It’s Grow Time

Revival Roots Nursery Ships High-Quality Seedlings to Palisadians Looking to Grow a Garden of Their Own

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or testing out your green thumb for the first time, Reed Newman wants to help you put down some roots.

The Rustic Canyon native said growing up surrounded by the natural landscape, just a few-minute drive to the great hikes of the Santa Monica Mountains, helped inspire him to launch Revival Roots in 2016 and, just a few weeks ago, Revival Roots Nursery—sister companies that allow Palisadians to have a garden of their own.

“It really just cemented my love for nature and the natural world that surrounds us,” Newman said of the neighborhood. “I see that with a lot of my clients in the Palisades. They see the natural beauty around them, and they want to bring that into their own home.”

Revival Roots, designed to “provide people with the ability to connect with the food they consume,” builds and maintains organic mixed vegetable gardens, fruit tree orchards and edible landscapes for both businesses and homeowners throughout Los Angeles.

“Through providing exceptional service and growing bountiful gardens for our clients, we’ve learned to grow the best quality produce and understand how people interact with their homegrown bounties,” according to information shared by Newman. “We know that starting with quality seedlings leads to an abundant harvest, but finding quality plants was the tough part.”

Newman shared that since first launching Revival Roots, the business has continued to grow, mostly by word of mouth. He said that when the COVID-19 pandemic started and restrictions went into place, he was concerned and worried—but found those fears were misplaced, as more and more people were interested in starting at-home gardens.

“I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised that people found a renewed relationship with the desire to grow their own food,” he shared, adding that people sometimes were looking for independence from grocery stores or that their kids were distance learning and hoping to add gardening into their curriculum. “We really saw a lot of interest in people growing their own food. That was really great to see.”

At first, Revival Roots purchased seedlings from Los Angeles-based nurseries, but over time, they wanted more control over the quality. With more than 80 clients, Newman and the Revival Roots team solved the issue of providing the best quality plants they could by starting an in-house nursery to grow their own seedlings about two years ago.

Looking to reach an even wider audience in 2022—including those who are not interested in or cannot afford weekly gardening service—Newman launched Revival Roots Nursery, which ships high-quality seedlings. Through the sister company, they source “organically grown vegetable and herb seedlings at peak maturity,” which are “ready to thrive in your garden.”

Newman explained that, more often than not, when someone tries to start a vegetable garden and they are not successful, it is due to the quality of the seedlings. When purchased from big box stores, they are not always well cared for and can become root-bound, which is when the roots tangle around each other.

“We wanted to provide access to high-quality seedlings, so really anyone—right now within California—could grow their own produce at home,” Newman said.

The nursery offers a selection of seasonal seedlings, including golden nugget tomatoes, minime cucumbers, arugula, chives and Italian parsley.

“Really everything we offer is seasonal and everything will grow within California,” Newman said when asked what a Palisadian might consider planting in their garden. “Let’s say maybe they live in a smaller home or don’t have a lot of outdoor space, I think purchasing a variety of herbs is a great start.”

Newman explained herbs could be planted in a pot next to a window in the kitchen.

“If you do have some outdoor space, growing tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, arugula—those are all really nice things that will produce all season long,” he added. “Even with a small amount of space, growing a couple of herb plants or a couple of vegetables can really provide a meaningful supplement to your daily diet.”

For now, shipping is available throughout California, with plans to expand on the horizon.

“If I have any message, [it would be] even if you don’t have a lot of space, or you do have a lot of space,” Newman said, “just start growing.”

For more information, visit revivalrootsnursery.com and revivalroots.com.