Grow your own pizza pie? Piece of cake (so far)! - Democrat & Chronicle

CANANDAIGUA, NY — Just over a week in, my Early Girl tomato plant is reaching for the heavens, my basil could make Stanley Tucci swoon, and my Lady Bell peppers — dear, sweet ladies they soon will grow up to be — all seem to be surviving in this melting pot of soil and compost about a foot or so deep in a black canvas container.

Dare I say, these soon-to-be pizza ingredients appear to be thriving.

Pizza in a Pot, as the workshop I took to get to this point is called? Piece of cake!

Many times, for many, many different reasons I’ve thought to myself, you’re in over your head. And this time, I’m in over my head, or at least I thought I was as I sat in the Pizza in a Pot workshop — back row (old habits die hard) — at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County in Canandaigua.

Pizza in a Pot, which was taught by Master Gardeners Victoria Barnsbee and Vicki Jennejohn, introduced folks like me to container gardening. It’s for people who don’t have the property or the space to plant a garden in the yard or in my case, the green thumb or the work ethic to grow one (they do grow that way, don't they?).

Jennejohn said she enjoys teaching workshops like this, especially to kids, to help develop a sense of where food comes from, appreciate the people who produce it and understand the effort it takes to get from ground to dinner table. Admittedly, those thoughts did cross my mind, but really, I'm in it for the pizza.

But, as I mentioned, a dark foreboding came over me — and not because of the color of the handful of compost that Barnsbee showed me; after all, what do I know about growing my own food, particularly after meeting Grant Pyra, 8, and little sister Laramie, 6?

Both are students at Red Jacket Elementary School and, despite their young ages, they’re not rookies when it comes to this stuff.

Mom Amy Pyra said the family has a large garden at the farm at her parents’ house, but she wanted the kids to tend one at home and learn to grow their own veggies. Plus, as 4-Hers, she wants them to have something they can show at the Ontario County Fair later on this summer.

To his credit, Grant predicts this will be a fun exercise, but he has ulterior motives for growing his own pizza ingredients. He feeds cows on the farm, which maybe isn’t quite as fun.

“I can skip chores,” he said.

And sweet, sweet Laramie — she already knows where compost comes from, thanks to her time on the farm. And she’s so excited about tomatoes and herbs and peppers that she’s already wondering about where the cheese will come from.

“We’re going to plant pizza things!” she exclaimed.

As I dig my rubber-glove-clad hands in compost, you'll have to ask Laramie why I’m having a hard time thinking about food at this moment. And I learn another nugget of info.

“You know it’s ready to use,” Bucksbee said, “when it smells like dirt.”

I dump some of the soil into the container, then a few handfuls of compost. More soil, more compost, more soil — and so on — until I’m ready to add the pizza de résistance.

I chose an Early Girl tomato plant over Super Sweet, Husky Red and Butter Bush varieties for no reason other than the name. All are cherry tomato sized, Jennejohn said, which are perfect for pizza.

Then came the pepper and basil plants, which I planted in my pot, with the tomato plant in the center of the container because it’s biggest.

Now I wait for the roots to flourish, assuming I remember to water the plants so a support system is in place for the fruits of my labor to come.

Sadly, my pizza won't be ready in 30 minutes or less.

The tomatoes need 50 to 60 days; peppers as long as 80 days; and 60 to 70 days for the basil, although right now, the basil leaves can be harvested — one day in and I'm already talking like a farmer. Here's something I did not know about peppers — to be more honest, I don’t know most anything about peppers — if you leave a green pepper to grow, it will turn yellow to orange to red.

So, a green pepper is technically an unripe pepper, Jennejohn said, although aesthetics rule the dinner table.

“Green is a better color on pizza,” Jennejohn said.

Here’s hoping for a hot, sunny summer, because tomatoes and peppers need the heat and sun — six to eight hours' worth daily — just like we do in June, July and August.

Planting done, a sample of green and red peppers with pesto is passed around, which takes my mind off of compost and helps refocus on why I took the workshop — hunger.

Personally, I can’t wait to see what happens. Will my home-grown pizza rival that of a slice from a Canandaigua favorite, Casa Italiana? Watch out.

Two other classmates are as excited to see what develops, although they truly see this workshop as the growth of a journey.

Liz Schaefer, of Canandaigua, thought it would be a fun thing to do with her daughter, Gloria, who lives in Rochester, and together learn something at the same time.

“And we could cook a meal together,” Schaefer said. “We always like to cook a meal together.”

Schaefer’s mother came from Ireland, and she tended a large garden in Oswego, with cherry and apple trees and raspberry bushes, to make her own food.

“She fed us well,” Schaefer said. “I had five brothers and sisters so we had a lot of mouths to feed.”

Schaefer’s mother taught her to garden and she passed on those skills to her daughter.

“Obviously, we’re seeing a theme here of it coming down through generations,” Gloria said. “It’s fun. It’s fun to grow your own food, right?”

We shall see.

Here's what you'll need

The Pizza in a Pot workshop provided participants with young tomato, basil and pepper plants. But you can also grow oregano and onions.

Find a spot in your backyard with loose and well-drained soil that will receive at least six to eight hours of sun.

If you don't have the space, buy a large container or several small containers. Make sure they're deep enough to allow roots to grow. They do need holes at the bottom for drainage.

Fill the container about three quarters to the top with a mix of soil and compost. Then plant.

Tomatoes and plants are best set out as transplants after May 15. You can grow your own from seeds or buy healthy plants. Make sure they get water and enough sunlight.

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