Community Roots

10/08/2026

Now is a good time to divide or move anemones.

If you have a clump that’s gotten crowded, you’d like to make more plants, or you’ve realized that the spot you planted them in a few years ago just isn’t working anymore, fall is a great time to make a change.

Anemones generally prefer sun to part shade, rich soil, and consistent moisture without sitting in soggy ground. If yours are struggling in deep shade, a dry spot, or somewhere they’re getting crowded out, consider giving them a better home.

And for those of us gardening in Central Ohio, there are native anemones worth getting to know, including wood anemone (*Anemonoides quinquefolia*). Like a lot of native plants, they can be a great choice for supporting the wildlife that belongs here. Just keep in mind that not every anemone you’ll find at a garden center is native.

One of our favorite gardening tips has very little to do with plants: **keep a garden calendar.**

Pruning, dividing, planting, cutting things back, collecting seed… there are a lot of seasonal jobs to remember, and “I’ll remember to do that next year” is a surprisingly unreliable system.

Community Roots has a Google Calendar for pruning and maintenance tasks throughout the year. If you’d like to be added, send us a message and we’ll get you on it.

A little planning now can make the garden a whole lot easier to manage later.

10/07/2026

🍂 **October in Knox County, Ohio means we’re starting to think ahead.** 🍂

We’ve had some chilly nights already, and even though the forecast has warmed back up and there’s no frost in sight *yet*, this is the time of year when we start making plans for the plants we’ll be bringing indoors.

And for us, overwintering plants isn’t just a matter of sticking the whole pot inside and hoping for the best. 😅

When we bring plants indoors, we like to give them a little reset:

🌱 **Fresh potting soil** — not necessarily because they need a bigger pot, but because fresh soil helps minimize the number of insects and other hitchhikers we accidentally bring inside.

✂️ **Pruning the tops** — removing tired, damaged, or excessive growth. Sometimes that means a harvest, too! This lemongrass got a pretty serious haircut before coming in. (And yes, we’re absolutely saving those fragrant stalks!)

🌿 **And don’t forget the roots!** — Roots can get just as crowded, tired, and tangled as the growth above the soil. When a plant is rootbound, selectively trimming and teasing apart the root mass can encourage fresh roots and make the transition into a smaller overwintering space much easier.

The goal isn’t necessarily to make every plant *pretty* before it comes inside. 😂 It’s to make the plant manageable, healthy, and ready for the next season.

Because while the weather may still be giving us a little breathing room, **winter is coming whether the forecast admits it or not.**

So… are you out there starting to think about the seasons ahead, too? What are you bringing indoors this year? 🪴

09/25/2026

We’re cranking out another batch of tomatoes for Grindhouse Barbecue today and finding some great color 🌈
Those green chunks are indeed ripe!
They are called Tasty Evergreen and the name is not wrong. They are scrumptious!
Find them on the famous loaded nachos tomorrow, September 26
at the Dan The Man Car Show (124 College St, Alexandria) ❤️
Weather should be as beautiful as these ‘maters! 🍅

09/19/2026

We definitely have to give a Big shoutout to Community Roots for providing us these delicious ❤️ tomatoes for our nachos today at Fredericktown Chevrolet 😍 They were a hit for sure!

09/19/2026

09/15/2026

Here’s a look at some local organizations where you can volunteer and connect with a cause that matters to you.

09/14/2026

Thank you Walmart for the huge donation of seed starting supplies from our local City of Mount Vernon, Ohio store!
This is the second load that your intrepid employees helped me load with smiles and can-do attitudes 🤗
As one of them said when we got all in today: I love it when a plan comes together!
Some of this will be gifted to Bee City USA - Mount Vernon, Ohio and some of our gardeners! All will be used to increase herbs and veggie production as well as native plants to increase forage for pollinators!
Community spirit is thriving 🙌

09/09/2026

There’s something satisfying about getting plants in the ground when a storm is rumbling somewhere nearby.

This evening we’re planting **New England aster and ice plant** in the cooler part of the day, even though thunderstorms are forecast for Knox County and the radar is looking decidedly *spotty and spottier*. 😂⛈️

And honestly? We don’t need the storm to dump rain directly on our garden for it to be interesting.

**Lightning itself plays a role in the nitrogen cycle.** The enormous energy of a lightning strike can convert atmospheric nitrogen into reactive nitrogen compounds. Some of that nitrogen eventually makes its way back to the soil through precipitation and even dry deposition. So when we see lightning flickering across the sky, there’s a little bit of atmospheric chemistry happening up there that can ultimately benefit terrestrial ecosystems. 🌩️🌎

Will one evening of lightning fertilize our garden?

Nope. We’re not going to cancel the compost delivery and just stand around waiting for Zeus. 😆

But it’s a beautiful reminder that gardens are connected to processes happening far beyond the garden bed.

Meanwhile, our job is much simpler: **plant good plants, get those roots settled, build healthy soil, and let nature do what nature does.**

New England aster will bring late-season flowers for pollinators, and these perennials get a chance to establish their roots while the soil is still warm.

Sometimes community roots begin with a shovel.

Sometimes they begin with a storm on the horizon. 🌿💚⚡

09/03/2026

We had tomatoes in May and then…well…things got weird with the weather and in the garden. But FINALLY! Tomatoes are popping again!
Catch them at Grindhouse Barbecue tomorrow on some loaded nachos at The Living Center
Sep 4
11-3
201 N. Main St

09/01/2026

Sometimes in the Chef day, we need butternut..like, a lot of butternut, so I whip out my handy 9 year old smartphone and head over to FarmSource to check out the local farmer inventory. All without leaving the shop or waiting for the next market, yay internets!

Quickly distracted by the beef cuts available, we find Knox Berry Farm ready to answer our call!

Placed our online request for ALL of their butternut and some peppers, cuz they're some of our favorites, got confirmation and pickup notes.

Bosslady and I headed over to their farm, picked up our order, each bag tagged to make for quick grabbing. 50 pounds of butternut ready to get got!

We're going to prepare all this for a few dishes and orders, with the waste heading to compost with local Community Roots .

So ya, that's one of those glimpses in our day in our little shop of big flavors!

Go support your local farmer, FarmSource is out to make it easier!