With spring in full swing, homeowners and apartment dwellers are throwing open their doors and readying their spaces for outdoor enjoyment. Chief among their activities this May is planting containers, pottery and window boxes with luscious flowers and foliage to adorn their patios, porches and home. Giving these beauties a solid foundation with the best possible growing mix is vital for maintaining showstopping splendor all season long.
The PRO-MIX® line of growing mixes offers a superior environment for any plant one chooses to pot up this month. Whether it is colorful annuals, grasses, perennials, succulents or even indoor plants and orchids, PRO-MIX® has a formulation that works.
“Everyday dirt should never, ever be used to fill containers,” says Chantal Duchesneau, marketing and communications director for Premier Tech Horticulture, makers of the PRO-MIX® line of growing mixes. “Its dense structure holds too much moisture and doesn’t allow water to drain properly.”
Roots become waterlogged, Duchesneau adds, and potted plants can end up dying. A growing medium specially created for containers of all kinds allows plant roots to breathe with ease while taking up the nutrients they need to flourish.
As plants are potted this spring, gardeners of all levels can turn to several growing mix solutions from PRO-MIX®. The PRO-MIX® Ultimate Potting Mix is a ready-to-use, peat-based formulation for potting a wide range of plants. The mix lets water drain optimally while also allowing for proper aeration for roots. “A scientifically designed gel in the mix holds water in reserve, releasing it as the surround mix dries, thereby reducing the need to water frequently,” Duchesneau notes.
Duchesneau adds that the Ultimate Potting Mix also comes with a charge of plant food that can feed all but the heaviest-feeding plants for up to nine months, and the addition of MycoActive™, a natural plant stimulant that assists in nutrient and water uptake.
Other PRO-MIX® products that provide ultimate growing conditions for container plants include:
PRO-MIX® Ultimate All Purpose Mix, suitable for both indoor and outdoor potted plantings and enriched with a nine-month dose of plant food.
PRO-MIX® Orchid Mix, specially formulated for orchids and other epiphytic plants and enriched with a three-month charge of plant food.
PRO-MIX® African Violet Mix, specially designed to provide proper air porosity, water retention, pH and three months of food needed by members of the African Violet family of plants.
PRO-MIX® Cactus Mix, a fast-draining growing medium created especially for cactus and succulents with a three-month charge of fertilizer.
All of these PRO-MIX® growing mixes are fortified with MycoActive™ for aiding water and plant nutrient uptake and improved resistance to growing stresses.
“We’ve developed PRO-MIX® products that provide the ultimate growing medium for container gardening,” says Duchesneau. “Legions of gardeners will be creating stunning plant combinations this May for Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and for summer celebrations. PRO-MIX® will be there to provide the foundation for their season-long health.”
For more information on the whole line of PRO-MIX® growing mixes, visit promixgardening.com, and find the products at local garden centers and retail stores.
About Premier Tech Horticulture: Premier Tech Horticulture, makers of the PRO-MIX® line of growing mixes, has been building its know-how and reputation on its expertise in horticulture for 90 years. Find them online at www.promixgardening.com and ‘like’ them on Facebook www.facebook.com/PROMIXGARDENING
Filed under Container Gardening, Flower Gardening, Garden Basics, Gardening News, Gardening News by on May 10th, 2013. Comment. 
Rivière-du-Loup – Premier Tech Horticulture, a Business Unit of Premier Tech’s Horticulture and Agriculture Group, is proud to announce the launch of its fully redesigned line of PRO-MIX® retail products in spring 2013. With its attractive and outstanding new packaging, the PRO-MIX® retail products will continue to offer high-quality, ready-to-use solutions that can be trusted to deliver outstanding results, time after time.
Designed to answer the needs and requirements of both professional growers and amateur gardeners, PRO-MIX® will offer a greater variety of solutions and options ranging from all-natural, OMRI-listed growing mixes, to high-quality potting mixes, to specialized planting mixes. Many of the growing mixes developed for the new line will also offer the benefits of an all-natural ingredient: MycoActive™. Essentially, MycoActive™ is MYCORRHIZAE™, a natural plant stimulant which assists the plant’s root system and increases both nutrient and water uptake, for improved plant growth and resistance to stresses. Since 1968, PRO-MIX® has guaranteed passionate horticulturists a unique experience and amazing results through high-performance, easy-to-use growing media.
“Our improved retail product offer was more than well received by distributors and independent retailers at the IGC show in August. For that reason, and also because we have developed each product formulation and packaging around the needs and reality of home gardeners, we know that this success will be reflected at the end-user level,” said Chantal Duchesneau, Marketing & Communications Director at Premier Tech Horticulture.
Premier Tech Horticulture is looking forward to introducing the new line to garden writers at the 64th annual symposium in Tucson and invites all attendees of the symposium to stop by booth #309 for a first look at the new product line.
Premier Tech Horticulture is a North American leader in peat-based growing media, and a strong promoter of and believer in the sustainable operation of its 21 harvesting sites across Canada. All its products are offered throughout North America, thanks to its manufacturing and distribution network.
Corporate profile: For close to 90 years, Premier Tech has been building its know-how and reputation on the expertise and synergy of its three groups – Horticulture and Agriculture, Industrial Equipment and Environmental Technologies. They have one mission: to become technological and commercial leaders in their respective industries. Driven by a multidisciplinary team of over 2,300 people located in the Americas, Europe and Asia, Premier Tech focuses on the development of its team members, on innovation, and on the introduction of value-added products and services to support its long-term growth.
Filed under Garden Basics, Gardening News, Gardening News by on May 10th, 2013. Comment.
Compelling case study results on the benefits of MYCORRHIZAE™ have lead Premier Tech Horticulture to include these all-natural beneficial organisms in all PRO-MIX® consumer growing mixes.
Three new scientific case studies on the benefits of MYCORRHIZAE™ were recently released by Premier Tech Horticulture, makers of PRO-MIX® growing mixes. The case studies were conducted by researchers from University Laval-Pavillon Envirotron mixing this all-natural ingredient with various growing mixes.
“After seeing the benefits of MYCORRHIZAE™ in these case studies, we decided to put these beneficial organisms in all our PRO-MIX® bags,” said Chantal Duchesneau, Premier Tech Horticulture Director of Marketing and Communications. “When gardeners see the MycoActive™ on the packaging, they can be assured MYCORRHIZAE™ is included.”
MYCORRHIZAE™ naturally creates stronger roots and healthier plants. It assists the plant’s root system and increases both nutrient and water uptake, for improved plant growth and resistance to stresses.
“Stress free plants don’t attract diseases or pests as readily as weaker plants,” says Martin Trepanier researcher at University Laval- Pavillon Envirotron. Martin Trepanier is an industry thought leader on the use of beneficial organisms in agricultural and horticultural uses.
The case studies compared PRO-MIX® MP Mycorrhizae™ Organik to a competitor’s organic medium to see which grew broccoli, green pepper, and tomato plants in field planting the best. Plants grown in both mediums were also tested in a greenhouse setting. Each plant was treated with an organic fertilizer.
Findings showed that the plants grown in PRO-MIX® MP Mycorrhizae™ Organik growing mix with MycoActive™ produced larger, greener and healthier plants with higher yields compared to the competitor.
For example, broccoli grew as much as 150% and the shoot dry weight of tomatoes increased as much as 82.3% over the competition.
Below are the specific findings from each case study:
Broccoli:
- All plant growth aspects were equivalent or superior with PRO-MIX® MP Mycorrhizae™ Organik media.
- Increases in top and root dry weight were measured for broccoli in PRO-MIX® MP Mycorrhizae™ Organik in comparison to competitor products and it was up by as much as 150% in comparison to one other organic media A.
- Plants were greener and had increased stem diameter in the PRO-MIX® MP Mycorrhizae™ Organik.
Green Pepper:
- All plant growth aspects were better or similar with PRO-MIX® MP Organic in comparison to other media used.
- Stem diameter increased by 50% in PRO-MIX® MP Organic in comparison to other mixes tested.
- Plants were greener and had shorter inter nodes as well in the PRO-MIX® MP Organic.
Tomato:
- Tomato growth in PRO-MIX® MP Organic was equivalent or superior to other competitor organic media.
- Shoot dry weight was increased by 53.2% with PRO-MIX® MP Organic compared to GM2, 63% compared to GM3, 36% to GM4, 7% to GM5 and 82.3% to GM6.
- PRO-MIX® MP Organic provided greener plants and better rooting.
Premier Tech offers the only 100% contaminant-free mycorrhizae in the market and is suitable for a wide variety of horticultural plants.
Corporate profile: For close to 90 years, Premier Tech has been building its know-how and reputation on the expertise and synergy of its three groups – Horticulture and Agriculture, Industrial Equipment and Environmental Technologies. They have one mission: to become technological and commercial leaders in their respective industries. Driven by a multidisciplinary team of over 2,300 people located in the Americas, Europe and Asia, Premier Tech focuses on the development of its team members, on innovation, and on the introduction of value-added products and services to support its long-term growth.
Filed under Garden Additions, Garden Basics, Gardening News, Gardening News by on May 10th, 2013. Comment.
Great soils make great plants. It’s a secret known by professional and experienced gardeners for many, many years and is now being adopted by the average home gardener.
Building soil in pots, mixed containers, garden beds and vegetable patches is well worth it and goes a long way in producing beautiful blooms and bountiful harvests.
A high-quality and nutritious growing environment doesn’t just happen in today’s landscapes. It’s crafted through the addition of growing mixes and amendments, producing a soil much improved over the often hard-packed, poor-quality “dirt” found surrounding many homes. Consider creating a $10 hole for a $1 plant using PRO-MIX® growing mixes formulated for a multitude of gardening needs.
“An ideal growing environment is not often found at the end of a gardener’s shovel,” says Chantal Duchesneau, marketing and communications director for Premier Tech Horticulture, makers of the PRO-MIX® line of growing mixes. “Everyday ‘dirt’ found in a backyard or garden bed is often lacking in nutrition, is too dense for proper root growth, or doesn’t hold moisture properly. And it should NEVER be used to fill containers.”
The eight growing mixes in the PRO-MIX® line are the proven solutions to these and other soil problems every gardener encounters.
“We’ve developed a variety of soil solutions from organic growing mixes and potting mixes to specialized planting mixes,” says Duchesneau. “Most of the mixes include an all-natural ingredient, MycoActive™, a form of mycorrhizae which stimulates a plant’s root system to takeup more nutrients and water to improve health and growth.”
As spring emerges around the country, gardeners can start their planting on the right foot with PRO-MIX® in their garden beds and containers. Two of the PRO-MIX® products that will be sought after by gardeners include:
- PRO-MIX® Ultimate Organic Vegetable & Herb Mix: A ready-to-use organic mix suitable for all vegetable and herb gardening needs. Its organic fertilizer provides a gradual feeding to plants, and MycoActive™ helps improve plant growth.
- PRO-MIX® Ultimate Garden Mix: Complete and ready-to-use, this Garden Mix is suitable for planting outdoor plants and vegetables as well as for conditioning flower beds. Enriched with plant food that feed plants for up to 9 months, and MycoActive™ is MYCORRHIZAE, a natural plant stimulant which assists plants for nutrient and water uptake for improved plant growth and resistance to stresses.
Other specialized PRO-MIX® products include Ultimate Potting Mix, Ultimate All Purpose, Ultimate Organic Seed Starting, Fortified Peat Moss, Orchid Mix, African Violet Mix and Cactus Mix.
“Whether it’s an orchid collection, a plot of tomatoes and basil, or a garden bed full of colorful annual flowers, we’ve developed a PRO-MIX® growing mix to improve plants growing environment and help them thrive,” Duchesneau explains. “Our goal is, and has always been, to help gardeners grow their passion.”
For more information on the complete line of PRO-MIX® growing mixes, visit promixgardening.com and find the products at local garden centers and retail stores.
About Premier Tech Horticulture: Premier Tech Horticulture, makers of the PRO-MIX® line of growing mixes, has been building its know-how and reputation on its expertise in horticulture for 90 years. Find them online at www.promixgardening.com and ‘like’ them on Facebook www.facebook.com/PROMIXGARDENING
Filed under Garden Basics, Gardening News, Gardening News by on May 10th, 2013. Comment.
Once you’ve gotten your led grow lights chosen, half the work is out of the way. Since the led grow lights are so important to the process, we recommend choosing them from http://www.thelashop.com.
Hydroponics is basically growing plants without soil, but still using water and nutrients or whatever ends up being chosen. There are tons of helpful nutrients that you can add to your plants that will be able to help you grow more efficiently and safely. Some of the nutrients that are available include tons of different hybrid mixes and whatnot that were formulated to help with the growth and health of your plants. Some mixes are only a dollar each, which means it’s very easy to keep your plants growing and happy! Some would recommend the “Organic Feeder” which would mix nicely with most plants, no matter what you are growing.
LA shop Hydronics has been BBB accredited since 2011 and is thrilled to keep serving its thriving customer base. Specializing in garden and plant life, LA shop Hydronics will surely help you create a garden that is easy to maintain and serves you well. Tons of indoor gardening supplies are available as well as quality grow tents and lights that will help any aspiring indoor gardener to get started. From organic to aeroponic and many other types of indoor gardening, you can be sure to find everything you need from LA shop. Hydroponics isn’t hard at all and anyone who is curious should read a little bit more on it and see just how easy it is! After you have all the supplies set up, it’s really only a matter of maintaining. Find out which type of grow tent will be best for the type of crop or plant that you will be growing.
Filed under Hydroponics by on Apr 5th, 2013. 1 Comment.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to live in a climate where food can be grown and harvested all year long. In northern climates, winter’s chill brings planting and harvesting to a halt for millions of gardeners. A family’s food needs, however, don’t stop after the fall harvest ends.
Rather than hang up the garden tools and depend entirely on food trucked to the grocery store, why not extend the growing season? By using one of the structures listed below, you can add weeks to the spring and fall growing seasons, and in most climates, you can even grow cool-season crops in the middle of winter. In addition, greenhouses and season extenders protect tender plants and fruits from both severe weather and pests. From the sturdy and roomy greenhouses to the light and compact row covers, these season-extending solutions are easy to set up and use, and they are durable enough to last for years.
Backyard greenhouse offers 12-month growing season
Now you can grow your own locally produced organic food all year—affordably and in a small space. The Early Bloomer Greenhouse is a functional, durable and affordable starter greenhouse kit for anyone who wants to enjoy year-round growing. Measuring 8 feet wide and 8 feet long, the Early Bloomer Greenhouse offers plenty of room to grow everything from heirloom tomatoes to salad greens, and it fits nicely in even small yards. The center height of 6-feet 3-inches is ideal for tall plants or even small fruit trees.
This greenhouse features a Solexx brand corrugated plastic covering that diffuses light to create ideal inside growing conditions and prevent leaf burn. The covering also provides the highest insulation available in hobby greenhouses. The extremely strong base along with the Solexx corrugated plastic greenhouse covering makes the Early Bloomer Greenhouse sturdy enough to withstand powerful winds—unlike many small greenhouses. Yet the entire greenhouse is light enough to pick it up and move it to the best sun exposure, or even relocate it right over your existing garden to get an early start planting seeds and extend the harvest in the fall.
A large 19-inch by 30-inch greenhouse vent assembly is included to maintain plenty of air circulation for healthy plants. (A solar-powered automatic opener is optional.) Two full-length, easy-access hanging rods at a convenient height run the entire length of the greenhouse and support 200 pounds each to overwinter your favorite hanging plants.
The Early Bloomer Greenhouse sells for $1,270 from The Greenhouse Catalog, www.greenhousecatalog.com, (800) 825-1925. Delivery is free within the 48 contiguous states.
Garden tunnel kits extend your gardening season
Plant your garden an extra 10 days earlier, or grow lettuce and greens into the late fall and early winter with Ken-Bar’s new Garden Tunnel Kits. By warming the soil in the spring, garden tunnels help plants mature up to two weeks earlier than normal. The extra heat can increase yields and protect crops from garden pests. In the fall, tunnels protect plants from frost and wind damage, so you can harvest later. At the Harris Seeds test garden in western New York, lettuce kept growing into December—even after 12 inches of snow! To create a tunnel, simply place support wires every 5 feet and stretch the covering over the supports. Place soil along the edges of the cover to secure it to the ground. The 50-foot Garden Tunnel Kit, which sells for $29.95, includes 12 54-inch-long support wires made of heavy-duty 10 gauge wire. The 100-foot kit includes 24 wire supports and sells for $49.95. Replacement covering is available in 100’ rolls. Available online at http://www.harrisseeds.com/storefront/p-14538-row-cover-tunnel-cover-wire-100-ft-kit.aspx
Filed under Coldframes, Row Covers, Season Extending Structures by on Mar 25th, 2013. 1 Comment.
Gardeners love the tools, accessories and other new items that help make gardening easier and more productive. The right tool can make all the difference when it’s time to remove weeds or prune back an overgrown tree. The right accessory can ensure that outdoor extension cord connections stay safe and secure. A great pair of work gloves can protect hands during gardening and other outdoor chores. And gardeners always love the new accessories and technology that helps plants to grow.
In gardening, as in so many things in life, a well-designed tool or implement can make all the difference. No matter how many “can’t live without it” tools and accessories a gardener has in his or her tool shed, most gardeners and homeowners are always willing to consider adding something new that will enhance the gardening experience.
Here’s a selection of some of the best new gardening and outdoor tools and accessories.
A new way to keep extension cords snug and dry
Now you can forget about wrapping extension cord plug connections in duct tape or plastic bags to protect them from water and weather. Twist and Seal is a new product that provides outdoor weather protection for electrical cord connections all year long. It’s perfect for keeping cord connections safe and dry in any outdoor setting, including near pool pumps, ponds and water fountains. Using a Twist and Seal keeps electrical connections dry during the holiday lighting season. At construction sites and in any remote power situation, using a Twist and Seal will keep extension cord connections safe and dry.
The product’s name—Twist and Seal—is derived from the way the device works. The foam on the inside of the unit is slightly larger than the plastic housing on the outside. As you push the shell together around two joined extension cord plugs and twist it, the foam compresses down to create a radial compression around the cord. The plastic housing is large enough to accommodate cord plugs of any size, from smaller holiday lights plugs to commercial-grade extension cords.
Each Twist and Seal is made of a tough UV ray resistant and weather resistant commercial grade plastic that will withstand many years of exterior use. The heavy-duty, weather-proof Twist and Seal is available in four colors—white, green, orange and blue. It sells for $8.95 at participating Walmart, Do It Best, Ace Hardware and other fine stores, or order online at www.twistandseal.com. For more information, call (888) 945-4545.
Wonder Grip® garden gloves fit and feel better
It’s only been a year since Wonder Grip® gloves were introduced in the United States. The “shockingly sheer” Nearly Naked™ garden gloves won an Innovation Award at the 2012 National Hardware Show, and enthusiasm continues to grow for the entire Wonder Grip® line which includes gardening gloves, work gloves and gloves for kids.
Nearly Naked™ Wonder Grip® Garden Gloves offer hand protection so sheer, flexible and unrestricted that hands feel nearly naked. These gloves work hard, too. Fine-gauge nylon knit liners are reinforced on palms and fingertips with revolutionary Wonder Grip® micro-porous coating that breathes, keeping hands cool and maintaining its superior grip even when wet. Offered in three pastel colors in sizes XS to L.
Nicely Nimble™ Wonder Grip® Garden Gloves are slightly less sheer but still wonderfully light and flexible. Comfortable, seamless knit nylon liners in vivid floral colors protect hands with tough, anti-slip Wonder Grip® micro-porous coating on palm and fingertips. Available in three bright colors in sizes XS, S, M and L.
New for 2013 are size XXS and XS Wonder Grip® gloves for kids in the same vibrant pink, purple and blue colors as the popular Nicely Nimble gloves. These tiny gloves are sure to appeal to kids (and their parents and grandparents!) and the tough, flexible Wonder Grip® coating will protect their hands.
Wonder Grip® gloves are available at garden centers and hardware stores throughout the US and Canada. Visit www.gloves.lfsinc.com for more information.
Use Negative Ions to Boost Plant Growth
iGrow uses patent-pending technology to increase the growth and production of virtually any plant that has a green leaf. iGrow generates negative ions that slightly charge the plant and allow it to maximize photosynthesis. The slight negative charge allows plants to more easily absorb the positively charge nutrients in the soil, thus increasing growth and discouraging insects and disease.
The ion shower created by iGrow also counteracts the effects of pollution. The solar-powered iGrow dramatically increases plant growth and fruit yield. Simply hang a compact (4” x 4” x 3”) iGrow unit 9 to 12” above plants. The iGrow increases plant growth within 3 feet of the unit, and within weeks you will be amazed at the increased growth, vitality and production of your plants. The solar-powered iGrow never needs batteries, and it is all natural for people and pets.
The iGrow sells for $29.99 at www.igrowinfo.com.
Cool tool for weeding and cultivating
Gardeners love tools that make it easier to dig in the dirt. So it’s no surprise that the CobraHead® Weeder and Cultivator a favorite among gardeners. The all-purpose CobraHead blade is like a steel fingernail® that weeds, cultivates, digs, plants, transplants and does other handy garden tasks. The blade cuts through tough soil—even heavy clay and weed-choked garden plots.
Every CobraHead® tool is proudly made in the USA (CobraHead LLC is a family business based in Wisconsin). The short-handled CobraHead® Weeder and Cultivator features a handle made from a mix of recycled plastic and agriculturally grown flax fiber—making it the “greenest” garden tool available. The comfortable blue handle is molded around the unique blade to ensure years of hassle-free use.
The CobraHead® Weeder and Cultivator hand tool sells for $24.95. For more information visit www.cobrahead.com.
Filed under Gardening News, Gardening News, Tools And Accessories by on Mar 25th, 2013. 1 Comment.
Sam Benowitz – Raintree Nursery
There are few pleasures in life that can compare to picking and eating fresh berries, apples and other fruit grown in your very own backyard orchard. While fruit trees and berry bushes may take longer to mature than fast-producing annuals, they will reward the patient gardener with loads of tasty fruit every season. Many trees and berry bushes bear so heavily, in fact, that you can’t eat all the fruit fresh—so canning and preserving is a great way to enjoy an orchard’s bounty all year long.
The stories below feature quality fruit-bearing trees and bushes ranging from fig trees and cherry trees to historical heirloom apples and improved berry varieties. Any of these productive trees and bushes can be great additions to the garden. Adding a new fruiting tree or bush will add beauty and structure to the landscape—and can feed you and your family for years to come.
Fig ‘Desert King’
Nature Hills offers hundreds of fruiting plants
Looking for a cold-hardy fig tree? Desert King Fig (Ficus carica ‘Desert King’) is a good choice for cooler climates because it’s hardy to USDA Zone 5 and produces large, sweet figs with strawberry-red flesh. How about an early-ripening cherry variety that’s perfect for pies? ‘Early Richmond’ Cherry (Prunus cerasus) ripens in late spring and the bright red fruits are excellent for cooking. Perhaps you’d rather grow raspberries. Raspberry ‘Brandywine’ (Rubus idaeus ‘Brandywine’) is cross of red and black raspberry plants, and it’s been called the best purple raspberry available.
Fig ‘Desert King’
All of these fruiting plants—and hundreds more—are available from Nature Hills Nursery. This online-only retailer offers more fruit trees, berry bushes and other edible-producing plants than any other website. Nature Hills Nursery proudly calls itself “America’s Online Garden Center” because it also offers a full line of shade trees, perennials, fertilizers, pest controls, tools and even gift items. Visit www.naturehills.com or call (888) 864-7663.
Tom Doyle among the blackberries.
Doyle’s Thornless Blackberry® out-produces traditional varieties
The typical blackberry bush produces 1-2 gallons of berries per plant each year. Doyle’s Thornless Blackberry® is variety that yields 10-20 gallons of sweet, vine-ripened berries every summer. That’s 10 times the production of a normal blackberry bush—plus there are no painful thorns. The fruit sets in bunches of 10 to 30 large, sweet berries that ripen over a 6-8 week season in the summer. Doyle’s Thornless Blackberry® is a trailing variety that grows best on a trellis. The plants need two years to establish and then the disease-resistant plants start producing sweet, delicious, healthful, antioxidant-rich berries that are great to eat fresh, as beverages and deserts, or frozen for later use. Doyle’s Thornless Blackberry® plants grow successfully throughout the USA and Canada in USDA hardiness zones 2-10. Potted plants sell for $20 each or $17.50 each in quantities of 10 or more. Call (812) 254-2654, see customers’ comments and pictures at https://www.facebook.com/doylesthornlessblackberries, or visit the web site at www.fruitsandberries.com.
Apple ‘Esopus Spitzenburg’
Grow a Johnny Appleseed tree—or other famous varieties
Did you know that when Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity he was sitting under an apple tree? It was a variety named Flower of Kent. Thomas Jefferson had many dozens of apple trees at Monticello, but the very flavorful Esopus Spitzenburg was his favorite. And the most famous apple trees of all are those planted by Johnny Appleseed. All three of these special apple trees are available from Raintree Nursery—plus many old-time and new varieties of fruit trees and berry bushes.
“Growing great fruit and vegetables at home is a way for people to learn the self sufficiency that previous generations took for granted,” said Sam Benowitz, who has owned Raintree Nursery for 40 years.
Raintree Nursery offers more than 800 varieties of fruit trees, berries and vines, each selected for flavor and disease resistance with the home fruit grower in mind. Raintree Nursery offers the best new varieties from research stations from around the world as well as the best of the heirloom varieties. To place an order, request a catalog or get more information, visit www.raintreenursery.com or call (800) 391-8892.
Filed under Gardening News, Gardening News, Growing Fruit by on Mar 19th, 2013. 1 Comment.
BROOMFIELD, CO – Gardeners are generally a calm, even contemplative, group of people. Their passions are ignited by a sweetly scented flower or a great-tasting tomato variety. But one recent issue has turned their passion into vitriol and turned the calm of the garden into a brewing storm of controversy. That issue is GMOs – or, more precisely, genetically engineered (GE) seeds.
The term GMO, or genetically modified organism, is a broad term that includes GE seed, the ones causing all the controversy. They have their DNA manipulated in a laboratory, in ways that nature could not likely reproduce, and are often a mix of two incompatible species that couldn’t breed naturally. The effects and consequences of these genetic changes are not fully understood. Judy Seaborn, co-founder of Botanical Interests seeds stated, “We have always believed that informed and educated people make decisions they feel good about and with GMOs the jury is still out, so we steer clear of them.”
Judy Seaborn and Curtis Jones built Botanical Interests on foundations vital for any business: customer service, ethical business practices, and great products. And, because Seaborn and Jones have spent their lives in the green industry, from university to garden center and from shopper to salesperson, they know that people appreciate having all the information they need to make good choices.
It was this belief that led them to create the most informative seed packet in the industry and to continuously provide a selection of the best home gardening varieties available. It also led them away from GMOs. “The GMO issue is highly charged and the available information seems incomplete, confusing, or misleading. It’s hard for people to fully understand everything involved,” said co-founder Curtis Jones.
“We want our customers to have all the information they need to make the best choices for their gardens, their families, and the environment,” said Judy Seaborn. Providing seeds that have unknown or unintended consequences contradicts the core principles of Botanical Interests. These same principles guided them to join the Safe Seed Program and sign the Safe Seed Pledge from the Council for Responsible Genetics, which states, in part, “We pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.” Jones and Seaborn take the pledge one step further and state that they do whatever it takes to be sure they don’t EVER buy or sell genetically engineered seeds.
According to Seaborn and Jones, “The choice to steer clear of GMOs was more than a business decision, it was a personal one. We are a company of gardeners. We all try to do what is sustainable, natural, and environmentally responsible. GMOs don’t fit with the way we want to live and our customers have told us they agree. So, we are committed to being GMO free.”
Filed under Gardening News, Gardening News by on Mar 19th, 2013. Comment.
ORLAND PARK, IL – For as long as there have been extension cords, people have been plugging the cords together and trying to figure out ways to keep those exposed connections protected from water and weather. Now they can forget about wrapping those extension cord plug connections in duct tape or plastic bags.
“I finally got tired of seeing my wife duct-taping our holiday light cord connections together, which always failed to keep the lights on,” said Bryan Nooner, inventor of a new product called Twist and Seal. “Leaving extension cords exposed to the elements isn’t safe and taping them just does not work, so it was time someone solved that problem.”
Nooner is a self-proclaimed “science guy” who was a high school biology teacher in the 1980s. Since then he became a successful businessman who owns several construction-related companies. He started doing sketches of a product that would snap over the junction of two electrical cords. The sketches became product prototypes, then CAD renderings, and then manufactured product samples.
The product’s name—Twist and Seal—was derived from the way the device works. The foam on the inside of the unit is slightly larger than the plastic housing on the outside. As you push the shell together around two joined extension cord plugs and twist it, the foam compresses down to create a radial compression around the cord.
Even though Nooner had never brought a product to market before, he learned that the National Hardware Show, an industry trade show held every May in Las Vegas, was the place to introduce the product. He loaded up his Chevy Suburban with product samples and drove from Chicago to Las Vegas, not knowing what to expect.
The reaction to Twist and Seal was swift and extremely positive. Twist and Seal won the Silver Award for the Most Innovative Product of 2012. The inventor was soon talking to product buyers from Home Depot, Do It Best, Ace Hardware and many other top retailers.
Why was Twist and Seal the hit of the National Hardware Show? Twist and Seal provides outdoor weather protection for electrical cord connections all year long. It’s perfect for keeping cord connections safe and dry in any outdoor setting, including near pool pumps, ponds and water fountains. Using a Twist and Seal keeps electrical connections dry during the holiday lighting season. At construction sites and in any remote power situation, using a Twist and Seal will keep extension cord connections safe and dry.
The heavy-duty, weather-proof Twist and Seal sells for $8.95 at participating Walmart, Do It Best, Ace Hardware and other fine stores, or order online at www.twistandseal.com. For more information, call (888) 945-4545.
Filed under Gardening News, Gardening News by on Mar 19th, 2013. 1 Comment.
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