March, we will be reviewing topics such as frost dates, seed start dates, etc. We are excited about the upcoming season in spite of the several inches of snow falling in Chicago as I write this. With this weather, it is a perfect time to go online or pull out your seed catalogs so that you can make your crop plan, order seeds, etc. The gardening sector is booming and supplies are limited so it is time to get a jump on the season by buying what you can now.
At the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion and generally, our focus is on grow bag and container gardening, here is an article providing an excellent but basic overview of the topic. We recommend 5-gallon grow bags as the default size, however, grow bags come in a variety of sizes and 5-gallon buckets are an option as well. 5-gallon buckets must be food grade so if you are going to use them look for a source selling food grade buckets, this article is a good overview of 5-gallon bucket gardening.
Dr. Martin and I will be discussing soils in the next episodes of the garden education podcast but for container vegetable gardening you will need to use potting mix as your growing medium. If you think you want to mix your own we will provide a materials list and formulas for you DIYers.
For those of you that want to explore in-ground gardening, we want to make sure you do so safely so Dr. Martin suggests you check out this link regarding soil testing for nutrient and safety profiles. We discourage in-ground gardening unless you have your soil tested for contaminants and because soils are generally so poor in Chicago we recommend a nutrient analysis as well. In Chicago, Stat Analysis has a full-service lab for your soil testing needs.
Until the next episode check out these videos or search keywords such as container grow bag vegetable gardening, container vegetable gardening, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdInZP_EtkA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhmKAoaJhio
Until the next episode get ready for a successful vegetable gardening season in Chicago!
What type of soil do you need for your garden, including raised beds and containers?
There are multiple components that must be considered when gardening. They are sunlight, water, and of course soil. The focus of the February garden education podcast is soil with our co-host and co-producer soil enthusiast and soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin. We will be adding more content related to soil later in February and into the March episode as we will be preparing for the upcoming season. Look forward to a materials list and formulas for mixing your own potting soil for those using grow bags and other containers as well as information about raised beds and amending in-ground soils.
Also in March, we will be reviewing topics such as frost dates, seed start dates, etc. We are excited about the upcoming season in spite of the several inches of snow falling in Chicago as I write this. With this weather, it is a perfect time to go online or pull out your seed catalogs so that you can make your crop plan, order seeds, etc. The gardening sector is booming and supplies are limited so it is time to get a jump on the season by buying what you can now.
At the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion and generally, our focus is on grow bag and container gardening, here is an article providing an excellent but basic overview of the topic. We recommend 5-gallon grow bags as the default size, however, grow bags come in a variety of sizes and 5-gallon buckets are an option as well. 5-gallon buckets must be food grade so if you are going to use them look for a source selling food grade buckets, this article is a good overview of 5-gallon bucket gardening.
Dr. Martin and I will be discussing soils in the next episodes of the garden education podcast but for container vegetable gardening you will need to use potting mix as your growing medium. If you think you want to mix your own we will provide a materials list and formulas for you DIYers.
For those of you that want to explore in-ground gardening, we want to make sure you do so safely so Dr. Martin suggests you check out this link regarding soil testing for nutrient and safety profiles. We discourage in-ground gardening unless you have your soil tested for contaminants and because soils are generally so poor in Chicago we recommend a nutrient analysis as well. In Chicago, Stat Analysis has a full-service lab for your soil testing needs.
Until the next episode check out these videos or search keywords such as container grow bag vegetable gardening, container vegetable gardening, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdInZP_EtkA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhmKAoaJhio
Until the next episode get ready for a successful vegetable gardening season in Chicago!
The clip with our guest and friend Joseluis discusses the impact of the American food system on our health.
The Indigenous View From Northern New Mexico. A Discussion About Food, Water, Soil, and Climate Change. In addition to the interview, you can find two short clips from the episode as well on our website rootswateringhole.org. One clip is devoted to indigeneity, the other is devoted to a critique of the American food system and its impact on our health and well-being. If you receive a distribution email from us links to both clips have been provided.
Joseluis M. Ortiz y Muniz is a land-based Native New Mexican Genizaro father from El Llano de La Yegua in the indigenous Genizaro Santo Tomas el Apostol de Rio de Las Trampas Land Grant and from Dixon within the Embudo Land Grant.
His paternal and maternal grandfathers were Acequia Mayordomos for over 50 years and gave their lives to the Acequia Culture. Joseluis has dedicated his life to agriculture and to continuing the rich agricultural and land-based legacy of his ancestors. He is a trainer of Race Equity and Inclusion and is a board member of the Biodynamic Farming Association.
Joseluis is a proud “Manito” New Mexican and is committed to the future of Northern New Mexico culture through community self-determination, restorative justice, social justice, traditional healing, identity, youth empowerment, race equity and inclusion, Inter-generational organizing, spirituality, land-based justice, and environmental and economic justice.
Los Jardines Institute
Acequia Culture
Acequia Culture and Restorative Solutions
Biodynamics Association
Demeter Biodynamic Federation
Fall is upon us in Chicago and this episode and weblink are focused on season extension for vegetable gardeners in the Chicago area USDA hardiness zones 5 and 6.
Season extension can add at least 30 days each to the front and back ends of your garden season if you apply the strategies outlined here.
Quickly, I would like to announce that we are substituting a new term for the backyard garden. The term we will be using moving forward is home and kitchen or home-kitchen garden. The reason for making this change in jargon is the desire of many of my colleagues and me to accommodate an array of opportunities to grow food at home.
We no longer want home gardeners to feel confined to gardening in their backyards or for households without backyards to feel as if there are no opportunities to garden. There are porches, stoops, rooftops, basements, front yards, and of course backyards, expand your horizons, home-kitchen gardeners! The CPHP garden education series will be researching and reporting through this series on how to vegetable garden in multiple venues where you live.
The kitchen portion of the new jargon is pretty obvious as the goal is to encourage the growth of home gardening as a way to supplement your household's access to food, based upon the site(s) available where you reside. Do what works for you, herbs for cooking, you want to grow tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, whatever you decide based on how much space you have, how much sunlight is available, or if you are going to do aquaponics indoors because you only have access to a basement, then go for it!
Home and Kitchen Greenhouses are an option if you have the money to purchase the equipment. What we have learned is that the purchase of the greenhouse is not the only expense you will incur.
You will need to build out the site you select for your greenhouse providing a platform or foundation for it. For example, we decided the site we selected required landscape fabric, then several inches of pea gravel. Another crucial consideration is anchoring your greenhouse and it is something we did not consider prior to purchasing the greenhouse.
Purchase your greenhouse from a reputable dealer rather than a big box online operation. Call and talk to company representatives and make sure your model is complete with an anchoring system. Again do not forget the extra costs for building out where your greenhouse will be located.
Pros & Cons of Mesh Tunnels, Cold Frames, Low & High Poly Tunnels
Greenhouse Gardening: Easy Tips for Beginners
Low Tunnel on a Budget
26 Cold Frame Plans
4 Ways to Use Your Cold Frame
Quick Hoops to Grow in Winter
Growing a Cool Season Garden in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 & 6
Top 10 Cold Hardy Crops to Grow in Your Garden in Zones 5 & 6
This is part one of the CPHP September Garden Education series for 2021. This episode, as well as the second episode, are devoted to fall gardening in Chicago or USDA hardiness zones 5 and 6.
Find below links pertaining to cool weather crops, fall gardening, and season extension strategies. The second episode will be dedicated exclusively to season extension and there will be additional links included.
For now, jump in and grow even more vegetables so that you may save money and improve your health and well-being through eating a healthier diet.
Gardener's Path Cool Weather Crops for Fall Gardening
MIgardener This gardener is from Michigan and from a hardiness zone shared with Chicago discussing crops that may be grown in September.
The Spruce 14 best crops for a fall garden. Do not forget as the podcast points out that some of the crops in these videos should have been started earlier in the season yet there is valuable information.
Illinois Extension is a source for information about gardening and farming in Illinois.
Part two of the CPHP September Garden Education podcast series will be devoted exclusively to season extension options and strategies. Here are a few links to get you started.
Chicago Botanic Garden - Five Reasons to Raise a Hoophouse provides a basic overview of season extension options.
The Spruce on how to grow in low tunnels. Remember that season extension practices and systems may be used to extend the spring season and the fall seasons. Basically, the growing season in Chicago is about six months from mid-April until mid-October. Season extension practices can add 30 extra days in the spring and fall, 60 days offer the opportunity to grow more crops for your family.
Join us for more information on season extension in part two of this month's September vegetable gardening podcast.
This episode of the Roots Watering Hole podcast series is with Gavi and Remi Welbel of Zumwalt Acres Farm, in Sheldon IL. In this lively episode, my co-host Dr. Akilah Martin, Gavi, and Remi explain the roots of their projects in ancient Jewish spiritual traditions. Akilah and I have a deep, deep interest in the ancient indigenous traditions, concepts, and practices from Africa and around the world. We are humbled by the universality of ancient spiritual traditions but also recognize as Dr. Rupa Mayra states ..."European missionaries and medics waged war on Indigenous shamans and healers. Physicians were part of the violent colonial project, bringing new medicines and conceptualizations that dissected Indigenous peoples apart from their ways of knowing and consequently from their health. Campaigns against witchcraft and the ignorance of colonized people were lessons in the brutal imposition of a colonial worldview".
It is in the spirit of memories of ancient spirituality and ways that connect us to the rituals and ceremonies and cosmologies that unify us to the cosmos and our kin beyond humans. The reverence that we are committed to reconnecting with and is central to our recovery from all episodes of the trauma of enslavement and colonization is the spirit in which we offer this episode. It is a demonstration of the indigenous impulses that exist but is often covered up even in contemporary iterations of "religions". We welcome this chapter in the story to our connections to the land, the flora and fauna, the waters, and the air who's health (yes, all of these entities have rights, not corporations) is interconnected to our collective health and well-being...
For further information about topics in the podcast see:
Zumwalt Acres Farm
Zumwalt Acres Farm YouTube Video
Savanna Institute
Regeneration International
Agroforestry
Black Oaks Center
Stand With the People of Pembroke, Stop Fossil Fuel Expansion
Healing Forest
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs
Evanston Food Forest
Refuge Food Forest
Chicago Regional Tree Initiative
Morton Arboretum
Janie's Mill
How to Make Sourdough Bread: Ultimate Beginners Guide
This episode describes garden tasks including what to grow for a fall crop in August in the Chicago area. Depending upon the source you consult Chicago is in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 or 6. Or as we say during our podcast series hardiness zone 5/6. Here are few links for plants to consider growing for fall gardens that should be transplanted from seedlings and/or direct sown from seeds. If you have questions, require more information, or want to share your fall gardening experiences send an email to Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu. Thank you for listening in!
Northern Homestead Varieties for a Short Growing Season
Gardening Know How Cold Hardy Herbs for Zone 5
Gardening Know How Tips On Fall Planting for Zone 5 Gardens
Gardening Know How Tips On Growing Zone 6 Plants
Gardening Know How Hardy Zone 6 Herbs
The Joe Gardener Show with Joe Lampl Fall Planting Tips
July! There is plenty of gardening left. Listen in for information about July container vegetable gardening. Check out the supporting videos and articles for your July gardening:
10 Best Crops to Plant in July
10 Best Crops to Plant in Late July
Watering Your Vegetable Garden
Pruning Your Tomato Plants
Pruning Your Tomato Plants (Video)
Join soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin and me as we welcome our guest Danielle Russell School Garden Coordinator at Openlands for this second part of the CPHP June Garden Education podcast series. Our objective was to provide a basic overview of pollination and pollinators but the conversation expanded some to cover topics related to trees, the urban tree canopy, and its relationship to mitigating climate change, cooling the urban heat island as well as additional benefits. Tune in to this episode to hear the full scope of our lively conversation with Danielle.
Also, see:
Chicago Botanic Gardens - Pollinators
Pollinator Partnership
Benefits of Urban Trees - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
School Garden Support Organization Network
USDA School Gardens: Using Gardens to Grow Healthy Habits in Cafeterias, Classrooms, and Communities
The Roots Watering Hole podcast series is excited to present this episode with Amaris Alanis Ribeiro the director of the North Park Village Nature Center of the Chicago Park District. The nature center is a sanctuary for the diverse communities that make up Chicago.
For more information see the North Park Village Nature Center. Also, see the Chicago Park District website for their programs available throughout Chicago.
Part of our conversation with Amaris talked about the importance of expanding green spaces throughout community areas in Chicago, see information about urban green spaces and why they are important.
Forest bathing or nature and forest therapy is a wellness strategy that you want to add to lifestyle practices for you, your family, and your friends. The NPVNC provides convenient spaces for finding a natural sanctuary within Chicago.
Join soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin and me for a lively and very, very important conversation or breastfeeding with Kendra Shelby of Balanced Breastfeeding Solutions. The benefits and importance of breastfeeding cannot be overstated, yet as Kendra reveals during our conversation the rates for breastfeeding in the United States are among the lowest in the world. Worse yet is the rate of breastfeeding in the African American community.
Kendra is determined to change the rates of participation in breastfeeding in the United States in general and the African American community in particular. Tune in for our lively and informative conversation with Kendra Shelby of Balanced Breastfeeding Solutions.
Some links about breastfeeding, recommended by Kendra:
Top 10 Breastfeeding Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021
It's Only Natural Mother's Love. Mother's Milk
Illinois Public Health Institute - Breastfeeding Resources
CDC Breastfeeding Report Card
This is the CPHP June Garden Education Podcast Part 1. Listen in for information about gardening in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 and 6 that depending upon your source, Chicago is located in. For more information contact Orrin Williams, Food Systems Coordinator CPHP at orrinw@uic.edu.
Some of the topics covered in the episode:
USDA Hardiness Zone Map
The Heirloom Collard Project
Planting Pollinators
What to Plant in June
Preparation for Fall Vegetable Gardening
I hope you have a great season! Yes while it seems counter-intuitive June and July are the time to prepare for a fall crop in Chicago. Our growing season is short but can be extended by growing in the spring and summer. We will be providing in-depth information about preparing for the fall gardening season in an episode coming up in late June.
Thank you for supporting CPHP!
My co-host Dr. Akilah Martin and I discovered very quickly that one Roots Watering Hole podcast episode with Dr. Claudia J. Ford would not be enough. So we bring you part 2 of our podcasts with Mama Claudia,
Find a few links to some of the topics covered in the podcast for deeper exploration:
The therapy website mentioned by Mama Claudia:
https://www.therapistsforblackgirls.com/blog/283377-free-therapy-for-black-women
Good articles on helping traumatized people:
https://www.nvfc.org/what-do-you-say-to-someone-struggling-from-emotional-trauma/
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/trauma-helping-family-or-friends
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-exactly-does-ptsd-do-to-the-brain-2797210
https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/calming-trauma
https://www.bhevolution.org/public/blind_devotion.page
Some additional links about topics Mama Claudia riffed on:
Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany Books
Ecological Imperialism
Entheogenic Plants
Grace Lee Boggs
Tune in to the CPHP May Garden Education podcast series. This is part 2 of the May episode with my friend, co-host, and fellow Earth Spirit; soil scientist and enthusiast, Dr. Akilah Martin discussing her passion - soil.
This is a timely episode in Chicago and USDA hardiness zones 5 and 6 that kind of overlap in Chicago as gardeners of all stripes swing into action. Chicago can be a tricky place to grow in the spring because this week we experienced temperatures near 90 degrees and as I write this on May 28th the temperature reached a high of 45 degrees. Subsequently, I will limit my spring gardening to hardy greens such as collards and kale and save crops such as spinach, mustard greens, cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower until the fall. The stretch of hot temperatures the past few years during the month of May compelled me to delay planting to avoid bolting crops, this year I guessed correctly.
We are looking forward to receiving seedlings from David Toledo of Contemporary Farmer, Inc. who, I shared seeds with in exchange for receiving seedlings. We will be featuring the website information about many of our partners during the upcoming episodes in 2020. In the meantime see the website of a coalition we participate in, Chicago Grows Food.
Summarizing the episodes here are a few books that you may want to search for at your local library or pick up for you library. The selection is really a collection of books sitting in arms reach in our office library with over 300 books out of hundreds spread throughtout the house.
Soil Science for Gardeners: Working with Nature to Build Soil Health, Pavlis, Robert, New Society Publishers, 2020.
Grow Bag Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow Bountiful Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits and Flowers in Lightweight Eco-friendly Fabric Pots, Espiritu, Kevin, Cool Springs Press, 2021.
Raised bed Gardening for Beginners, Wylie, Tammy, Rockridge Press, 2019.
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening, Riotte, Louise, Storey Publishing, 1998.
Welcome to part one of the CPHP May Garden Education podcast. In this, part one, Orrin Williams, covers some of the tasks to get you started on your 2021 gardening season journey in Chicago. I will be digging deeper early in June as the gardening season in USDA hardiness zones 5 & 6 kicks into action during June.
Be sure to move on to part 2 with our discussion on soil with our friend, co-host, and fellow Earth Spirit, soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin.
Get inspired:
Midwest Living
Harvest to Table
the Spruce
And of course, search with keywords such as container vegetable gardening, container vegetable gardening in fabric grow bags, small space vegetable gardens, kitchen gardens, backyard vegetable gardens, etc for more general information about vegetable gardening at home.
Professor David N. Pellow is the Dehlsen and Department Chair of Environmental Studies and Director of the Global Environmental Justice Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he teaches courses on environmental and social justice, race/class/gender and environmental conflict, human-animal conflicts, sustainability, and social change movements that confront our socio-environmental crises and social inequality.
Global Environmental Justice Project website: https://gejp.es.ucsb.edu/
Pellow, David N. 2020. “From social distancing to environmental justice in the time of COVID-19.” Bifrost (special issue on The New Normal? An Environmental Humanities Response to COVID-19). June. https://bifrostonline.org/david-n-pellow/
Principles of Environmental Justice https://www.nbejn.com/projects
Dr. David Pellow Bibliography (Annotated) https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/346111.David_Naguib_Pellow
Kojola, Erik and David N. Pellow. 2021. “New directions in environmental justice studies: Examining the state and violence.” Environmental Politics DOI: 10.1080/09644016.2020.1836898.
Pellow, David N. 2021. Struggles for Environmental Justice in U.S. Prisons and Jails. Antipode. https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.12569
Pellow, David N. 2021. “Electronic Waste and Environmental Justice.” In Deana A. Rohlinger and Sarah Sobieraj (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Sociology and Digital Media. Oxford University Press.
DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197510636.013.34.
Join the Roots Watering Hole Podcast Project for our interview with Drs. Pat Rush and Audrey Stillerman who along with Dr. Mardge Cohen and Kathleen Weber, RN, founded the Center for Collaborative Study of Trauma, Health Equity, and Neurobiology.
THEN hopes to help bridge the GAP between the explosion of emerging research and the very slow application of this important science to clinical care. We believe that medicine and healthcare can develop a rigorous, system-science-based approach. But so far that hasn’t happened.
In the past thirty years, over 100,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies have been published which conclusively demonstrate the neurobiologic connections between Brain and Body and the impact of Trauma including the Trauma of Discrimination. Despite the rapid growth of this compelling research:
– Medical schools, physician residencies, and healthcare training still do NOT consider complex neurobiology, system science, and the role of trauma in health disparity to be core clinical competencies,
– There is NO focused training in health professional schools or physician residencies, and
– Minimal innovation has occurred to put key research findings into action to re-think current medical and psychiatric diagnoses or to develop comprehensive treatment plans that address trauma adversity.
**THEN Mission and Strategy
1 Build a multidisciplinary community** linking trainees, faculty, and activists from the fields of Trauma, Equity-Justice, Neurobiology, and System Science. Our goal is to learn from each other.
2 Offer FREE science education, based on a thorough and balanced review of key research findings, as documented through a curated Bibliography.
3 Inspire the creation of an expanded medical model focused around neurophysiology and Brain-Body regulation. We feel this is especially important for the many people with both complex physical disease and a history of complex emotional trauma. Treatment plans based on the new medical model would go beyond “controlling” disease to build patient-clinician partnerships including foundational Brain-Body regulatory processes (sleep, emotional peace, supportive relationships, exercise, and more) with an emphasis on prevention.
Dr. Claudia Ford, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Interim Chief Diversity Officer at SUNY Potsdam is a remarkable woman and human being that I have had the opportunity to meet and work with although mostly virtually during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, I find her a compelling and multi-disciplined, and talented person that I am really pleased to have the opportunity to create a podcast session with that included my co-host and fellow earth spirit, soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin.
Together we had a far-reaching conversation about ethnobotany, herbs, and herbalism, global women's health, Black women's health, midwifery, and birth doulas. The conversation was way too short and we are going to do a second part in the near future, so stay tuned for that as well.
Join us for a lively conversation and podcast!
Dr. Claudia J. Ford's Bio:
Dr. Claudia J. Ford has had a career in international development and women’s health spanning four decades and all continents. Claudia is a professor of environmental studies at the State University of New York, Potsdam, and a midwife and ethnobotanist, who teaches, conducts research and writes about traditional ecological knowledge, spiritual ecology, entheogenic plant medicine, women’s reproductive health, and sustainable agriculture. Claudia serves on many nonprofit boards, including the Soul Fire Farm Institute, and The Black Farmer Fund, both organizations committed to supporting Black farmers, and ending racism and injustice in the food system.
Claudia is a writer, poet, and visual artist; and a single mother who has shared the delights and adventures of her global travel with her four children.
A short clip to supplement the full CPHP March Garden Education podcast with co-host, soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin and guest gardener extraordinaire, Karen Edmond. Karen is a landscape and fruit and vegetable gardener here on the south side of Chicago.
Please share any tips and information with us that we can pass on to gardeners and farmers in Chicago and elsewhere. Our focus is fabric grow bag vegetable gardening but we support safe gardening of all forms. We are also working to support and expand backyard and community gardeners throughout Chicago as a means of increasing food access and security and as a pathway to improving the health conditions that are manifested in health disparities and the social determinants of health.
Join us in building healthy communities through gardening, regenerative urban and rural farming, and food literacy programs as well as through building a resilient and healthy food system for all communities...
This is the trailer for the upcoming Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion (CPHP)* podcast series for 2021 for home vegetable gardeners that will also cover an array of topics related to food literacy. The series will be co-hosted by Orrin Williams, Food Systems Coordinator and soil scientist Dr. Akilah Martin.
The primary objective of the series is to expand the number of home-based backyard gardeners. The focus of the vegetable gardening episodes will be how to use fabric grow bags as the preferred medium for gardening but we will also cover raised bed gardening as well as for those interested, in ground gardening .
With the in ground gardeners we will discourage them doing so unless they have embarked upon a complete testing regimen and using those test results to determine how to proceed safely.
In Chicago and many places throughout the Rust Belt of old industrial and manufacturing cities the soils are often contaminated. Also, typically soils in cities like Chicago, are of poor quality as well and will require a lot of work to build them up and make them suitable for growing fruits and vegetables.
The food literacy portions of the monthly episodes will cover topics such as consumer education, food safety, preservation and preparation as well as nutrition education and basic cooking classes and demonstrations.
*CPHP is a program out of the Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnership (OCEAN-HP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
OCEAN-HP - https://oceanhp.uic.edu/
CPHP - https://oceanhp.uic.edu/programs/community-health/chicago-partnership-for-health-promotion/