EVENTreport
By Jamie Oberg and Tori Vandergriff On Saturday, June 25, Rooting DC’s 15th annual event brought together urban farmers and gardeners for free workshops, networking events, and discussions about mid-Atlantic gardening and food production. The event was held virtually this year through the Whova app. The Whova app allowed attendees to remotely join each session based on a schedule released before the event. Speakers were given designated time slots so people could tune in to whichever sessions they were most interested in. Some sessions were recorded, so attendees could listen to the talks after the event had ended. This aspect made the event more inclusive of attendees’ busy schedules and enabled people to go back and listen to a session over again. Rooting DC is made possible by DC Greens, City Blossoms, and a rotating selection of nonprofit partners and government exhibitors. According to DC Greens, it garners about 1,200 attendees. Rooting DC was originally held in 2008, by a group of volunteer organizers hoping to share resources with gardeners in the DC area while building 8
WASHINGTON GARDENER
JULY 2022
relationships. It has since grown and the event has hosted more than 700 free workshops over the years. Expecting 25 attendees at its first event, the 125 who lined up foreshadowed the growth that was to come. In 2009, 600 attendees arrived, with the number growing steadily each year. By 2017, every ward of Washington, DC, alongside its Virginia and Maryland neighbors, was represented. This year’s event included six workshops and four round tables “meant to facilitate connection and conversation.” Josh Singer, DC Parks and Rec community garden specialist, gave a virtual tour of Lederer Gardens during his session at Rooting DC 2022. Lederer Gardens is located in northeast DC and was started in the 1970s. It has seen difficulties in the past decade due to flooding, according to Singer, but has seen a recent upturn. Lederer Garden was restored and transformed into a communal farm where people can get hands-on gardening experience and the garden staff even does a weekly vegetable giveaway to members of the community. Lederer Gardens strives to alleviate food insecurity specifically in DC’s senior popula-
tion, which is why their biggest veggie giveaways are during the weekdays. Singer brought the tour to one of the gardens’ greenhouses, where he conducted a workshop about propagating berries. He highlighted fresh raspberries and strawberries as easily propagated plants. He also gave tips for pruning sweet basil, tilling for better drainage in a garden, harvesting collard plants, and trellising tomatoes. Singer’s tour was highly informative and captivating because he was physically in the garden demonstrating all of his tips and tricks. This session was recorded, allowing attendees to fast-forward, rewind, and rewatch Singer’s tour based on their needs. Singer’s tour was an effective session used to introduce people to Lederer Gardens and provide advice for at-home gardening. Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher of the Washington Gardener Magazine, gave a talk entitled “A Local Obsession: Growing Tomatoes.” Her talk was lecture-esque because she provided informative slides for each talking point. She provided the basic ground rules for growing tomatoes, including soil testing, raised beds, and providing the plant with full sun. She also gave planting tips
