GMG's Friday Find: Take the Guesswork Out and Put the Plants In!

Looking at your empty containers wondering what to plant this year?

Photo by Shawna Coronado

Rather than being discouraged or confused, think of your container as a blank canvas that by mid-summer can be filled to the brim with colorful flowers or delicious fruits and vegetables.

Not the artistic type? Then take advantage of a garden center workshop near you for inspiration and know-how and quickly learn the dos and don'ts for a successful garden and stunning containers.

Photo by Shawna Coronado

For example, Schaefer Greenhouses in Aurora, Illinois, is a hosting a workshop with garden and lifestyle writer, Shawna Coronado, TOMORROW, April 27th from 10:30-2:30.  Shawna can help you turn your flower/veggie vision into reality.

In Shawna's workshop, gardeners will learn:

• How to make a pizza container garden
• Techniques for creating drought tolerant organic vegetable gardens
• How to utilize the color wheel to create eye-popping color combinations of flowers and plants
• How to identify which vegetables are best to grow in containers
• About companion planting
• What growing mix is best to use that provides continual nourishment and a healthy environment, like PRO-MIX which has patented Myco-Active plant food and water-saving gel right in the mix.

Wait, a pizza container you say?  Shawna will teach gardeners which herbs are best for your individual pizza taste and how to grow them.  But the best thing about this container is that children love to participate and they can be the 'farmer' who plants and waters these plants.  Teaching them the joy and satisfaction of watching plants grow and then creating a delicious recipe from them is invaluable. 

And one of the best advantages in participating in a workshop is leaving with everything you need to get started on your way to a season of plenty, from beautiful flowers to the freshest herbs and veggies; and maybe, if you're lucky, you can walk away with a demonstration container!  Now that's a few hours well spent.  Look for workshops in your area and take the guesswork out and put the flowers and veggies in!

You'll soon learn that there's not much you can't grow in a container.  Happy Gardening!

~Peggy

The Biochar Company goes to Hawaii

The Biochar Company, makers of Soil Reef™ soil amendment, are joining forces with one of the most successful biochar production companies in the US, Hawaii Biochar Products, LLC. 

Hawaii Biochar Products, owned and operated by Josiah Hunt, has produced over 100 tons of biochar, an average of one ton per week, since the company’s inception in 2009.  

Listening to Hunt explain biochar at TEDx Hilo makes me want to both save the world and move to Hawaii!

According to Lopa Brunjes, co-director at The Biochar Company, “Josiah is one of the leaders in the biochar industry. He is a wise, old young man whose whole heart is vested in developing biochar. We are so lucky to have him, and Hawaii Biochar Products, as part of our greater mission.”

Josiah Hunt with char 

Hunt wants the same thing. “If I am really going to make a difference, I need to make a heck of lot more biochar,” he says. “I have the motivation, the experience and the relationships. I have some great partners, as well—but I needed a partner with the capacity and shared vision that The Biochar Company team has, to really help make biochar happen.”

Touted for greater fertilizer efficiency, greater water efficiency, greater microbial activity, and greater yield, biochar, or, biological charcoal, is used for soil building and to enhance overall soil health. 

“Soil is like a pot of chili. It’s not just the beans. It’s not just the meat. It’s not just the veggies or the spices. It’s the whole thing, and the flavors are complimentary,” says Hunt. 

Josiah Hunt's "coral reef for the soil"

“Charcoal is a naturally occurring element of soil and is not something new. The practice of using charcoal in agriculture is actually very old and most cases forgotten,” Hunt explains. “In the realm of science involving waste management, energy production, climate change mitigation and agriculture, the paradigm was so exciting it had to be given a name—biochar.”

“The future of biochar lies not just in farmyards, but in backyards,” says Hunt. “Every gardener can make a difference.”

Read more about the partnership here.  And buy Soil Reef at select Whole Foods stores in the mid-Atlantic or at www.soilreef.com 

-Katie @KatieGMG
Garden Media

Easy Earth Day Eco-Tips

You don't have to compost your kitchen waste or pick bugs off plants by hand to help the environment. From the red carpet to your favorite garden shop, "green" products are making it easy to have a beautiful yard while being good stewards of the earth in your own back yard. We here at GMG have gathered 3 surprisingly simple solutions for going "green" this Earth Day.

1. Plant, Plant, Plant!

Try 'Going Native' in your garden!

Long before cultivated gardens existed native plants ruled. Mother Nature designed these plants to thrive in specific places in the wild. "Natives should rule the garden," says Dr. Allan Armitage, world-renowned breeder and author of Native Plants for North America. "You pick the right plant for the right spot, and it will thrive for years with little to no care - and with a positive impact on the environment."

According to Armitage, native plants are perfect for low maintenance, environmentally minded gardens. After the first year, native plants give more reward with less work for the homeowner. You don't need to water or fertilize, spray with harmful herbicides and pesticides to grow a beautiful garden.

You can find American Beauties Native Plants® in distinctive pots with fact-filled tags at your local garden center.

2. Start with Healthy Soil

Pesticides and fungicides aren't safe for people, pets or even the planet. Eliminate the need for harmful garden chemicals by pampering your plants with healthy, nutrient-rich soil from the get go.

Healthy soil, rich in minerals, nutrients and 'good bugs,' maximizes a plant's own healthy immune system to let it naturally resist pests and diseases. Look for organic potting soils like Organic Mechanics available at your local garden center.

3. Water Responsibly

If you don't need to water your plants as often, you'll save time and money. But more importantly, you conserve water and protect the environment.

Substitute older cultivars with new and improved varieties bred to drink responsibly. Updated versions of classic plants like The Knock Out® Family of shrub roses require much less water than older cultivars while still offering the same great look gardeners love. Plus they are available at garden centers nationwide.

Happy Earth Day!

Stacey