CONTACTING US


 

 

 

2000 Cherry Tomatoes From A Single Plant!

Watch this free 15 minute video to learn about biodynamics and see the spectacular results for yourself. Follow the directions to grow your own 12 ft. high cherry tomato plant.


This video first aired on thePBS television program "Take Note"

Biodynamic principles can be applied to gardens or farms of any size, as well as larger areas or whole ecosytems. The following video illustrates how well biodynamics works on single tomato plants.

View this short video for a better view of  this huge,
12' x 10' round, biodynamic tomato plant featured in the video above.

 

It's Not Just about Vegetables

Evergreen Elm’s Garden Program

by Melissa McGuire
      Program Director

 


L.A. Rotheraine, Biodynamic Master Gardener with Jordan Evan, Executive
Chef at the Penn Hills Club, show Biodynamic Butternut Squash.

Evergreen Elm's Biodynamic Cherry Tomato Plant2012 Biodynamic Cherry Tomato
Era photo by Alan Hancock

From left, biodynamic gardeners Jim Oehler, L.A. Rotheraine, standing on ladder, Jeff Van Scooter and Brandi Buck stand in front of a 10 foot tall cherry tomato plant on Wednesday afternoon at the Evergreen Elm garden on Elm Street. Rotheraine claims it is the strongest tomato plant on the Planet Earth. “With all the billions of dollars that the genetic engineering seed companies spend, they cannot come close to producing the unique seed that Evergreen Elm makes to create this plant,” Rotheraine said. Evergreen Elm Executive Director Debbie Price said the agency has seeds available from the giant tomato plant. Donations would be accepted.

Who We Are:

Evergreen Elm, Inc., a private non-profit corporation established in 1974 to serve the community by providing quality living arrangements and life programs for adults in McKean County who have intellectual disabilities.

The Program:

The Garden Therapy Program of Evergreen Elm, located at River and Elm Streets in Bradford, PA began in the summer of 1990. The first planting was on a piece of property donated for use by Mrs. Rosalie Salerno. She has since given the land to Evergreen Elm, dedicating it to her parents Carmela and Benedetto Artino.

This program is an attempt to introduce our residents to what is called “adjunctive “ therapy, a therapy that brings the individual closer to the mystery of growth and development.

The primary purpose of the program is to improve the physical and mental well being of our individuals and staff while growing wholesome nutritious food and fostering life enrichment activities.

The garden also serves to provide day activities with the possibility of pocket money for our individuals without employment.

Garden Therapy Benefits Include:

 Developing feelings of self-esteem and usefulness. A true confidence builder.
 Developing specific skills such as eye/hand coordination, motor coordination, manual
     dexterity, spatial and number aptitudes, intellectual development, following instructions and decision making.
 Learning and laughter replace anxiety and anger.
 Stimulating social interaction and teamwork.
 Community interactions equal positive relationships
 Leisure activities
 Vocational opportunities
 In addition Garden Therapy empowers one to make a difference in their environment.

Winners
Some members of Evergreen Elm's Biodynamic gardening team pose for us at their garden location in Bradford, PA on August 24th. The gardeners won big again in the August 2007 McKean County Fair competition. They won 24 first place blue ribbons, one third place white and two fourth place yellow ribbons out of 29 entries during the fair. Their Master Gardener, L.A. Rotheraine attributed their success this year to teamwork, hard work, and the Biodynamic Field and Garden Spray. Of the 24 blues, says Rotheraine, the most important for all biodynamic and organic growers throughout the world is the first place taken in the cherry tomato competition. Our Selke Biodynamic Cherry Tomato can become the standard bearer against the genetic engineering and terminator seed companies. It cannot be duplicated by the technology these companies use. Only the biodynamic agricultural science as deployed by Evergreen Elm and our special method of producing tomato seeds can create this superior plant.

How We Garden—Biodynamics:

We support the biodynamic method of agriculture. This allows us to grow some of the largest, best tasting and healthiest vegetables we’ve ever seen.


While remaining ecologically responsible, the biodynamic system enhances and raises the health and vitality of the soil through the use of extensive composting and NO chemicals.

 

Our Vision

Our dream is to fulfill a community need while creating possible employment opportunities and become self-sufficient.


Community Contributions:

Tours of the garden.

A quiet place for lunch or a break from the daily grind.

Lectures about our garden to local clubs and organizations.

Participation at the local County Fair.

Free distribution of our unique seed strain for the tomato plant pictured above.

Donations to the local Food Pantries and The Friendship Table.

Selke Tomato Revisited


Bradford Journal Photo

This photo, taken September 17th, 2015 at Evergreen Elm’s Biodynamic Garden displays the size of what has become known as the Selke Biodynamic Cherry Tomato. Evergreen Elm named their famous Cherry Tomato species after Margrit Selke, whose biodynamic preparations enabled L.A. Rotheraine to make the special seeds that produces these giants. Left to right are Gardener Randy Johnson, Master gardener, L.A. Rotheraine, and Garden Supervisor Brandi Buck. On this occasion, L.A. Rotheraine was heard to say, “I love this plant!” “Its growth pattern far exceeds the growth expectation associated with tomato plants. Without some other type of influence, in this case heavenly (cosmic), the genes would not have expressed themselves with such superabundant growth.” His thoughts on the subject are more fully explained in this statement he made nearly a quarter of a century ago, “It is tragic that western agricultural science has forgotten about the energy interchange between the heavens (macrocosm) and earth (microcosm). Science knows that there are electromagnetic interchanges between the sun, moon and planets with the earth. It is only common sense to realize this interchange has to have an effect on plant growth.

Biodynamic agriculture gives us the opportunity to learn to harvest the energy from the whole universe - the opposite of atomic energy which works with the smallest aspect of matter. Atoms are only the result of heavenly activity. Biodynamics gives science a real intelligent design.” (L.A. Rotheraine) “For years we've been saying the older we get, the less we understand.

Rotheraine's explanations for what we are looking at when we see his giant tomato plant (Selke Biodynamic Cherry Tomato plant) is an example of this. The explanation may not be to our liking, but regular agricultural science does not have any other explanation for why the plant becomes so large despite the genetic limitations that normally are attributed to it" See "The Hibernian Mysteries” rotheraine.com,
Grant Nichols,
Bradford Journal, February, 1992.

Why we need your help:

Since the inception of the garden we had been able to cover the cost out of the general operating budget. Recently the state informed us that the garden was not a billable or allowable expense, thus leaving us with the question, “How to keep this great program operating for those we serve, the staff and the community who benefit in so many ways from the garden?”


Our Board of Directors and individuals are asking for support from our friends in the community to help keep this vital program alive.


We greatly appreciate your consideration in supporting this vital program.

THANK YOU!

Donations to the Evergreen Elm Garden Fund can be sent to:

Evergreen Elm, Inc.
50 Main Street
Bradford, PA 16701

Please make checks payable to Evergreen Elm Garden Fund.

For more information Phone: 814-362-6853

 

HOME