• Black Gold® Alfalfa Meal Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® Bone Meal Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® Blood Meal Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® All Purpose Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® Citrus, Avocado & Vine Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer | OMRI Certification

What is OMRI and does it mean to be OMRI-listed? According to the OMRI website:

More information on The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) can be found on their website at www.OMRI.org

~P. ALLEN SMITH

Paul’s expert gardening advice is now heard on stations all over the country with a half-million loyal listeners.

Tune into The Paul Parent Garden Club™ talk radio show and find out what you have been missing.

For all the details, be sure to visit the show’s official website.

It felt like spring this year as we are preparing for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle this week and for Portland’s Yard, Garden & Patio Show that was held in that city the following week.

Theme this year was “A Floral Symphony”. Shannon’s booth idea turned out great (see pictures) and we had a lot of fun (and work of course) constructing and planting up. Thanks to everyone that helped out getting this to the show on time, to Jason Padden for all the work he did wrapping and readying the pots for shipping, the teams at Hubbard and Blair, and to all of you that will be attending! See you there!

Thanks again to all those who helped out and stopped by our booth! The gardens were spectacular this year!

Show Hours
Friday & Saturday: 10am – 7:30pm
Sunday: 10am – 5pm

For more details, be sure to visit the show’s official website.

It felt like spring as we were preparing for the big upcoming gardening shows in Portland and Seattle!

Theme this year was “A Floral Symphony”. Shannon’s booth idea turned out great (see pictures) and we had a lot of fun (and work of course) constructing and planting up. Thanks to everyone that helped out as we prepare for the show and to all of you that will be attending! See you in Portland!

Thanks, we hope everyone enjoyed the show! The gardens were spectacular this year!

This succulent collection features inspiring examples of plant and pot compositions

“Water applied must drain through the soil in fifteen seconds. If it fails to do so, the soil is too dense.” Such advice came to me decades ago from an old school nurseryman who specialized in cacti and succulents. Back then I thought this fifteen second law regarding fast draining soil for succulents was ridiculous. After moving to the desert I learned what native cactus ground looks like. Water applied instantly vanishes into the soil.

The nurseryman was right.

Today about half my collection of succulent plants are grown in small pots that come into an unheated south facing greenhouse for the winter. They are planted in Black Gold Cactus Mix Potting Soil, which drains within the fifteen second rule.

What many new succulent gardeners fail to understand is that, because cacti root differently, soil is everything. Standard plants go deep to catch ground moisture after the surface soil dries out. In the desert, cacti adapt to short periods of rainfall by spreading out shallow roots over a large area. These roots are capable of rapidly taking up water before it water drains through porous ground. This water is immediately stored in a succulent’s specialized tissues that hold it between widely spaced rain events. Shallow rooting is the reason why most cacti do best in low, wide pots, pans and bowls with large, open drain holes.

This low, wide pot allows for plenty of surface root development beneath the surface gravel.

Cactus potting soil contains perlite, which looks like little white pieces of popcorn. While it is excellent for a root zone, it floats to the surface when I water. This and little bits of organic matter become entangled in the spines or settle in nooks and crannies of smooth surface skin. This is not only unsightly, it brings soil born bacteria in direct contact with the plant skin which may begin the rotting process.

To control these floaters, succulent aficionados apply a layer of fine gravel on top of the potting soil to keep it all in place when water is applied. Black Gold White Rock is popular for modern style containers with a more graphic look. I prefer Black Gold Washed Gravel because it’s more naturalistic and blends with the rocks I find on walks to use as an accent stone. You can also use aquarium gravel for more unusual or brightly colored composition of succulent, pot and surface material.

Even the smallest damage to the skin of a plant can allow pathogens to enter and begin the process of internal cell damage which leads to softening rot. When transplanting cacti, I handle each plant carefully to avoid the slightest damage. Once removed from the original pot, I do not replant immediately but allow it to sit bare root in the open air for a few days. This lets any damaged roots or skin heal over or callus before repotting in new soil. Failing to do so brings soil pathogens into direct contact with a wound, which inevitably infects internal tissues.

When your soil is sufficiently well drained for cacti and gorgeous succulents, it becomes downright difficult to overwater them. The warmer months of summer are their rapid growing season. During this growing season, water often, feed modestly, and above all, make sure you use Black Gold Cactus Mix to be sure it drains in about fifteen seconds.

One of my favorite outdoor plants that can be grown inside is Cordyline ‘Festival Grass’. ‘Festival Grass’ can easily be grown as a house plant during the winter in a sunny window. This New Zealand native forms a fountain-like clump and has brilliant narrow burgundy colored leaves. The plant in the photo was taken in my garden in August and this pot was planted with three plants the previous spring as I wanted to make certain it was a very full pot since it would be at the entryway to our house. So, imagine if you had one of these in a sunny window during the winter and the bright color it could bring to what might be a drab space. In the spring, take the plant outdoors and place in a sunny location.

When I lifted the three individual plants of Cordyline from this large pot, I separated and planted them in individual pots using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. At the time of re-planting I also added some Black Gold All Purpose Fertilizer which was sufficient to provide enough nourishment to keep the plants healthy during the winter. Once the weather warms, I will take these individual plants outside and plant them all together in another large container. 

Succulents are a huge group of plants and many will thrive indoors in a sunny window. This photo was taken at a local garden center last summer and it shows some of the leaves and colors there are to choose from. You will find foliage colors of green, gray, yellow, shades of red, and some that are almost blue. The way succulents grow is as variable as their colors and there are upright varieties and other varieties that will trail over the side of a container. Succulents want as much light as possible so a sunny window is usually ideal. Succulents also need excellent drainage and I have found that Black Gold Cactus Mix is ideal. Be sure to select a container with a hole in the bottom so water can drain out. Succulents usually do better with less water than many other house plants and I have found that letting the soil get dry to the touch and then giving them a thorough watering works well. 

For a splash of bright yellow, try Sedum ‘Ogon’. Like many plants with yellow foliage, this one does best if not in full sun, and while it needs light, keep it away from a bright sunny window. If plants tend to get a bit leggy stretching for light, it is easy to pinch the tops and you will create new growth and a more dense plant. Sedum ‘Ogon’ is ideal to plant around the base of other house plants and the bright yellow makes a nice contrast to the dark green of many common house plants. Be sure to use Black Gold Cactus Mix as your potting soil of choice.

Another excellent indoor/outdoor plant is Crassula ovata, commonly called Jade Plant. It is easy to grow outdoors in our Pacific Northwest summers but in a container can sometimes not survive a winter if temperatures drop too much. I think it is better to be safe and bring it indoors in the winter. It is well adapted to growing indoors and can look stunning in a container such as the red one shown in the photograph. Jade plants will often bloom and have clusters of pink star-shaped flowers.

Sometimes one of the most difficult rooms to grow house plants in is the bathroom. For an unusual house plant that will often thrive in a bathroom, try Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish Moss). Other names for this plant are graybeard or old man’s beard and once you see this growing, you will understand how it got the name. Spanish moss is in a group of plants called epiphytes and it absorbs nutrients and water from the air and rainfall. It is common to see it growing on trees in parts of the southern United States such as Louisiana where there is high humidity. Spanish moss needs this high humidity and thus in many homes, the bathroom is ideal because of the humidity created by showers. Mist it with a fine water spray on a regular basis to help keep the humidity high and the plant moist. Find an attractive piece of wood and let Spanish moss cascade down.  It will be a conversation piece.

Check out your local garden center as many of them carry a bigger assortment of house plants during the winter months than in the spring or summer. Try something new and mix your plants to make interesting color combinations and leaf textures.

Get ready for spring and enjoy the new seed catalogs whether on paper or on the internet. They make ideal reading on a winter evening and can get your mind thinking about what new plants you can add to your garden.

Edible artichokes make outstanding perennials accented with petunias.

Call it botanical profiling. It’s gone on since the beginnings of agriculture. Tomatoes, corn and lettuce belong in the organic food garden. Flowers grow in the ornamental garden. The primary reason for such a division is that food growers are all about a clean, edible harvest. Flower growers put the emphasis on an abundance of perfect blooms throughout the season. They often use powerful synthetic fertilizers to achieve that end.

With Black Gold OMRI-listed, all-organic fertilizers and potting soils, it’s now easier than ever to grow your garden without chemicals. Go organic and grow organic throughout your landscape so you can plant peppers in the flower garden, and zinnias in the kitchen patch. But for those who don’t have space to separate the two, this blending becomes a problem solver that yields beauty and flavor.

One of the best reasons to grow all organic is that you can pick and eat edible flowers such as violas, pot marigolds and nasturtiums. In the middle ages, spring salads were made of the entire viola plant blended with onion. But if the flowers aren’t grow organically, there’s a risk of taking up synthetic agricultural chemicals in stem, leaf and flower. When your flower garden is organic, you can pick them out of beds and borders to shower your beautiful culinary creations with colorful petals.

Edible violas surround leafy chard for a beautiful and edible composition.

It’s easier to begin this transition to organic by designating a certain bed to start. Then over time, you can transition the rest of the garden bit by bit. Above all, organic gardening depends on building soil fertility with quality organic matter so that microbes can proliferate naturally. Once designated organic, do not use any chemical pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizer since these kill the microbes you are trying to cultivate.

For container gardening, start off on the right foot with OMRI-approved Black Gold Natural and Organic Potting Soil. It’s fortified naturally and ready to go right out of the bag for filling pots and troughs that will soon yield crops, flowers or both.

For in-ground gardens, build average earth into superior organic soil with Black Gold Soil Conditioner or Black Gold Natural & Organic Soil Builder. Cultivate generous amounts into your soil to enhance fertility that leads to more bio activity. In fact, you really can’t overdo it with these amendments, but you can fail to use enough. Always be generous.

Chives among the anemones are safe to eat if all are grown organically.

Because flowers and food plants are both heavy feeders, plan for a more powerful start, then add nutrients again later on in the season. When transplanting seedlings, incorporate Black Gold Starter & Transplant Fertilizer into your planting area. Then feed again during peak season to stimulate continuous production. For this second feeding use stronger Black Gold Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer every thirty days by cultivating it carefully into the soil between plants.

For anyone with a landscape who lacks a designated space for a kitchen garden, go organic to blend food plants into your flower beds. Another option is to grow organic in mixed containers that are decorative and productive. The only thing you must remember is to garden organically, no matter what plants you have in mind.

Check back often to see the latest and greatest gardening tips from our helpful experts that will get your garden in gear!

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Miranda Kelly spoke about using Black Gold to plant blueberries, strawberries and bare root fruit trees.

If you attended this seminar, let us know what you learned by leaving a comment below.

For more info on upcoming events at Gold Leaf Nursery and Landscaping visit their website’s seminar schedule at GoldLeafNursery.com.

Gold Leaf Nursery and Landscaping
6186 Churn Creek Road
Redding, CA 96002
(530) 365-5383
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I think many of us overlook the value of having house plants and this is a good time of year to think about them. I must admit there are very few in my house but I do enjoy seeing them in other homes. There is a wide range of choices of many tropical and semi-tropical plants that would not survive outside, but do quite well indoors. Just like outdoor plants, some can be temperamental but many are easy to grow and enjoy indoors. I often remind myself that all house plants are living outside in some locale and it is our task to consider where the plant is from and adjust our environment as much as possible. The following are some house plants that I have selected as being relatively easy to grow.

It would be difficult to find a group of plants that provide more splash of leaf color than the Crotons. These fantastic foliage plants are easy to grow and are available in a wide assortment of leaf colors ranging from yellow, purple, red, pink, green or almost any combination of these colors. Crotons can grow tall but if trimmed, they will branch out and remain quite bushy. In order to keep the leaf colors vibrant, place plants in a location with plenty of light. Often times I have seen several different plants all planted in the same container and this creates an extremely colorful effect. Purchase several different plants, with different leaf patterns and colors, and plant them all in the same container using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. With the addition of perlite and pumice into this potting soil, this greatly helps with drainage which is essential for most house plants to survive.

If the colored leaves of Crotons are not quite your style, consider Bromeliads. With their sword-like leaves, the new growth can offer some very intensely bold colors. The lower leaves act as a reservoirs and it is best to keep clean water in these spaces. If you live in an area with heavy chlorination in your tap water, it would be wise to use distilled water. Bromeliads provide long lasting color in the upper leaves and while this main stalk will eventually die, the plant will usually produce a new shoot or shoots near the base and this can be cut and planted. Keep plants away from direct sunlight. Some leaves can be quite sharp so beware of this especially if there are young children around.

For a house plant that I would consider ‘fun’ and one that children would enjoy, consider Dracaena sanderana, often referred to as ‘Lucky Bamboo’ or ‘Curly Bamboo’. This Dracaena is usually sold as stems that are to be placed in water to root and then planted. It is an ideal learning tool for children because often the stem is purchased with no roots and within several weeks, roots will appear and children can watch as the roots develop. There will be buds along the stem and these will begin to swell and grow into new leaves. For a novelty, try ‘Curly Bamboo’, once you see it, you will know how it got this name. ‘Curly Bamboo’ is especially popular with children. Be sure to change the water in the vase on a regular basis and keep it clean. Once a mass of roots has developed, the stem can be placed in a pot with Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil and the plant will continue to grow.

Another group of plants that make ideal house plants and are easy to grow are the Rex Begonias. One of my favorites is called ‘Escargot’ and when you see the leaf, you will understand why! Rex Begonias will grow fairly well in the low light conditions that many houses have and they tend to prefer to be a little on the dry side. They will bloom with small white or light pink flowers and are long lived. Many Rex Begonias will do well outdoors in a shady location during the summer and makes a nice patio plant.

Just because we are in the middle of winter does not mean there is not gardening to be done; it just changes from outdoors to indoors. Check out your local garden center and you will probably be surprised at the offerings of indoor plants that are now available.

Special thanks to photographer Rich Baer, who took all the images that accompany this article.

Our own Donna Wright was their at the Division Street location potting up with Black Gold!

Some of the other great perks at this event included:

• 30% off all houseplants, citrus, indoor bonsai, orchids, cactus
• 30% off all plant containers (pots)
• Free pot ups included with the purchase of a pot and a plant

Friday – Sunday, January 20th – 22nd, 2012, 9:00am – 6:00pm
Portland Nursery on Stark
5050 SE Stark Street
Portland, OR 97215
(503) 231-5050
map

Portland Nursery on Division
9000 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97215
(503) 788-9000
map

1. Organic matter is vital to improving soil structure. When mixed into clay soils it opens up the tiny particles of heavy clay soils to help them drain, and it helps to retain such drainage over time. This is also the case for adding organic matter to porous soils, which helps retain moisture like a million tiny sponges. This first step is accomplished with Black Gold Natural & Organic Soil Builder for structural changes to soil for fantastic organic food and outstanding flowers.

2. Organic matter feeds microbes. When organic matter is partially decomposed and fine textured as is the case with fine textured Black Gold Garden Compost Blend, think of it as fuel for the huge populations of microorganisms that live in your soil. This invisible life force in topsoil includes fungi, bacteria and algae. They work symbiotically with your plants to help them grow faster and fruit more abundantly. Microbes in the soil are much like intestinal flora in the human body. Both are directly related to a healthy functioning immune system. Organic matter is Nature’s perfect pro-biotic.

3. Organic matter adds fertility. All soils contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but there’s not enough to feed a garden year after year. Make it a practice to fortify the soil each year with a healthy dose of Black Gold Soil Conditioner, which offers organic matter as well as slow release fertilizer in a single all-organic package. It contains plenty of compost for organic matter, but what boosts this amendment is a variety of natural nutrient sources such as kelp and guano. Kelp is vital to adding lesser known micro-nutrients thereby resolving any lack of trace elements. Where Soil Conditioner may not be available, combine Black Gold Garden Compost Blend with healthy additions of Black Gold Starter and Transplant Fertilizer for similar results.

Remember: organic matter isn’t forever. Whether you add Black Gold Natural & Organic Soil Builder or Black Gold Garden Compost Blend to your garden, consider this your soil’s annual meal. Be generous to ensure the entire garden receives a good sized portion. During the growing season, this organic matter is broken down and used by both microbes and plants. Unless you replace it on a regular basis, your garden will not produce the same results the following year. Without regular applications, soil may revert to heavy clay, the microbe population will drop off and fertility declines.

Plan on two large feedings a year with smaller applications as needed in between. Apply the largest quantity in spring before planting time. Till it in before hand so microbes have time to increase their numbers prior to arrival of plants and seed. Use it again as a summer mulch around individual plants to retain moisture and keep roots cool. Then till in a final dose at the end of the year, which feeds microbes all winter.

Stick with Black Gold quality organic matter and you’ll find the keys to perfect garden soil in the palm of your hand. Whether it’s structure, fertility or to grow microbe populations, the result is always beneficial, your yields always abundant.

Escargot: The distinctive spiral pattern in the leaves made 'Escargot' one of the most popular rex begonia varieties.

Begonias have always hovered in the shadows. They cluster beneath trees, in slotted shade of lath houses and on sun-deprived exposures. These unique plants, beloved by grandmothers everywhere, fell out of favor in the last few decades. Sure, I used Begonia richmondensis in hanging baskets and little wax begonias were a staple for shaded bedding areas, but these simply solved problems in shaded landscapes.

Then I paid a visit to Ball Horticulture’s demonstration garden some years ago, and was so impressed by the fancy leaf forms displayed there. Instantly begonias were back on my radar! Colors, spots, stripes and textures make each of the many varieties a living work of art. This group has been rediscovered by haute designers who utilize colored foliage to spice up interiors. The plants have proven their love of fluorescent lights or a bright window, but never in direct sunlight. They also do nicely in sunrooms and greenhouses, then may come outdoors to accent sheltered patios and verandas during the summer.

Known as rex begonias, these are certainly the kings of indoor color. Up close they are eye catching and so unique that guests may mistake the living foliage for silk or well crafted plastic. They do bloom, but the flowers are small and not particularly showy. Foliage lovers promptly pinch the flower buds when they first appear so that growth energy is restricted to developing lots of bright new leaves.

Each variety of rex begonia will feature different leaf color, pattern and shape.

Rex begonias originate with a fleshy rhizome that sits just below the surface of the soil. They are often sold online as a dormant bare root, which is the most economical way to acquire new varieties. This rhizome resembles that of bearded iris or fingerling potatoes, and must have well drained yet very moist conditions to thrive.

As the plants age, rhizome grows longer. Over time it may no longer fit in the pot, so the begonia must be repotted in a wider container that need not have greater depth as the roots remain shallow as well. The wider your pot, the larger a rex foliage mass becomes. Otherwise an overgrown rhizome may be divided into pieces and transplanted into numerous smaller containers. These make money saving gifts for friends and family. They also allow you to trade with other rex begonia lovers to enlarge your collections without spending a penny.

The traditional rich coloring of rex begonia leaves fit perfectly into the contemporary style palette of interior decorators.

When repotting your begonias, use Black Gold African Violet Mix, which is formulated to resemble the soils beneath tropical forest canopies. Its texture, water holding ability and PH are ideal for these royal begonias. This soil also works nicely for other indoor or conservatory favorites such as fuchsias, flowering maples, Venus flytraps, pitcher plants and some terrestrial orchids.

If you don’t yet own a rex or any other exotic begonia, consider buying one this year to add a little zing to a bright kitchen or greenhouse window. Visit your local garden center to see the many fancy leaf forms as potted indoor plants. One of these gets your started with a single purchase, but be prepared to pay dearly. If you’d like more selection for less, explore begonia nurseries or summer bulb stores online. Begonias won’t be shipped until after risk of cold damage in transit is passed. Be sure to pick up a bag of Black Gold African Violet Mix in advance for prompt potting when the bare root rhizomes arrive in the mail.

Applications:
Use to amend new or existing beds; install trees, shrubs, and perennials; or whenever you need to improve any type of soil.

Available – 1.5 cf. bags
This product is only available in states east of the Rocky Mountains.

Download MSDS Sheet

You can do it on the kitchen counter by filling a shallow container with a few inches of lukewarm water. Then set the potted plant right into the water. Let it sit until the surface of the potting soil is visibly wet. It may take at least an hour, then remove it to drain in the sink before returning to its place. Do this whenever a plant (indoor or out) has become overly dry to give the peat time to rehydrate completely.

Snake plants look fabulous outdoors, too, but only during the heat of summer.

Sansevieria thrive indoors in bright to low light, with minimal watering, so be sure to grow them in a porous potting soil, such as Black Gold Cactus Mix.

Use Black Gold potting soils that are certified organic and you’re on the right path to healthy, organically-grown plants. All Black Gold soils are blended for your special gardening requirements. After all, it’s winter and your plants need all the help that they can get to grow and thrive on your windowsill. It’s also the perfect time to fill a small window box with seed starting soil and plant lettuce or spinach seeds for fresh greens in just 3 to 4 weeks. Now that’s tasty! 

Enjoy!

This purple leaf plum was bred to eliminate fruit for a better ornamental variety with burgundy foliage and pink flowers.

January is a perfect time to think through the kinds of fruit you’d like to grow via catalogs on online. Stock of some types are limited so it’s important to get the order in as soon as you can. Growers ship the trees to you during bare root season in your area. In the warmest regions, planting bare root is done in January through February. In the cold north, it’s April to May. The season is defined by those months when the trees are just beginning to break dormancy.

Unique forms such as this cordon style pear are sometimes only available as bare root.

What is a bare root tree? It is planted like a farm crop in the grower’s fields. When the trees are fully dormant the grower digs them up, knocks the soil from the roots and ships them for sale. You’ll find bare root trees at the garden center during this season too, but you’ll be limited to stock on hand. Here are the main reasons why it’s better to order by mail and plant during bare root season:

1. Bare root is cheaper because no soil or pot are involved, you so you aren’t paying to ship them – just the tree.
2. You order directly from the grower so there are more varieties and dwarfs to choose from.
3. You get to inspect the entire tree from root to branch tip for damage or undesirable growth that would otherwise be hidden beneath the soil.
4. Trees are planted before temperatures rise so roots develop ready for the summer heat.
5. Roots don’t have a nice fertile root ball of nursery soil, which makes them move into fresh ground sooner.

Only by planting bare root can you amend the soil deep within the root zone. Dig a big hole and use quality organic matter to mix with the soil in order to help marginal ground become more fertile for the young tree. This is particularly important when planting in clay soils that tend to compact to rock-like hardness making it tough to get water and fertilizer into the root zone later on.

The best amendment to mix with the excavated soil from your planting hole is Black Gold Soil Conditioner because it contains everything you need for a good start. Not only is it rich in natural manures, it contains mycorhizzae, an important living fungus that helps plants grow. A healthy compost component in the amendment helps your tree flourish in fully organic ground with a stronger immune system and an extensive root zone for increased drought resistance.

You can further enrich the soil by sprinkling organic fertilizer onto each layer as you backfill around the spindly bare roots. Black Gold Citrus, Avocado and Vine Fertilizeris a good choice for slow-release, long-lasting, all-organic nutrients. As new roots form and spread through the conditioned soil they will encounter the decomposing fertilizer to stimulate stronger trunk, branch and leaf development the first year.

Select gourmet varieties you rarely see or just can't afford to buy at the market.

These long January days are ideal for exploring the many online fruit tree sellers who carry truly unique and wonderful varieties. Avoid typical supermarket varieties and look for outstanding gourmet fruit such as Asian pears, which sell for over $1 each in the market and are super easy to grow. Finally, check if the variety is available in dwarf or semi-dwarf to allow small gardens to produce all the diversity of a large orchard.

The Three S’s of Garden Planning boils down to: soil, seed and supplies.
 

SOIL

Soil improvement is the most important part of organic gardening. For existing gardens, plan to add amendments and fertilizers to your soil every year to compensate for what last year’s garden drew out. Amendments should be thoroughly tilled in to feed microbes so their numbers do not decline. Some of the best choices are: Black Gold Soil Conditioner, Garden Compost, Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer, and Just Coir for more water retentive soils in dry climates.
 

SEED

Research vegetables for your garden via online or print catalogs. Measure the garden and sketch out a basic boundary to help you remember what you grew last year and where you’ll grow each new plant. This allows you to rotate your crops so that each square foot grows an entirely different kind of plant each year. It is well known that diseases build up to big problems when plants inhabit the same place year after year.

Gather sticky tabs, a yellow highlighter and a note pad before starting in on your seed catalogs. Your ability to mark interesting varieties and take notes is a big help since there are so many kinds of lettuce, peppers and squash to choose from. Ordering online is a lot easier because you won’t have to write out all those seed names on a form. Click and buy makes growing from seed fast and easy.
 

SUPPLIES

Order supplies you’ll need for growing from seed so they’re on hand when it’s time to start. Black Gold Seedling Mix offers the perfect sterile medium to germinate seed successfully in a flat topped with clear plastic cover to retain warmth and heat. When the seedlings put on their second leaves you’ll need to move them into individual small pots with more fertile Black Gold Natural and Organic Potting Soil to mature further until they are large enough to move outside. When it’s time to plant them into the garden you’ll need Starter & Transplant Fertilizer to help them quickly adapt to their new summer home.

Cut Christmas Trees

When buying a cut tree at a lot, keep in mind that the tree has probably been cut for several weeks and it could even be several months. When the tree is cut, it is a natural response for it to seal off the cut in order to conserve moisture. Since the butt end is sealed, it can only absorb  a small amount of water, if any. This is the reason it is so important to make a fresh cut of about an inch from the butt of the tree just before the tree is going to be taken indoors. Once this cut has been made, the tree should be placed in a bucket of fresh water or placed in the tree stand with fresh water. You may be amazed at how much water the tree will absorb especially during the first few days. Research that I have seen indicates that there is no need to add a preservative, fresh water works just fine. Check the water reservoir in the tree stand several times a day and refill as necessary. If the water level goes below the butt end of the tree, it will begin to seal itself up and this will prevent uptake of water. It is also a good idea to place your tree where it will not be getting warm air from a heater vent. 

Living Christmas Tree

The term ‘living’ tree refers to a tree that is alive and growing and in a nursery container. This is in contrast to a ‘cut’ tree. Check out your local garden center for the varieties of living trees available. Growing in a container with soil, a living tree will be heavy to move around and since they will need to be watered, be sure to have a waterproof saucer under the container. Bringing the tree from outdoors to the warm temperatures of a house can be quite a shock. If there is enough time, a good idea is to place it in a cool garage for a couple of days before bringing it indoors. Place the tree by a window and away from any heat vent. If you are going to put lights on it, use those that do not get hot. Generally a ‘live’ tree should not be indoors more than 7-10 days. When it is time to take it outdoors, if the temperatures are below freezing, it is a good idea to put the tree back into a garage for several days instead of taking it from a warm house to a freezing outdoors. Once the weather has warmed, the tree can then be planted. Another idea is to plant the tree in a nice container and keep it on a deck or patio and then bring it indoors as a Christmas tree for several years. 

Wreaths

There are some wonderful wreaths being offered for sale, many with fresh material from local growers. If you have a supply of greenery, wreaths can be fun to make and give as gifts especially when the materials are from your garden. Fir, pine and holly are traditional but consider adding something new. Many cotoneasters are covered with red berries at this time of year as is pyracantha. I have a friend that has a small business making wreaths and he uses juniper (nice fragrance and of course the blue berries make a nice contrast to the green of other plants), sumac flowers, evergreen Magnolia, Nandina, sweet bay, rose hips, Skimmia, and even hydrangea flowers that have a natural dried look. Most of these materials will hold up very well outdoors as long as they do not get wet from the rain.    

Paperwhite Narcissus

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs are very easy to force into bloom indoors. They will often bloom within 3-4 weeks of planting. All that is needed are healthy bulbs and some kind of dish or pot with no drainage. A traditional method is to put in a layer of gravel (many types available at garden centers especially for this purpose), place bulbs on top and bring water level just beneath the bulb. Place container by a window and keep water level constant. One of the major drawbacks with forcing paperwhites is that they get tall and flop over. Some research from Cornell University indicates that by adding some liquor will stunt the growth but you will still get the flowers. About a 5% (no stronger or it may burn plants) solution of alcohol is required and so from a 40% distilled spirit such as gin, vodka, rum, etc, you would 1 part of the spirit and 7 parts of water. For this to work, add plain water as normal for the first week and then begin using the alcohol/water solution. Continue using this solution until the plants begin to bloom. If you do not want to use the alcohol you have for drinking, rubbing alcohol also works. It is about 70% alcohol so 1 part rubbing alcohol to 10-11 parts water would be appropriate. Do not use beer or wine as the sugars in them can cause some problems with plants. I tried this last year and it worked!

Enjoy the season!

Happy New Year!

This holiday season, I send you good wishes and happy gardening in 2012!

Formaldehyde is a problem in some newer homes. The emerging science of phytoremediation uses plants to filter toxins from air and soil. Studies revealed that ferns are a natural for absorbing formaldehyde from the air inside your home. As they transpire, the formaldehyde is taken into the plant with carbon dioxide, then only oxygen is released to filter air naturally. So if you haven’t repotted that old fern, or if you’re on a budget, buy lots of smaller ones and repot to make the air inside cleaner than ever.

If you are planning on getting a cut Christmas tree, before bringing it indoors, make a fresh cut about one inch from the butt. Immediately submerge in fresh water. No need to add a preservative, just don’t let the reservoir in the tree stand run out of water. Christmas trees will ‘drink’ heavily for first few days.

You can plant succulents in any container that holds soil and drains well. Those little shoes the kids grew out of make charming low cost holiday gifts for friends and family. Simply punch a few holes in the sole with a hammer and large nail. Then fill with Black Gold Cactus Mix and plant with lots of very small, inexpensive succulent seedlings. This idea is great for ladies’ high heels too. This makes for a fun, green family project that recycles shoes, utilizes water-conservative plants that will offer color all winter long.

Lion’s Tail is a rather nondescript plant in early spring and I can understand why it is often overlooked. Since it does not come into flowering until late summer or early fall, many gardeners are unaware it exists. I always think it is fun to try something new in the garden and I encourage others to do so as well. I set out plants in early June and worked Black Gold Soil Conditioner into the top six inches of the soil. At this same time, I also added Black Gold Rose & Flower Fertilizer. This one application of fertilizer is all that I used in the soil for the entire season. I selected a location that would receive full sun and I set the plants in the background area of a mixed border of shrubs and other flowers. This is a wonderful late summer and early fall blooming plant with deep rust-orange flowers appearing in whorls on long stems of up to six feet. The bloom habit of the flowers and the color are quite striking because not many plants bloom with this kind of color and flower shape.

This fall, after the first hard frost, I am going to cut the plants back to ground level and mulch the soil with 4-5 inches of Black Gold Soil Conditioner to see if this will provide enough winter protection for the plants to survive. If not, I will happily buy new plants in the spring!

When we do have those sunny days, this is also a perfect time for some general garden maintenance. If your garden is anything like mine, I often put plants in the wrong place. It seems that I plant short ones in back and tall ones behind!  This is the time to walk through the garden and sort out what needs to be changed. It is also an ideal time to transplant some hardy perennials like phlox, hostas, and peonies.

Peonies are one of my favorite herbaceous perennials and I have many in my garden. Peonies are winter hardy in most areas and reliably come up every year. Once established, they require little care other than having good drainage and a sunny location. Most of the standard types do need to be staked as with their large flowers, the stems often flop. I have seen some gardeners use tomato cages as support and this seems to work. There are also some specifically made peony supports that also do a good job of holding up the stems. I have cut my herbaceous peonies to the ground and I have added a light coating of Black Gold Soil Conditioner as winter protection. If your peony flower production has declined in recent years and the plants have been in their location for several years, they might need to be divided. This is the time to do that. Make certain to have one eye on each piece and do not plant them more than about three inches below the soil surface. If planted too deep, peonies do not bloom.

One of the new introductions in the plant world is the Itoh Peony. This is a cross between a tree peony and an herbaceous peony. The result has been some outstanding new plants. The flowers tend to look like a tree peony while the plant grows like the herbaceous type.  To me, the big advantage is the very sturdy stems that do not need staking.  The picture shown was taken in November and whereas my herbaceous peonies have been cut to the ground, this Itoh peony ‘Bartzella’, looks almost as good as it did in the spring. ‘Bartzella’ has clear yellow and fragrant flowers that continue blooming over an extended period of time in the spring. I have had it for three years and it is an outstanding plant in my garden. Check out your local garden center as there are new colors being introduced.

This might be November, but that does not mean you should halt work in your garden. Hardy flowering plants like Lions Tail and Itoh Peony make a great addition to any November garden. I actually find this time of year as ideal for contemplating what I want to change and add for next year.

Enjoy the season!

Old fashioned annuals like bachelor's button perform far better in rich, organic soils.

Whether grown for edible seed or cut flowers, sunflowers are among the hungriest of all annual plants.

Annuals are the heaviest feeders of all. They do a lot of work between seed and frost. If they fail for a new gardener, it always leads to one thing: soil. The many phases of growth requires more nutrition for plants to remain healthy. Modern varieties are developed in an environment of perfect nutrition levels, so they will be even more finicky about poor fertility than heirlooms.

To ensure you have success with your winter annuals or all of next year’s garden it’s vital to understand the dietary habits of annuals in order to provide all the plant nutrition you can. When flowers are grown in containers, use Black Gold All Purpose Potting Soil. It contains Technicote, a slow release fertilizer that feeds at low doses over many months. This low dose is perfect for winter annuals. Use it for summer annuals too, but plan to add regular doses of fertilizer in that season because plants grow faster and demand more then.

Early crops of peas are far more productive when soils are enriched with microbes.

The heaviest feeders of all are vegetables because not only do most flower, they must also produce fruit. Here your soil prep will really pay off in yields. The best amendment for all types of soil is Black Gold Soil Conditioner because it’s packed with fine organic matter and fertilizers such as bat guano, the richest source of organic nitrogen on Earth.

Violas in the organic winter garden can easily share space with chard so both may be used in the kitchen.

Anyone who can find success with annuals will find perennials and biennials a breeze to grow. So during the off season where conditions are mild enough, use the cool days to fortify your soil for a dynamite result next year. Just remember to keep it organic so you can clip violas for your holiday salad and eat tomatoes right off the vine without a care in the world.

There is no reason we need to stop gardening just because summer is ending and winter will soon be here. Many gardeners that I know ‘switch gears’ and set up a special place where they can continue to garden indoors. It might take a little more effort but it is worth it, not only with what you can grow, but the idea you have accomplished what some perceive as difficult.

Think for a moment of the many summer herbs we have enjoyed in our outdoor gardens. Wouldn’t it be great to extend the season with new plants that you have grown in the winter but are perceived as summer plants? If you can supply similar conditions to what the plant has been accustomed to in growing outdoors, then you are off to a good start. One of my favorites is basil and this is an example of a plant that can also be easily started from seed indoors as long as the right conditions are present. The right conditions include the proper soil mix, artificial light, warmth, and space. Artificial light may or may not be a requirement depending on your location and whether you have strong winter light. In Western Oregon and Western Washington, we could certainly need supplemental lighting for most indoor herb plants or plants that are generally perceived as outdoor plants. There are some low light house plants, but I am not including them.

Some garden centers carry indoor lighting kits for homeowners but if you are going to be growing any quantity of plants, you will probably need to find a store that sells materials for hydroponic gardening. Hydroponic garden supply stores will have a good selection of indoor lighting and can give you tips and information depending on your particular circumstances. If you do not know a hydroponic store in your local area, I suggest you go to Sunlight Supply, Hydrofarm or Bloomington Wholesale websites to find a store near you.

If your home has a basement, this can often provide ideal conditions for starting seeds. I have a friend with a basement and he sets up a table with artificial lights, heating pad and everything he needs to start seeds in the winter. He has used this method for many years to start seeds ahead of the season and then he sets plants out when the weather is appropriate for whatever crop he has. Often he grows some of his favorite herbs from seed and then harvests them and uses them in cooking throughout the winter.

Once you have done some research and have the basic supplies, you will need to start with a seedling tray and a good soil. Most garden centers will stock seedling trays which will allow you to plant many seeds in a small area. For soil, Black Gold Seedling Mix is an ideal choice. Black Gold Seedling Mix is formulated with a wetting agent to provide quick water penetration and is a very fine texture to help with germination. It also contains perlite to provide good drainage which is very important with indoor grown container plants. One of the problems that can arise from starting seeds indoors is a disease called damping off. It affects young seedlings and causes them to die. A listener on my radio program once told me of an organic way of preventing damping off. This listener grew many of his plants from seed and used fine grade chicken grit and lightly coated the soil with this after the seeds had been planted. Most farm or feed stores would carry chicken grit and it can usually be purchased by the pound.

Once the seeds have germinated and the young seedlings have developed their true leaves, it is time to transplant these seedlings into an individual pot. Gently lift them out of the plant tray and place them in their new home. I usually use a four inch pot as this size is large enough for the plants to grow for several weeks and the pots are large enough that they are easy to move around. My soil of choice for this four inch pot is Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. This is 100% organic and contains screened earthworm castings, which Black Gold is famous for using, as well as sphagnum peat moss, compost, forest humus, perlite, and pumice. The perlite and pumice are added to insure good drainage and good aeration, both essential for optimum plant growth. It is important to water these newly transplanted seedlings immediately. If you are a novice at this, be sure you have a tray to hold the four inch pots and to act as a reservoir for holding the excess water as it drains out from the pots.

Always make sure your plants have adequate light. With indoor plants, light is a crucial issue. If plants begin to stretch and become ‘leggy’, that is a signal they are probably not getting enough light. After several weeks and the plants are established and growing, it is probably a good time to fertilize them. I like to use some type of water soluble fertilizer, meaning I can dissolve the fertilizer in a watering can and then fertilize my plants as I water. The fertilizer you select will be dependent on the particular plant and what you expect from it. If you are growing a plant for foliage, you will probably want high nitrogen (first number of fertilizer analysis). If you are going a plant for root development, then look for an analysis with a higher middle number (phosphorus). There are some plants you may want to encourage growth in the early stages and then switch to high phosphorus for bloom and/or root development. Talking with other gardeners that have had experience with indoor gardening can be a wealth of information.

It may sound difficult, but it really is not. It is always fun to try something new in gardening and perhaps this is your year to try growing plants under lights.

If you study food labels for undesirable additives, be sure to check the soil products equally well. Most simply state the contents include peat or forest products. There may also be compost. But don’t assume this is the compost you’re familiar with. It may be simply an abbreviation for “composted bio-solids”. Most folks have never heard of bio-solids before. This is the modern term for sewage sludge, a byproduct of the water treatment plants. While human waste is not appealing, it has long been used in Asia as fertilizer known as “night soil”. But what goes into today’s sewer is more than that. Sludge contains virtually any chemical or pesticide or toxin that’s flushed or poured down the drain.

What makes bio-solids fertile is that nitrogen and phosphorous in treatment plants tends to concentrate into the solids, and so do heavy metals and a dozen different toxins that are part of our everyday life. The use of bio-solids could be a wonderful way to recycle if it weren’t for the toxins. When bio-solids are composted before inclusion into the soil product, there may no longer be problems with dangerous bacteria. However, composting has never been recommended for removal of toxins. In response to inquiry about the safety of bio-solid soil products in school gardens, scientific analysis using a mass spectrometer definitively proved what remained in the material that could be problematic. When used in the same location over many seasons, these chemicals and metals may actually increase their residual concentrations within a garden. Among the toxins shown to be present in bio-solid soil products are dioxin, arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, selenium, and occasionally cyanide.

It’s clear that when bio-solids are added to soil products, there is a risk of introducing these potentially dangerous toxins to your homesite. Where children and pets play, and where plants are grown for food, the toxins can accumulate in the soil after repeated applications. And just as plants take up specific nutrients, food plants can also pick up these toxins and pass them along to your dinner table. But if you stick with soil products that are bio-solid free, you won’t have a care in the world.

Black Gold soil products are both clean and organic with absolutely no bio-solids. You can use as much as you want without concerns for toxicity. Black Gold Garden Compost is OMRI listed, which certifies that it is chemical free. You might pay a little more for Black Gold, but that’s because it costs more to create soil products without bio-solids. Black Gold fertilizers, potting soils and amendments contain only top quality organic ingredients with no secret substances added to more cheaply boost fertility.

As a consumer, be aware of what’s in your organic potting soil or soil products and amendments. Question exactly what kind of compost is used. Inquire about the possible presence if bio-solids. Failing to do so could mean that every year you add amendments to fortify your soil, you could be adding ever more toxins as well. Trust your garden to Black Gold and you can be sure it’s toxin free today, tomorrow and ten years from now.

In my own garden, I have very few conifers, but I recently added a weeping larch (Larix deciduas ‘Pendula’). A deciduous conifer with a beautiful weeping form, soft needles, and wonderful fall color. This is a specimen tree – good for even a small garden. Plant it where you can see it all year.

The fall leaf color this year is truly outstanding. A good example is Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’ (Coral Bark Maple) which is a four season plant. Coral colored branches in winter, bright green leaves in summer which turn to golden yellow and make a striking contrast against the red bark. A good tree for a small garden; plant Coral Bark Maple where you can see it in winter.

Lily of the Nile produces huge plants that are among the easiest to divide in fall for many new plants for free.

Planting a perennial in spring is a lot like moving from Maine to Florida in June. You’d have to adjust to the heat and humidity at the worst time of year. Bring a Maine resident to Florida in November, and that snowbird will relish every day of welcome sunshine. When you plant spring blooming perennials in the fall, they root actively into the warm soil. Roots will form quickly and help it become established before the short days of winter force dormancy. After that perennial’s dormancy breaks in spring, it will be well rooted to flourish compared to one newly planted from greenhouse into cold spring soil.

Leather leaf bergenia with its thick succulent leaves are quite frost hardy with an intense spring show.

Perennials are the workhorses of a fabulous landscape. The early bloomers include bergenia, columbine, heuchera, geum, anemone, primrose and thrift. They flower along with many of our spring bulbs for a beautiful display at winter’s end.

In fall, container-grown plants will be at their largest for this growing season, so shop to your heart’s content, but don’t leave the garden center without doing your best to make the soil richer too. Increased fertility enhances the spring show immeasurably. Even the best plant forced into poor soil will fail to thrive at any time of year.

The many species and varieties of hardy Geraniums require lots of rich organic matter when planted to simulate a forest environment.

To flesh out your beds and borders with perennials for a big spring show, enrich the ground with Black Gold Soil Conditioner or Black Gold Garden Compost. Both add fine organic matter to worn out soil when distributed evenly, then turned deeply with a spading fork. Go over the area in one direction, then do the same the opposite way to ensure full integration of your amendments into native soil.

When you dig the planting holes, there’s another opportunity to give your perennials an extra push in the spring with slow release organic, Black Gold Starter & Transplant Fertilizer. Dig the planting hole a few inches deeper than you would normally. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of fertilizer into the bottom of the hole and work it in. Then cover this with a few inches of your excavated soil and gently press it down. The new perennial goes on top of all this, then backfill and water in deeply. This deep down source of macro and micronutrients from slow-release organic sources offers your plant a boost later on. The roots are rewarded for going deep enough to access the nutrients, which also makes them able to reach moisture deeper underground during the growing season. Deep rooting is the best way to make any plant more drought resistant.

Bleeding heart blooms while many trees are still bear, so planting in fall offers many months of establishment before flowering.

While late fall planting can be problematic in the far north, throughout the south and west it is the best time for most perennials. The dry climate of the West is a big stressor for spring-planted perennials.

Do your homework in the fall, apply the fall perennial strategies mentioned above and your plants won’t have to struggle through late spring frosts. They won’t face rooting into hard, dense soils either. Best of all, they’ll be fully established by spring and well-fed to double in size before the end of season arrives.

After the leaves fall, hollies stand out all over your neighborhood with their bright red fruit. The holly is a locally proven species making it the best choice for planting in your garden too. Hollies prefer well drained acidic soil, so amend your planting soil with Black Gold Peat Moss Plus. If you already have hollies growing in your landscape, use Black Gold Azalea, Camellia and Rhododendron fertilizer because it’s formulated for acidic conditions. This will encourage foliage packed plants and more bright fruit for next year’s holiday decor harvest.

Often when we think of a Ginkgo tree, we think of a very large, street-type tree that is not appropriate for many of today’s smaller gardens. Recently some new types have been developed that are very slow growing and even referred to as ‘dwarf’. A favorite of mine is Ginkgo biloba ‘Majestic Butterflies’, with beautiful variegated foliage; an excellent choice for a container.

Indian corn now in the supermarket isn’t just a Thanksgiving decoration. It’s viable seed ready to plant in your garden next year. Select colors and sizes of small popcorn, strawberry flint corn and the big boldly colored ears for decorations. When the holidays are over, simply pry the kernels off the cob and store in a cool dry place. Come planting time, fortify the soil with nitrogen rich Black Gold Blood Meal. This all-organic fertilizer contains a whopping 13 percent nitrogen! Use it with confidence – knowing corn is a grass and grasses love nitrogen!

Here in the Pacific Northwest, autumn is certainly here. Temperatures are cooler, rains have begun (hopefully not continuously), and plants are beginning to show signs that their season is over. This is a wonderful time to visit an arboretum, if you have one, and absorb some of the fall colors. It is also an opportunity to visit your local garden center and see what is still looking good. You might be surprised at the color awaiting you even at this late date.

In my own garden, several plants are putting on a wonderful show of color. I am always interested in trying new plants and a new Salvia for me this year was ‘Wendy’s Wish’. With a flower color that is hard to describe, I would call it a deep rose (see photo), this has been in bloom in my garden all summer and has shown no signs of stopping. I have it growing in a pot in almost full sun and it is a hummingbird magnet.

A plant that is usually treated as an annual here and does not come into flower until late August or September is Leonotis leonurus (Lion’s Tail). As I am writing this (October), it is in full bloom with more flower buds ready to open. The flowers appear on long stems in whorls with the lower whorls opening first and then continuing upward. The flowers are covered in a sort of furry coat of fine hairs and are a rusty orange. Because of the color, this is a great flower for fall Halloween arrangements. Give it sun and plant toward the back of a flower bed since plants can reach 6 feet in height.

For autumn color from a tree, I was recently given Euonymus planipes and the leaf color is astounding (see photo). In addition to the spectacular leaves, there are deep rose-colored fruits opening to reveal orange seeds. Quite often the leaves will drop leaving the fruits against the bare branches. This is a small tree/large shrub, very easy to grow, and I would suggest planting it where you can enjoy the fall colors as the spring flowers are not particularly showy and the real beauty is this time of year.

In addition to enjoying what is around us, we should be thinking ahead to spring. A great idea is to plant bulbs in a pot and ‘layer’ them, then plant winter blooming pansies on the surface. While this might sound difficult, it is not. What you will need:

• Outdoor pot
• Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil
• Bulbs (tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus)
• Black Gold Bone Meal
• Pansies

When purchasing bulbs, be sure to buy a large size and press each one before planting to make sure it is firm and not soft. Bulbs can be placed quite close together; just do not let them in direct contact with each other. This is in case one would rot and by not having them in contact, the rot would not spread to the others. Most of the spring blooming bulbs; tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, crocus, etc. are quite winter hardy and will survive being outdoors in a container. Make sure the pot is in a location where it will get rain.

Start by adding 5-6 inches of Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. Add Black Gold Bone Meal and mix together with the soil. Then add tulips. In the example shown, I used red tulips. Then cover with soil and mix this new soil with bone meal. Then I added white daffodils. Cover these and then plant something that will give color during the winter. In my example, I used winter pansies. As you can see from the photo, they are in bloom and will continue flowering all winter. Then around the inside rim of the pot, I planted a circle of crocus.

The combination of bulbs to use is endless. You could easily add a layer of hyacinths or multiple layers of tulips. If using tulips, check the package information and get several different blooming dates. For example, the package should indicate if the particular tulip is early, mid-season, or late. Having some of all three will extend the blooming season in the spring. If pansies are not your choice, ornamental winter kale and/or ornamental cabbage are other options for providing color during the fall season.

This idea of ‘layering’ is also a great project to do with children. They can help mix the soil, plant the bulbs (and learn that flowers come from bulbs) and then plant the pansies.

Do not wait too long before checking out your local garden center for fall color, or tending to your fall planting. Once we have a frost and cold weather, many plants will lose their leaves and you will not be able to see them in all their autumn glory will be lost for another year.

This year I was introduced to a salvia called ‘Wendy’s Wish’. I have it in a container and in a location with full sun. It began blooming in June and it is still in flower now in early November. Discovered in the Australian garden of salvia enthusiast Wendy Smith, the flowers are deep rose fuchsia and have proven to be a hummingbird magnet.

Black Gold fertilizers are the organic gardener’s best friend. Each one offers specific nutrients that build your soil so it can better feed your plants a naturally balanced diet. With our easy-to-pour boxes, fertilizing your organic garden is quick and easy. There’s a formula for all your plants from food garden to palm tree, so each group receives the exact balance it needs. Best of all, Black Gold Natural & Organic fertilizers are as healthy for your family and pets as it is for the environment.

Black Gold offers three basic byproducts of agricultural processing that have proven themselves for decades before synthetics. These will make your vegetable garden take off on natural fuel this year. For your leafy plants such as cabbage, basil or chard, Black Gold Blood Meal offers whopping 13% nitrogen to stimulate foliage growth. To encourage a large root system and abundant flowering and fruit, use phosphorus-rich Black Gold Bone Meal. For a balanced fertilizer that uses no animal byproducts at all, consider Alfalfa Meal, a small gardener’s alternative to green manure or a legume cover crop.

For beginners, or those who too busy to mix and match, consider Black Gold organic fertilizer blends. They are scientifically formulated to make your veggies and specialty plants flourish without the threat of burning tender roots.

Begin this year’s organic food garden with Starter & Transplant fertilizer to help your seedlings get a stronger start. Then switch to Tomato & Vegetable to speed your peppers and tomatoes to maturity while stimulating early flowering. Or to simplify matters overall, try Black Gold All Purpose fertilizer on both your organic vegetable garden as well as the rest of your yard.

Ornamental flower lovers know their plants are heavy feeders if the blooms are to come and come again all season long. That takes a powerful blend with higher phosphorous to stimulate new bud formation. Black Gold Rose & Flower food will do just that.

In the Northwest and South where acidic soils make rhododendrons queen of the garden, you can be sure that Black Gold Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron fertilizer is the best organic food for these forest-loving beauties. Don’t spare it on your blueberry shrubs either if you long for a more abundant organic harvest.

In warm climates, your palms and tropicals will keep their foliage large and green, and your cactus will perform with Black Gold Palm, Cactus and Tropicals fertilizer. It’s specially formulated for micronutrient loving plants. Elsewhere in these nearly frost free climates, the special needs of lemons and oranges are met with an all-organic Citrus Avocado & Vine Fertilizer. This is a rare natural product for feeding these specialty fruiting plants that require specific soil conditions.

There’s no question that using natural & organic fertilizer not only makes your plants healthier, they are better able to resist pests and disease. They grow your soil’s microscopic flora, which pays off in more abundant vegetable harvests. And if you’re a flower lover, resist the temptation to use chemicals that subject the garden to a yo-yo diet, and feed Black Gold organics for balanced meals all season long.

View Black Gold’s Complete Selection of Natural & Organic Fertilizers

Geraniums: Pot your outdoor geraniums like they do in the Alps where plants are brought outdoors to line a sunny window sill.

Zonal geraniums are favorite garden variety Pelargoniums that grandmother traditionally dug from the soil, potted up into red clay, and set upon the window sill. These will remain evergreen, which is all you need to enjoy the exotic brightly colored foliage of fancy-leaved types. The ability to winter-over geraniums this way makes them a better buy than one season annuals that die with the frost. This is also a great time to take cuttings to make more of your favorite colored leaves and flowers for next year’s garden.

The trendiest group of plants today are succulents. There are some such as sedum that are cold hardy, but the popular ones are frost tender species from southern Africa. The big showy varieties are expensive and too often thrown away after they bolt to flower at the end of the season. Bolting spoils their beautiful shape, but it doesn’t mean the plant will die afterwards. They are in fact long lived if protected from frost.

Flapjacks: Kalanchoe thyrsifolia, aka flapacks bolt to flower, then they can be dug and potted with Black Gold Cactus Soil.

The most outstanding of the tender Kalanchoes are flapjacks with their pancake-sized leaves that make them prized plants. Ditto the larger Echeverias. Now is time to cut off the spent flower spike and repot the base in super-porous Black Gold Cactus Mix. Over the winter months it will produce many offsets that you can pluck and plant come spring to expand your succulent garden next year.
 Recently, spider plants have become very popular outdoors due to their vivid leaf color and long, dangling stems. Gardeners often cut the danglers and plant them into shaded garden soil after the last frost where they root over the summer. In fall, dig these up and plant into pots so they flourish on a warm windowsill until spring returns.

For all ornamentals, use Black Gold All Purpose Potting Soil which contains slow release fertilizer that ensures there is sufficient fertility for winter growth. This is ideal for zonal geraniums and spider plants as well as tropicals and tender perennials.

Mrs. Pollock: The fancy leaved Pelargoniums are geranium varieties that produce vivid foliage for brightening winter days.

Food plants and herbs from your organic garden may be potted in Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. Because we use only the leaves of herbs, keep them alive over winter to retain their foliage for fresh seasoning. For example, dig a chunk of oregano before the plant is burned back by frost, then pot it up and bring indoors to season your Italian dishes all winter long. The same applies to mints and thyme. Just be sure the plants you bring inside are free of any pests or diseases that may otherwise spread to your healthy plants.

Even though frost may spell the end of your outdoor garden, it is the beginning of your indoor one. Load up on fresh potting soil before garden centers store their supplies. Set a small table against a south facing window where the plants receive the most sunlight. Transplant, repot and start your offsets in this controlled environment. They’ll become a living link to the beauty and fragrance of your summer garden on those dark days when the ground is frozen and the snow flies.

Would you risk your crop to save $25? Of course not, so why would you reuse growing media that may prove less than ideal for your valuable plants? This is the question every grower weighs after harvest: Whether to replace the growing media or reuse it another time.

If you’re still not sure, consider the triple threat: Three very important reasons why fresh Sunshine Advanced soilless media will always perform.

Threat #1 Decomposition

Eventually all organic matter will break down, particularly when mycorhizzae and other fungi begin their slow process of decomposition. As these organic components become weakened and lose their integrity, the media no longer maintains its original structure. The material can pack down, air gaps between particles collapse and roots can suffer for lack of oxygen. When this occurs, it’s false economy to reuse the mix.

Threat #2 Infection

Problems that can result from reusing media make professional growers skeptical about reusing any kind of potting soil. It’s rooted in the concept of crop rotation. Grow tomatoes too many seasons in the same place and you risk virus disease. Similarly, growing in the same media gives disease time to reproduce and concentrate its numbers to a level that can infect your plants. The same applies to tiny pests which can be easily introduced in egg form during the growing process, then flourish into infestation with the next consecutive crop.

Threat #3 Toxicity

Crops in reused media are always vulnerable to the invisible killer, cumulative toxicity. This often occurs when salts build up in the organic matter whether it is from plant foods or your local water supply. Azalea growers have always feared the potential of alkalinity altering potting soil pH beyond this acid lover’s limits, and the same may occur in your media as well. And if you’ve experimented with various nutritional products, there is a real potential to end up with excesses of potentially dangerous micronutrients such as Boron, for example, which can severely damage plant growth. Such toxicities are nearly impossible to identify without complete soil analysis, and that alone costs as much as new media.

Recycle Sunshine Advanced in Your Outdoor Garden

Even when a used soilless mix is too risky for your valuable hydroponic or indoor crops, this is a perfect blend of mineral, organic and microbial organisms to boost your outdoor gardening efforts. Here are five ways to save money and recycle for better soils outdoors:

• Blend with potting soils. Use discarded media to fortify weaker potting soils used outdoors by blending into a rich mix for container grown herbs, flowers and vegetable plants.
• Compost. Add to the compost pile to bring residual nutrients and a finely ground dose of organic matter plus mycorhizzae to your decomposing heap.
• Backfill amendment. Due to the mineral components such as perlite, this used media makes a fine soil amendment to lighten heavy clays by adding to planting hole backfill.
• Increase water-holding. Where soils are sandy, the coir and peat in these soilless mixes can be worked into existing earth to increase water-holding capacity.
• Introduce mycorhizzae. Where soils are lean and microbe activity is minimal, the mycorhizzae in used media can introduce these vital organisms to your home ground.

Fast growing plants that have large seeds planted deeper down are usually sown directly into garden soil. These include corn, squash, cucumbers, melons, sunflowers, beans or peas. When you buy your seed, know that every packet is marked with its year just like a food expiration date. Make sure yours is labeled for the current year so the seed is sure to sprout quickly.

Slower to germinate plants with smaller seeds such as peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and greens are more easily started indoors ahead of time. These can also be purchased as seedlings at the garden center. Bonnie Plants offers a wide range of organically grown varieties in sizes from seedling four-pack to gallon pot plants already on the way toward flower and fruit. The price dictates which you choose. They are grown in peat pots that can be planted directly into the soil for minimal root disturbance. If you can’t find organically grown seedlings, buy a standard nursery-grown seedling and raise it organically for the same result.

The best time of day to plant is evening, so that seedlings enjoy a cool dark period to adjust before the sun and temperatures rise. Planting on a cool cloudy day is also ideal, but never plant in the wind or on a hot afternoon.

Everyone grows tomatoes, which can root anywhere along the stem. The more stem that’s underground, the larger your root system will be. This then supports a plant that bears more fruit overall. Dig an extra deep hole for your tomatoes so the root ball container sits at the bottom, with about a third of the plant’s overall length above ground. Replace the soil around the tomato stem. Another way is to dig a trench-like hole and lie the tomato down so it roots horizontally. Both give you the same end result – bigger roots, more resilient plants and much larger crops.

The rest of your seedlings should be planted at the same level they are in the nursery pot. Once you’ve planted and sown the garden, you must immediately water it all in to collapse air pockets and firm the soil around the seed, roots or peat pot. Use a watering wand with multiple spray patterns to lightly mist the seed beds, thoroughly moistening them so you won’t risk washing out your newly planted seed. For seedlings, turn the hose down to low flow and thoroughly saturate the entire root zone of each plant.

The first week after planting is the most important time for the seedlings. Keep the seedbed evenly moist to stimulate fast germination. This may require misting morning and evening. Water the seedlings deeply, but do not wet the foliage in direct sunlight as it burns the leaves. Keep an eye on the weather and water more often in hot or windy conditions, but when its cool and rainy, back off to avoid rotting the seed.

Now that you’ve got the garden planted and watered in, watch for pests and other problems that plague seedlings. Once they are established and start to put on growth, it will be time to move on to the next step in this series: Tending Your Organic Garden.

www.BlackGold.bz

Great gardeners do it each day. Sometimes it’s with a cup of morning coffee, a glass of wine after work or when the kids are down for their naps.   In short, the more time you spend out there the better you’ll tend to the silent needs of the garden.  Here are some basics that can make this your best garden ever.

Pick Early and Often

The giant zucchini is a bad idea.  At that size they’re pithy and filled with large seed.  Letting even one zucchini mature on the plant sends a message to the growing tips that next year’s seed has formed.  No new flowers are needed, and that means fruit production slows or stops altogether.

If you pick early while summer squash are small and tender, seeds never form and the plant is never signaled to slow down.  This concept applies to the fruits of other flowering vegetable plants too, particularly snow and snap peas with edible pods. They ripen quickly, then become fibrous, the pod no longer edible.  So don’t be shy about it – the more you pick, the more you get.

Water Deeply

Learning how to water properly takes longer than you may think.  The goal isn’t to wet the ground, but to get water as deep into the soil as you can. Repeated shallow watering leads plants to root in the top inches of soil where they’re vulnerable to heat and drought.  If you water slowly and deeply, moisture percolates down at the rate dictated by your soil type.  Heavy soils with a lot of clay take the longest, sandy soils far less time.  If you’re in a hurry, chances are your soil won’t be properly watered, particularly during hot or windy weather.

Tie and Train

Tomatoes allowed to sit on the ground are vulnerable to rot, diseases, slugs and other fruit eating pests.  That’s why we stake tomatoes to a trellis or a tower.  When developing fruit of any kind weighs the branches down, they can fold over ties or wire.  This cuts off circulation.  Keep training the new growth back into the plant because proper support is the best prevention.  Use green plant tape which stretches as the plant grows.  Don’t hesitate to prune off any unusual or particularly wayward branches to force growth into well behaved ones.

Inspect

Inspection is more than just a glance at the plant.  It’s more like studying your skin for the first signs of melanoma, because you go over every inch to catch this subtle change of color. Spending time in the garden makes you equally familiar with the look of each and every plant.  Their physical character is a silent language that offers clues when something is amiss.  For example:  You may not see a well camouflaged green hornworm, but you will notice a missing growing tip or the dark pelleted feces that collects on leaves.  Don’t forget that many pests congregate on the backs of leaves and go unnoticed unless you make a point of looking there.

Tending your garden through the summer is the best way to increase yields.  It also ensures a plentiful supply of young, tender organic vegetables on the dinner table.  While everyone else is showing around their giant zucchini, you’ll know better.  After their plants are done at midsummer, yours will keep going strong well into the fall.

If you find white mold in a bag of our potting soil, don’t think it’s spoiled like moldy bread. Consider this white webby material the ultimate proof of life. It is an undeniable sign that our potting soils are perfectly blended to create a bio-active root environment. Even while that bag sat at the garden center, a great deal of activity was going on in our living soils, and the mold proves it. This is a rare opportunity to actually see one of the invisible organisms that contribute so much to organic plant health. Such tiny living things are literally a web of life key to all fertile soils.

Molds appear only when the bag is warm and moist inside. Such conditions actually make the mold grow on the surface of the soil because it thinks it’s underground. Once the bag is opened, sunlight and drier air forces them back to their invisible subterranean status.

This mold is a saprophyte, one of many that are naturally present in forests and bogs. When we harvest the bark and peat for our soil mixes, the molds living inside the organic matter come too. Their role is key to the ongoing decomposition of organic matter in the wild that continues within our soil mixes. These organisms also feed on the organic fertilizers added to our soil products making them more available to plants. Their interaction with fertilizers is directly related to why organic plant foods take more time to reach optimal levels than synthetic ones. In fact, patches of mold can be thickest around pockets of organic fertilizer.

Saprophytic molds act much like beneficial insects do in your garden. When aphids attack in the organic garden, bio-control is provided by hungry ladybugs that feed on them. If you use chemicals to control the aphids, you lose these beneficial predators too, leaving the door open for future infestation. This is why we do not sterilize our soils. Sterilization may yield a disease free environment, but in a short time the disease organisms will return without the saprophytes for natural control. Naturally occurring beneficial microbes in our potting soils carry this complex yet natural balance into every container you plant.
Be aware that not all potting soils will foster saprophytic molds. Insufficient nutrient content and low amounts of fine organic matter in poor quality soils cannot support them. Plants grown in such mediums will lack the many layered benefits provided by a diverse population of soil microorganisms.
Today’s backyard gardener will find that our saprophytic rich soils are the most optimal growing medium available. As the molds do their job over time, you can be sure that this soil is just growing richer in the process.

Phosphorus has long been added when planting bulbs to encourage faster rooting before winter sets in. This nutrient is found in bone meal, a long lasting organic source.

When planting, add one tablespoon of Black Gold Bone Meal to the bottom of the planting hole and mix it in with some loose soil. If planting small bulbs like crocus, use just a half tablespoon. Set the bulb down gently into the soft bottom of the hole and cover it up.

Soil in raised beds can often become deficient in elements or micronutrients replaced by adding organic fertilizer during the growing season.

Eat a doughnut for breakfast and you start the morning on a sugar high.  Then the inevitable follows.   Blood sugar plummets leaving you foggy and sluggish.  If you eat another doughnut to refire your system, you’ll only crash all over again.  But if you eat a balanced meal you’ll feel better, natural energy returns, and this time it lasts.

In August your food garden plants slow down.  This malaise is attributed to the heat, but it’s actually a problem of inadequate nutrition.  All the great stuff you tilled in months before is worn out or gobbled up by hungry roots.  As nutrition reaches critical lows, plants go on hiatus.  They don’t make new flowers, therefore no more fruits either.  Sure you can refire them with potent synthetic fertilizer, but these nutrients go into the root zone quickly, then drain out again just as fast.

What vegetables want in August is a good balanced meal of organic nutrients. The problem is that so many of our organic sources are high in nitrogen and less rich in the fruit and flower foods.  Too much nitrogen later on in the growing season causes stem and leaf development but few flowers.  Strive for a balance of all three macro-nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Vegetables with edible leaves and stems will benefit from higher levels of nitrogen because their crop is not dependent on flowering.

I am keen on using Black Gold Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer for late season feeding because it’s 3-5-3 nutrition is gentle yet perfectly balanced.  Among its components is kelp, an age old fertilizer used by the ancient Greeks, Irish potato farmers and modern Japanese growers.

Kelp is different from any other organic amendment.  When living in the sea, it takes up a startling number of minerals from sea water making it a storehouse of micronutrients.   Thus kelp is the shotgun approach to replacing trace elements too often lacking in our garden soil. When growing food in small gardens or raised beds, the density of your plants puts great strain on the soil.  Often deficiencies result which can cause crops to slow or succumb to pests and diseases. When you add kelp, you don’t have to know what nutrient is deficient because it replaces all seven primary micronutrients plus many other elements.

Fertilizer made of dried seaweeds is loosely termed kelp, but true kelp is the largest of them all and easily recognized when washed up on beaches.

Kelp is the fastest growing plant on Earth, producing up to two feet per day.  This is explained by kelp’s abnormally high levels of natural growth hormones that remain intact after it is harvested for fertilizer.  Put these hormones in direct contact with your plants’ root systems and they stimulate cell division, increase photosynthetic rates and improve performance overall.

To help you know how much fertilizer to apply, use our handy “When to Fertilize” chart.  It helps you calculate your midseason feeding for food plants grown in-ground and in containers.  I like to spread a collar around the base of each large plant such as tomato or pepper, keeping an inch clear around the base of the stem to prevent rot.  For row crops, work it into the side of the row without damaging roots, then water deeply.

The beauty of a scientifically blended organic fertilizer is that it frees me from buying many individual fertilizers to blend together. The pre-balanced blend feeds soil in a highly diverse way so it better supports the microscopic flora as well.  For all these reasonsm, make August your month to refuel your waning summer veggies with a pick-me-up that keeps them happy and healthy into the mild days of fall.

Saturday, November 5th, All Day
Bayside Garden Supply
4061 N Highway 101
Arcata, CA 95521
(707) 826-7435
map

Planting in the fall is counterintuitive. It goes against the grain. We’re hardwired to do our gardening in spring. But there is great wisdom in planting trees in the fall. This gives them all winter and spring to root deeply before the heat and drought of summer tries their stamina. So whether it’s a fruit tree or a shade tree or a beautiful flowering accent, take your time in this beautiful autumn weather to give it the best start you can.

Step 1: Select a good tree.

Gauge the depth of the planting hole by the depth of the root ball which must be set level with the surrounding soil surface.

You have a right to the most perfect specimen you can find, so shop for this long term investment at a quality garden center. Choose an individual free of any signs of bark damage that could allow pests and diseases to enter later on. The form should be ideal without oddball branching that could spoil its beauty.

Step 2: Dig a hole.

Dig a hole roughly twice the diameter of the root ball. Dig it deep enough so that when the root ball is set into the hole its surface is level with that of the surrounding soil. If it is set too deep you risk crown rot, while too shallow causes surface roots to die. Make the bottom of the hole flat, and then dig a deeper band around the edges. This keeps the root ball on a pedestal, allowing water to drain off into the recessed band. This pedestal must be undisturbed soil so it won’t settle later on.

Step 3: Sweeten the offering.

Black Gold Soil Conditioner is just one of many soil amendments that are suitable for tree planting.

Your goal is to encourage that tree to root beyond the container root ball into the surrounding soil. Give roots a reward for being adventurous. Enrich your excavated soil with Black Gold Soil Conditioner, Garden Compost or Planting Mix. This encourages more rapid and widespread root development that will soon reach undisturbed soil. If your soil is heavy clay or of poor fertility, then this sweetened backfill provides what the tree needs in those first few years as it adapts to its new home.

Step 4: Mix and backfill.

Where soil is poor, add Black Gold Soil Conditioner to your excavated soil pile and mix it in evenly.

Thoroughly mix your Black Gold soil amendment into the pile of soil you excavated from the hole you dug. Then return it to the hole in layers, packing each one down with the end of the shovel handle to collapse any air pockets.

Step 5: Fashion a well.

Use the leftover soil to fashion a healthy berm on the undisturbed ground around the outside edge of the planting hole. This will hold water directly over the root ball until it has time to percolate down naturally.

Step 6: Water In.

Use the garden hose to fill your water well, then wait for it all to percolate down into the ground before you fill it the second time. Thorough saturation is key to preventing transplant shock. Repeat every few days, particularly if the weather turns hot or windy.

You may choose to stake your tree to make it better able to withstand winter storm winds. Always stake on the windward side and use ties that will not girdle the tree or cause abrasions on the bark. Provide a protective sleeve of chicken wire around the young trunk because hungry rabbits and other wildlife may damage the bark during the winter. Come spring when temperatures begin to rise, apply a mulch around the base of the tree to shade the root zone and keep moisture from evaporating from the soil.

Once September arrives and school starts, I consider summer over. I realize it is not “officially” over yet, but September is a time to relax and enjoy the garden and perhaps a time to scale back. Living here in the Pacific Northwest, some people will say that we had no summer, but we did, it just arrived late. Our spring was so wet and cool, it seemed as though summer did not happen until July. The spring weather frustrated many gardeners as we could not readily work our soil since it was so wet. We also could not plant tomatoes, basil, and many other summer vegetables until much later than what would be a ‘normal’ planting time.

As I walk through my garden in September, it is bursting with color. The fuchsias, salvias, and abutilons are in full bloom and all are hummingbird magnets. A relatively new plant in my garden is Cuphea micropetala.  While it is technically a perennial, I do not think it would be winter hardy here and so I am growing it as an annual; if it survives the winter than I will be pleasantly surprised next spring. This Cuphea has been in full bloom since mid July and shows no signs of stopping. My plant is in a large pot and gets hot afternoon sun which it seems to love. With its tubular flowers, it is also a great hummingbird attractant and this is a plant I would suggest to add to your list for planting next spring.

Outdoor living spaces have become very popular and in my garden, we have tables and chairs on our deck for eating outside in the evening or just enjoy sitting in the morning with a cup of coffee. Just having a quiet space tucked away in the garden can create a feeling of relaxation. This can be relatively simple with a small table and two chairs  and especially if it is in the shade on a sunny day, it can be a welcome place to sit. Or it can be elaborate such as the outdoor seating area at the home of Portland Garden Designer, JJ DeSousa. Her space is very welcoming and inviting for conversations. When I have been at functions in her garden, this is the place people gravitate to. The photo (below) of her back garden seating area might look deceiving; it is not a large space as her home and garden are on a small city lot.

September is also a good time to walk through your garden and look at areas that could be improved; plants taken out, plants added, new garden art, or plants that need to be re-arranged. The Bruce Wakefield/Jerry Grossnickel garden is well planned with something of color during all seasons.  I think we all make mistakes and this is a good time to correct them. In my own garden, I have plants that have grown too tall for the space they are in and need to be transplanted to a different location. I also have some bare looking spaces and that is a reminder that I need to get some plants that will look good in this late summer season.

Another feature that I have seen in other gardens and have incorporated into my own is the use of large pots. At one time, I thought having a pot meant that it needed to be planted. This is not the case. Do not think that all pots need to be planted. Many can be considered pieces of garden art and can make a wonderful addition as a standalone piece.

As I write this column in early September, we are having temperatures in the 80’s and it is what I consider perfect fall weather; warm days and cool nights. However along with the warm days, there have been some drying winds. With hot sun and drying winds, all parts of an above ground pot are exposed and can quickly dry out. This will result in plants stressing from lack of water so be certain to continue a watering schedule. I am very thankful that I used Black Gold Natural and Organic Potting Soil because it makes a huge difference is helping the roots hold moisture.

As I look at the soil in my garden beds, there is a big difference in the areas where I worked in Black Gold Soil Conditioner and those areas I did not. The soil in the areas without the conditioner is very hard, dry, and with cracks throughout. The areas where Black Gold Soil Conditioner was added are without the dry cracking on the surface and these areas have required much less water.

Consider September as the month to review what was good in your garden and what was not so good. Take pictures to help remember. I am going to do that as I continue to improve and make changes in my own garden.

Volunteers help with unloading the more than three pallets of soil donated by Black Gold.

The women residents will maintain a raised garden where they will have the opportunity to learn gardening skills, supply food for the kitchen, and heal. “We believe in anything that is therapeutic for the women, and this will give them therapy and fulfillment,” says Jan Marshall, Director of Shepherd’s Door. “And it’s beautiful! It’s the perfect timing. They were all so happy to receive this donation.” Shepherd’s Door is a shelter where women who have experienced violence and abuse can receive housing, nutrition, counseling and training. Unlike other women’s shelters, Shepherd’s Door residents can care for and live with their children while they engage in recovery for 12-18 months.

While Black Gold® product lines are being launched nationally in 2012, they make it a priority to help locally whenever possible. Portland Rescue Mission is a frequent recipient of Black Gold® generosity as they received large donations for fundraisers and silent auctions numerous times over the last three years.

Company Profile

Since 1983, the Black Gold® product line has been available at many fine garden centers for the gardening delight of their customers. Known as the brand of choice for the gardening enthusiast, the Black Gold® product line is available throughout the United States and Western Canada. Offering a full line of products to meet almost every gardening need, including products listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute, Black Gold® offers one of the most complete selections of mixes, amendments and fertilizers to fit your gardening project.

Afertileworld.com & Humboldtnutrients.com

Sunday, Sept 18th
610 7th Street
Fortuna, CA

Afertileworld.com & Humboldtnutrients.com

Saturday, September 17th, 2011
5565 West End Ave
Arcata, CA

ALL PURPOSE FERTILIZER

ROSE & FLOWER FERTILIZER

TOMATO & VEGETABLE FERTILIZER

ALFALFA MEAL

Established Plantings:
2 1/2 cups for every inch in trunk diameter (measured at 4-6 inches above the soil line), mix thoroughly in the soil just inside the drip line of the plant

Fertilize at time of planting, and every 8 weeks throughout the growing season.

Container PlantsNew Plantings:
1 tablespoon per quart of soil, or 1 cup per cubic foot of soil

Established Plantings:
2 tablespoons per gallon of potting soil or 1/2 cup per 5 gallon containerFertilize at time of planting, and every 6-8 weeks throughout the growing season.

STARTER & TRANSPLANT

AZALEA, CAMELLIA & RHODODENDRON FERTILIZER

CITRUS, AVOCADO & VINE FERTILIZER

Palm, Cactus and Tropicals FERTILIZER

BONE MEAL FERTILIZER

BLOOD MEAL FERTILIZER*

Finally summer herbs and vegetable gardens can safely be planted.  In my own garden, I have finally planted Basil.  This is a plant that loves the heat and if planted too early will often die.  A nursery grower told me earlier this spring that she tells people not to plant Basil until July 4.  In my garden, we have two ‘trough like’ planters and that is traditionally where the Basil goes.  It is an area that receives hot sun in the afternoon and in previous years the plants have thrived here and I do not expect anything less this year.

For Basil and other herbs in containers, I use Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil.  This has proven to be an excellent soil and one that I have used for many years.  Just prior to setting the Basil transplants in the containers, I add Black Gold All Purpose fertilizer.  I find that generally one application of this fertilizer at planting time is usually sufficient for the season.  Some varieties of Basil will tend to reduce leaf production if the plants are allowed to flower and I always try to remove the flower stalks.  This prolongs the usefulness of the plants and we generally are harvesting leaves until cool weather arrives in the fall.  It is also a good idea to apply some slug/snail bait around new plants.

Another great container plant and one we have had on our deck for the past several years is Cyperus papyrus (Giant Egyptian Papyrus).  I treat it as an annual plant in our climate as I have not had success with it surviving a winter, especially in a pot.  This is a very striking plant and always draws attention.  The tall green stems can reach 6 feet or more and the stems are topped with clusters of thread-like green parts.  We have our plants in front of a tile garden art piece and while the plant is native to Africa, it fits very well in an Asian garden.  This is a plant that requires plenty of water and an excellent mix to use is Black Gold Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Soil.  This potting soil is a mix of coconut fibers (coir) and peat moss with the addition of earthworm castings and pumice.  The coconut fibers are excellent at retaining water which is ideal for a plant like this.

In previous web articles I have mentioned Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet) and what a great show of flowers these plants can provide.  For one that will provide color even without flowers, consider a variegated type.  We have two of these in urns placed in the entryway as one would enter our back garden area and with all the solid green leaves surrounding them, the variegated leaves really make the plant stand out.    Brugmansia is fast growing and likes both heat and water.  It makes good sense to use Black Gold Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Soil to help retain water.  At this time of year, many garden centers will have Brugmansia available in 5 gallon size containers and thus you can get an instant effect.  Fertilize every ten days to two weeks with Black Gold All Purpose as Brugmansia is also a heavy feeder.  I always add some Black Gold Blood Meal at time of planting to encourage growth.  Be careful using blood meal when the weather is hot as it can burn if applied too heavy.  At this time of year, I would just add a light application at time of planting and use Black Gold All Purpose during the balance of the season.

If you have read my columns before, you know I am a fan of Salvia.  While my favorite is ‘Black and Blue’, I like to try new varieties.  A new one for me this year is Salvia ‘Oceania’ with sky blue flowers.  I have three plants in a pot on our deck and they have not been without flowers since they were planted in May.  The blue color of this Salvia is sure to draw attention of anyone visiting your garden.

If the soil in your vegetable garden seems to be drying out, this is an excellent time to apply Black Gold Soil Conditioner.  Work this lightly into the soil around vegetable plants and it will improve water retention and give the garden a more finished appearance.

At this time of year with so much happening in the garden, don’t forget that one of the purposes of why we garden is to enjoy it.  Make some time to enjoy your garden and let it be a calming place.  In my own garden, one of my favorite times is early morning and to water the plants by hand.  It is usually a quite time and I enjoy the solitude which I do not mind sharing with the hummingbirds.

If you have some bare spots in your garden, check out your local garden center as most will have blooming summer flowers in pots to set out for instant gratification.  Enjoy!

I would routinely purchase a national branded potting mix, thinking it lived up to its advertising… but it doesn’t.

One of my favorite houseplants, Purple Oxalis, has struggled for years and years. It would produce a few scrawny leaves and they’d be brown and crispy at the edges. I bought some BLACK GOLD soil and transplanted the Oxalis and watered it only with distilled water. It is thriving! The pot is full of leaves and blooming non-stop, and it is just beautiful. Your product saved my favorite plant!

I have probably 40 houseplants, and am using BLACK GOLD on the ones that are struggling.

So much for the other potting soil!

I LOVE your product. Thank you very much.

Marcia, New Mexico

Download our Kids Activity Sheet.

Your kids can learn more about gardening and have lots of fun doing it!

YOUTUBE

Check out Sun Gro Horticulture’s new presence on YouTube.com. Watch videos on organic gardening, learn water saving tips and much more!

What is OMRI?
The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) is a national nonprofit organization that determines which input products are allowed for use in organic production and processing. OMRI Listed—or approved—products may be used on operations that are certified organic under the USDA National Organic Program.

What is the Mulch & Soil Council?
Founded in 1972 as the National Bark Producers Association (NBPA), the current Mulch & Soil Council has become the nonprofit trade group of all producers of horticultural mulches, consumer potting soils and commercial growing media.

What is Technicote®?
Technicote’s® controlled release fertilizer formulations are made with the highest quality nutrients. These homogenous granules are encapsulated in a multilayer polymer coating. The polymer coating controls the release rate, thereby allowing a slow, continuous diffusion of dissolved nutrients to the root zone. As the soil warms up, the release rate increases consistent with the plant’s growth rate and nutrient consumption. These premium NPK formulations have a reliable release profile, which is unaffected by soil type, soil pH, moisture or microbial activity.

Amendment Calculator
Ever wonder how much of a garden amendment it will take to perform a certain gardening task? For all three compressed Peat Moss sizes, the compressed Garden Amendment/Soil Conditioner and all 1 cf. and larger loose-fill Black Gold® Amendments, the charts are designed to help you figure out how far each of the packages will go in amending your soil or when they are used as a top dressing.

The National Home Gardening Club is a membership-based organization designed exclusively for active gardeners.  The club welcomes gardeners of all skill levels and its official publication, Gardening How-To serves as the primary source for expert advice, member interaction and gardening knowledge. The club offers its members many opportunities to interact with one another and with experts in the field via the magazine, club website, Extra Dirt weekly e-newsletter and events.

This potting soil is listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute, which means it passes the stringent definitions for an all organic product.  Use it with confidence to grow vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs.  Better yet, grow them in the same containers as your annual flowers!

The structure of Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Soil is a combination of sphagnum peat moss and an innovative byproduct of cocoanut processing, coir.  Coir is a finely ground fibrous material that acts much like a sponge to absorb up to nine times it’s own volume.  This means that much of the water you apply won’t run out the bottom of the pot, but is held within the root zone.  Coir is unlike other forms of organic matter that pack down when wet, and with the addition of pumice to further aerate the soil, you’re assured it is always well drained.  The ability to balance drainage with water holding capacity is the greatest challenge, so that roots find the moisture and oxygen they need every day.

The integration of generous amounts of earthworm castings makes this soil naturally fertile.  Castings boost microorganism populations vital to plant health. When soil and organic matter passes through an earthworm’s body it is changed into phosphate, potash, nitrogen, magnesium and calcium.  These macro and other micro-nutrients arrive in a form immediately available to plants.

The most important contribution of earthworm castings are the microbes they contain.  These originate in the digestive tract of the worm where bacteria and fungi aid in the decomposition process.  When castings are added to potting soil they introduce the organisms that colonize to make it bioactive.  Microbes thrive in this moist, coir-peat blend, interacting with your plant roots for more efficient uptake of moisture and nutrients.

Where heat, low humidity and arid winds dry out potting soils too quickly, this product will transform your gardening experience.  It is among the best fillers for raised beds because it is far less prone to dry pockets than other soil mixes.  The lower layers are less likely to pack down, thus avoiding impeded drainage and the black rot it causes.

Coir’s long term moisture retention helps plants cope with sudden weather changes by ensuring there is enough water held in the root zone to quickly compensate for losses.  This is vital where prevailing dry breezes dehydrate hanging baskets due to the looser weave of coco fiber basket liners.  Black Gold Waterhold Cocoblend potting soil is the best choice for returning finicky begonias, fuchsias and ferns to dry climate patio gardens.

Black Gold Natural & Organic potting soil is so versatile it works for everything from hanging baskets to raised vegetable beds. This is not just any soil, it’s a precise blend of everything your plants need to look their best and produce abundantly. Because it’s listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute, you can be sure your organic food crops grown in this enriched soil remain blessedly chemical free.

The scientists at Black Gold have worked hard to create the very best combination of organic matter and drainage enhancers. The base is not filled with woody matter like low cost soils which can be notoriously low in nutrients. Ours is strictly created with sphagnum peat moss, compost and finely ground forest products for water retention and overall nutrition. To prevent packing down and ensure perfect drainage, optimal proportions of coarse perlite and pumice are incorporated for a moist, yet aerated root zone.

What really boosts this potting soil is the addition of screened worm castings, which contain a wide range of biological benefits. These byproducts of earthworms contain the very stuff of plant life: microscopic organisms that turn potting soil from a collection of organic matter into a living breathing soil teeming with microbes. Castings are also rich in minerals and micronutrients so often lacking in man-made soils. The combination of organic matter, microbes and nutrients are three most important elements of the organic garden, driving the decomposition process that feeds plants naturally. Many of the microbes can also benefit plant growth, disease resistance and the ability to survive a dry spell.

To ensure there is no net nitrogen loss as the organic matter is consumed, a healthy dose of organic fertilizer ensures your plants always find a fertile root zone. Composed of feather and bone meal, its nutrients are very slow to release, but long lasting sources of nitrogen and potassium. Naturally enriched soil means nutrients come online throughout the growing season, feeding and protecting everything you plant from spring to fall and beyond.

So don’t buy one soil for your organic garden and another to power your flowers through the season when there’s a single organic product that does it all. The real benefit of such a perfect blend is its longevity, because living soil is literally self sufficient. It rarely requires replacement because this soil doesn’t wear out like cheaper brands that can never be coaxed to produce well the second or third season. Count on Black Gold Natural & Organic to remain fertile and well drained today and years down the road for a clean, chemical-free, sustainable garden.

One of the only things I did differently than previous years is add 160 quarts (10 bags) of Black Gold Earthworm Castings into the top 6 inches of soil.  Please don’t tell anybody!  Thank you!

Sincerely,

Russ, Utah

-Allan, Portland, OR

I feel this is the best product I have ever used. I am going to continue to add this to my flower beds each years, as my plants have done so well since I have been using Black Gold Soil Conditioner.

-Gardener in Sandy

I’ll pass on more photos as the season continues.  Thank you and everyone else at Sun Gro so much for all your support in helping low-income Portlanders grow their own food!

Best,
Nat Lichten
Home Garden Coordinator
NWSA AmeriCorps