Radical Roots Nursery
About the nursery
Radical Roots is a small, Latinx-owned nursery growing cold-hardy, heirloom fruit trees and a wide range of native plants of the Northeast. We grow all of our plants with organic practices, and we grow our woody plants in air-pruning fabric bags that produce healthy, fibrous, non-circling roots.
We’re passionate about growing healthy plants that enhance the local ecology by improving soil, helping native pollinators thrive, enhancing the beauty and functionality of the landscape, and increasing food sovereignty in the community.
We have several native plant species and rare fruit tree varieties that can be difficult to find commercially, and we love talking to our customers and to help them find the perfect fruit trees or native species to fit their needs! We also sell fresh fruit from the farm when it’s in season: peaches, plums, strawberries, and more! Stop by the nursery in Winterport, Maine on the weekends during the growing season, or order plants directly from the online shop for local pick-up at the farm.
About the team
Sam
CO-OWNER
I’ve had the pleasure of working at farms and nurseries for the last 7 years. I grew up in Colorado, but my farming career started in Costa Rica, where I fell in love with all things cacao – grafting and growing the trees, making bean-to-bar chocolate, and teaching workshops at Talamanca Chocolate. There, I also worked at Finca La Isla (a fruit tree farm and nursery) and taught classes on homesteading skills like fermentation and soapmaking. I then made my way to Tooley’s Trees, where I met Garrett and continued honing my growing and orcharding skills in a high-altitude, arid ecosystem in Northern New Mexico.
Here in Maine, I’ve loved getting to know the ecology of this water-ful (usually), vibrant place, and it’s been a dream to steward this land and increase food sovereignty in the community, while making things a little better for all the other species we’re cohabitating with. I’m forever grateful to the mentors (Ancel, Peter, Gordon, Margaret) who generously shared their knowledge with me over the years, and I hope that our farm can also be a place where people get excited about their role in the food web!
Garrett
CO-OWNER
I have been working in the nursery industry for the last 20 years starting with my first nursery job at 15. After becoming disillusioned with the industrial horticulture practices that rely on precarious workers, labor violations, and intense resource consumption I sought out different ways to grow.
With the help of my mentors and support from family and friends I was able to meet and learn from some of the most experienced and respected horticulturists. Being inspired by Gordon Tooley, Margaret Yancey, Scott Skogerboe, Michael Phillips, and others, I was able to find the path that matched my values.
After moving to Maine with my partner Sam as climate refugees we met the owners of Winter Cove Farm, Jill and Brian. Due to unforeseen circumstances they had to sell the farm. Not wanting to sell to someone who would discontinue their hard work they needed to find growers who would continue to care for the land. As fate would have it Sam and I were connected to Jill and Brian. The rest, as they say, is history.
Sofia
FARM DOG
Sofia is our beloved farm dog, seen here dutifully keeping an eye on the orchard. Born in Costa Rica, she has wholeheartedly embraced life in the Northeast. She’s a superb vole-catcher, an exuberant customer greeter (if you’ll have her), and in her free time, a couch potato and forest explorer.