Winter Planting on the Central Coast

With the holidays over, and some pretty nice temps, we can’t wait to get back to ‘work’ in the garden! While gardeners on the East Coast and in the Midwest may be busy trying to dig out of the snow and just dreaming of spring planting while looking at seed catalogs or online, gardeners here can still be actively enjoying their gardens.  Besides the usual garden cleanup - leaves to rake, pruning and dormant spraying of trees and bushes, gardeners on the Central Coast can still enjoy planting cool season crops.  Many people think nothing much can be planted in what seems to be the dead of winter, but there are a surprising number of things that can be put in the ground this time of year besides the usual bare root roses.

 

In the vegetable garden, we can plant asparagus, globe artichokes and rhubarb from roots and broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower from transplants, if you can find them in a nursery or garden center. Unfortunately the selection of vegetable plants available at local outlets is limited, so you might consider starting your own transplants from seed next year or get a head start on spring planting this year.  Carrots, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsley, peas, radishes and turnips can all be planted from seed.  Yes, I did say lettuce, which will tolerate some frost and can be grown all winter long in our area.  Think of fresh lettuce from your own garden, tender and sweet, not that stuff from the grocery store.  Leaf lettuce is the best bet, and most rewarding.  Did you know that head lettuce (aka Iceberg) was developed in the 1890's?  Iceberg became successful because its firm, round shape and long shelf life made it good for shipping long distances – for the first time people could have lettuce for salads the year around, not just summer.  The downside is that head lettuce just doesn't have the flavor of leaf lettuce, which tastes best when fresh.  Our favorite is a Bibb variety called Tom Thumb which produces sweet and tender miniature heads perfect an individual salad.  Just add a little dressing and enjoy!

 

A word about compost -

 

When planting, always add compost to your soil.  It is the best investment you can make in your garden and an essential step in garden preparation. Compost adds organic matter to your soil, increases water holding capacity, adds nutrients and improves soil health.  If you are preparing a garden bed, apply a layer of 2 to 4 inches of compost and work it into the soil before planting.  For planting bare root shrubs or trees (rose bushes, fruit trees, berries, etc.) add compost to the soil as you refill the hole in which you are plating them.  Add compost and watch your garden grow!

 

For all the details, visit Harvest Blend Compost or email info@harvestblendcompost.com

 

 

 

 

 

Artichokes Are Here!

1st artichoke planted 3/3 - we'll keep you posted on it's progress!

Artichoke plants are now available in nurseries and garden centers on the Central Coast! 

Planting is simple: space transplants 4 to 6 feet apart, adding plenty of compost into the soil.  Shoots should be just above the soil surface. 

Be sure to add a layer of compost as mulch around the base of the plant to keep the roots cool in the summer and retain moisture. 

Water whenever the soil beneath the mulch dries out.  Cut the plants almost down to the ground after harvesting the first crop in June and they will regrow, giving you a second crop in the Fall.

They might not be the prettiest, and they may be a tad prickly but artichokes remain some of our favorite veggies! Treat 'em right and they keep on giving, naturally! Click for more info.

 

When Life Hands You Lemon Trees - Prune 'Em!

Lemon trees grow fast but that doesn’t mean we have to let them rule the yard. Pruning is vital to maintaining a healthy tree (and they’re very forgiving), so if you make what you feel was a major mistake, fear not. Give it a little time and the tree will grow past it. 

So why go to the trouble of pruning a lemon tree? To improve the health, beauty and growth of the tree, of course! Removing branches that appear sickly will stimulate growth in sparse areas of the tree, slowing down unwanted growth and conserving energy for fruit production.

This is also your chance to shape the tree any way you like (remember, it’s a forgiving tree.) Cut any sucker growth from below the graft and any growth on the trunk up to the first main branch.  Trim any branches that are growing cross ways in the tree and clean out branches in the center of the tree so air can circulate and light can get in. Click for a glossary of prunning terms.

Remove the growth that grows straight out of the top of the tree. Trim the limbs that hang down around the lower part of the tree so the 'skirt' of the tree is a couple feet above the ground. Most of your fruit will come from growth that has occurred in the last couple of years. By opening the center of the tree you will get bloom and fruit on the inside that is excellent quality.

Now, back up and look at the tree - if you can still see a few stray branches that need trimming, give 'em a *snip, snip* and you’re finished. When all looks good, take a seat, pour a glass of fresh lemonade and enjoy the view!

Of course, it's always a good idea to spread some high quality Harvest Blend Compost around the base of the tree to replenish soil organic matter, adding nutrients and increasing soil structure. Click for more info.

August │Enjoy Your Harvest

Yep, it’s a fun month for Central Coast gardeners. Now is when we get to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of our labor; juicy tomatoes, tasty corn, crisp lettuce and more. August is traditionally the month to harvest delicious summer crops, but it's also the time to start planning for a fall garden.  

To get the best yield out of your garden make sure to pick veggies regularly to stimulate growth and ensure they’ll produce through fall. Water is important now; so get out there and check for moisture in soil around zucchini, squash and tomato plants and you will enjoy an almost continuous supply of vegetables during August.

Plant Your Fall and Winter Vegetables: It's too late to plant summer crops, but it is the perfect time to plant seeds or transplants that produce cool-season vegetables such as green onions, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard, radishes and beets. Seeds and young plants will thrive in the warm summer soil. If you’ll be planting seeds in flats, put the flats in partial shade to avoid the direct summer heat. Transplant the seedlings into the garden when they are about 4 inches tall.

Of course before planting, you'll want to make sure soil contains the recommended 5% Soil Organic Matter (SOM). This is an easy fix; simply amend soil with Harvest Blend Compost for the healthiest foundation possible. Plants will thrive!

Water Smart: Even drought tolerant and native plants need plenty of water in the heat of summer. Give them a good soak at least twice a week. Potted plants are especially susceptible to high temperatures. If they still wilt after daily watering, think about moving the pots to shade or partial shade locations until the weather cools. Water in the early morning hours to reduce evaporation and water longer so the water has a chance to travel deeper into the soil. Cover your soil with a layer of mulch (compost) to retain moisture. Naturally!

Protect Fruit From Predators: Put bird netting on fruit trees two or three weeks before the fruit begins to ripen. This will keep birds from feasting on the tree fruit. Use rocks or bricks to hold down the netting so birds, rabbits or squirrels can't accidentally get trapped inside.

Plant for Color and Fragrance: August is a good time to plant bushes and trees that add color and fragrance to your garden just about year round. For a dash of color, consider begonia, impatiens, oleander, Chinese hibiscus and firebush. For fragrance, plant gardenias, jasmine and lilac.

Visit www.GotCompost.com for more info.

Affordable Summer Gardening

We’re often asked questions about gardening and compost use. Thought it might help to share some Q&A’s with you. And hey, if you have any questions you’d like answered, or just want to share your gardening stories, pleas ‘Like’ us on Facebook and post away. We’d love to hear from you!

Q: My kids want to plant a vegetable garden this summer. I’d like to get started on this project but gardens use a lot of water. Is there anything I can do to conserve water, hopefully not see an increase on my water bill and still enjoy fresh, healthy veggies from our own garden?

A: You bet! There are many ways to use water efficiently in your garden and significantly reduce your use. First, you'll want to consider what vegetables you want to grow. Peas and corn need more water, while vine plants and tomatoes require less.

Make sure to group water dependent plants together. This way, the majority of your water is directed to the areas that need it most, while keeping the rest dry. Your next step is to come up with strategies to use water more efficiently.

Drip lines and raised bed gardening are two excellent ways to conserve. Drip lines deliver water close to the base of the plant, which allows for deeper penetration and encourages the development of a strong and more extensive root system. They are easy to install and can reduce your gardening water needs up to 50 percent. Growing plants in raised beds will decrease the amount of weeds in the garden, which will draw water away from your vegetables.

Many cities offer rebates to residents and businesses taking part in water-wise landscape methods. Check out the Smart Landscape Rebate Program available in Santa Barbara County. Program requirements may vary slightly depending on your service area, so please see the specific details related to your area http://www.sbwater.org/landscape.aspx?id=446

Soil amended with compost is a great way to manage soil moisture! Growing plants in garden beds containing soil that’s been enriched with compost is another way to increase efficiency. Soil that contains compost is able to hold significantly more water than the typical California soil. Click to locate Harvest Blend Compost near you.

Harvest Blend Compost builds healthy soil; adds soil organic matter, improves soil structure and increases water holding capacity. Naturally!

For more info on compost visit www.GotCompost.com.

FREE Lawn & Garden Workshop!



Compost Builds Healthy Soil. Dig in!

For the past 13 years International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) has served the important role of bringing the Compost! message to the attention of the public, businesses and other groups. We at Harvest Blend Compost want you to know how easy it is to buy and use bulk compost for your lawn and garden.

To make it easy for our Community to discover all the terrific things compost does for your landscape we hope you’ll join us at our FREE LAWN & GARDEN WORKSHOP:

·  Sat., May 12 @ Mussell Senior Center

·  510 E. Park Ave.

·  Santa Maria, CA 93454

·  FREE COMPOST! B.Y.O.B (Bring Your Own Bucket)

·  FREE VEGGIE TRANSPLANTS!

Engel & Gray, Inc., Harvest Blend Compost and the City of Santa Maria Utilities/Rec & Parks Depts. are presenting this event to promote landscape improvement through compost use and water conservation techniques. Free compost and vegetable transplants will be available, so don’t forget your bucket or bin! For more information please visit www.GotCompost.com

Or call Melissa @ Engel & Gray, Inc. - (805) 925-2771

Incorporating compost into your landscape is easy and economical. Whether you need a little compost to spruce up flower beds or a few yards to top dress lawns; help is only a phone call away. For the homeowner interested in renewing lawn and garden; there’s no better soil amendment than compost. It’s 100% natural, providing vital nutrients and organic matter that soil needs to be considered healthy. Compost has a variety of uses – some of the most beneficial are:

·        Lawn Top Dressing: applying a layer of compost to the surface of the lawn will improve soil and grass for a lush, green turf.

·        Turf Establishment: amending soil with compost provides nutrients and improves water holding capacity; saving money on water!

·        Flower & Vegetable Gardens: adding compost before planting creates the perfect foundation for new plants. Or top dress existing beds to give soil a boost.

·        Tree & Shrub backfill mix: compost opens compacted soil; adding oxygen for an improved root system.

Call 805.925.2771 to speak with a Harvest Blend Compost field rep. Or, email Info@HarvestBlendCompost.com

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'Mini' Possibilities! Don't Let Lack of Space Keep You from Gardening

We’re so lucky. We live in an urban area but have enough room to support several garden areas and 2 small compost piles; used to supplement the fresh, bulk compost we purchase locally. This month we’ve enjoyed fresh lettuce (4 varieties), radishes and carrots, so it’s like a ready-made salad growing in our back yard! We’ve even had artichokes – a little on the small side, but delicious! Tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers are started – so before long we’ll have a real salad bar of veggies to choose from.

OK, so our veggie loving, Bay Area daughter visited us this past weekend; ooh-ing and ahh-ing over our mini harvest. Living in a small, upstairs apartment in the city, she resorts to shopping Trader Joe’s and the weekly Farmer’s Market in order to satisfy her ‘green tooth’. Of course we loaded her up with bags of lettuce, carrots and the like; but she wanted to know how to create her own little ‘slice of heaven’ with only a cement patio.

This got us to thinking…there are many people who never try gardening due to space issues. If they could see the pots of Tom Thumb Lettuce growing along our driveway, they might want to try it for themselves. One way to experience the joy of planting, tending to and then devouring your own crops is to find space in your local Community Garden. These plots are normally very affordable and allow you to get outside, get your hands dirty and plant (mostly) whatever you want.

Another method is container gardening. Like our mini heads of lettuce growing in terra cotta pots, many veggies do just fine in a confined space. Look for key words like: bush, compact, and space saver when seed or transplant shopping. The color of container matters! Be careful when using dark colored containers because they absorb heat which could possibly damage the plant roots. If you do use dark colored pots, try painting them a lighter color or shading just the container, not the plants.

Size: This is one case where size does matter. For larger vegetables like tomatoes and eggplants, you should use a five gallon container for each plant. You can grow these plants in two gallon containers; but you’ll need to give the plants quite a bit more water.

Soil: Raised-bed gardens have a lot of advantages. They elevate plants so it’s easier to work with them. The soil stays loose and friable with fewer weeds so plant roots can grow easily. Getting the right soil mix for your raised-bed garden can make all the difference in the success of your garden.

Please, don’t use regular garden soil to fill containers. Ordinary garden soil is loaded with weed seeds as well as diseases and even bugs – all of which can undo all your hard work. Ordinary garden soil may also contain a large amount of clay or silt that packs down in the box, closing off pore spaces that are needed to hold water and air for the roots.

Raised beds should therefore be filled with a weed-free mix of sand, loamy soil and compost. You can make your own, using Harvest Blend Compost – available at authorized dealers on the Central Coast. A 4-by-8-foot box, 8 inches deep, will take just under a cubic yard of mix to fill. If you use a commercial ‘three-way mix’ it can be heavy and a little short on nutrients. In this case, you might want to add an equal amount of compost to the mix to improve its texture.

What to plant?

The earth’s the limit! Veggies from Arugula to Zucchini (and everything in between) can be grown in containers. We don’t want to take up more space here so click the links for suggestions and valuable planting tips. Really, as long as you begin with healthy soil (thanks to organic matter in that compost) and water accordingly, you’ll be enjoying your own fresh, healthy mini harvest this summer. Naturally!

http://www.gotcompost/ for all the dirt on compost.

Click here for container gardening tips

Open (Green)House!

OK, so it’s finally beginning to look and feel like spring on the Central Coast. We’re itching to head into the garden this weekend to begin prepping the soil for our spring and summer veggie garden. Looks like we have everything needed to get started:

1.     Clean, sharpened garden tools – check!

2.     A lovely pile of fresh, local Harvest Blend Compost – check!

3.     Rain – check! Wait…what? Not this weekend!

Rain will definitely dampen (no pun intended) our plans. What to do, what to do. Hey, isn’t there something on Harvest Blend Compost’s Facebook page about a greenhouse tour? Yeah, here it is. It’s the Central Coast Greenhouse Growers annual Open House: SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2012

They have a lot of great things planned for their visitors! All seven nurseries will be showcasing locally grown products for sale.

IN NIPOMO

·        Viva Farms’ beautiful hanging baskets

·        Pacific Sun Growers’ amazing tropicals and succulents

·        Clearwater Nursery’s vibrant potted flowers

·        Eufloria’s gorgeous long stem roses in every color!

IN ARROYO GRANDE

·        Native Sons’ features hearty, healthy outdoor landscape plants

·        BallFloraPlant’s decorative, colorful containers

·        Ball Tagawa’s trays of veggies, bedding pack and ever popular potting soil

If you’re farther South, fear not! Rain or shine, Santa Barbara County Flower and Nursery Growers’ Association is hosting a day of farm tours in the Carpinteria Valley this Saturday April 14th between 11 am and 4 pm.  The public is invited to come and learn about the local flower industry and see the variety of crops that are grown. This event is free and open to gardeners of all ages.

Don’t let a little rain stop you from meeting your Flower Farmer. These tours are mainly indoors but in case of a little rain, an umbrella may be handy. Tell your friends and share this unique opportunity to meet your local flower grower! You might pick up some great flowers, tools and/or ideas for your own garden. Naturally!

For compost info visit www.GotCompost.com

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Spring Cleaning in the Garden

Spring has sprung. In California this season normally signals warmer temperatures, strong breezes and the dwindling of our rainy season. For Central Coasters though, the weather still carries remnants of winter chill and dampness.

So what’s a gardener to do, you ask? We suggest you slog through messy garden beds and soggy lawns to assess your landscape’s condition. If you’re like most of us, general garden clean up is in order. Yeah, yeah, we know…the maintenance end of gardening holds little magic for most of us, yet it is crucial to the success of spring and summer planting.

Some garden jobs best done in March and April:

- Lawn top-dressing

- Plant bare-root (packaged) perennials

- Tend flowering shrubs – clean up spent blossoms, feed with acid fertilizer

- Sow annuals – cosmos, nasturtiums, sunflowers and zinnias

- Sow: carrots, spinach and chard

- In April – set out transplants of tomato, peppers and squash

- Sow: beans, corn and squash

- Water

Interestingly enough, the rainy weather helps indentify low spots that might hamper drainage. Make note of these areas, using soil amended with compost to fill them in. Since it’s too early to do much planting, you’ll want to focus on prepping soil for future plantings; both flower and vegetable. In addition, you may amend surrounding soil as well as soil in planting beds you’ve designated for spring and summer vegetables.

Victory Garden author James Crockett calls compost “the caviar of organic materials” for its ability to retain moisture and provide the necessary 5% Soil Organic Matter to soil. Harvest Blend Compost is a premium compost; wonderful for use as lawn top-dressing, soil amendment, tree and shrub backfill mix and in flower and vegetable gardens. Click here to locate a Harvest Blend Compost dealer near you.

To amend soil with compost: you will first need to loosen the soil. If the soil is too wet from too much rain, let the soil dry for a few days as wet, heavy soils are difficult to work. For dry soil or new garden plots that have not been worked before, a thorough watering a few days ahead of time will make your job easier. Using a rototiller for large areas or a fork and spade for existing beds, break up the soil to a depth of approximately six to twelve inches (the lower range is appropriate for existing beds).

Spread compost evenly over soil. Blend compost into the soil using a gardening fork or your rototiller (if you don‘t own a rototiller, they’re often available through equipment rental locations). After you have thoroughly worked the materials into the garden soil, level the area with a rake.

Your soil is now properly replenished for the upcoming planting season. Over the next few months, the organic amendments you have added will continue to break down, building healthy soil for a plentiful gardening season ahead; providing a slow-release of nutrients that will benefit growing plants. Remember, these nutrients won’t last forever and should be replenished periodically throughout the year.

Many organics naturally occurring in your yard are ideal for building up your garden soil. A simple lawn mowing provides one of the best resources for organic garden soil improvement. Mow your lawn and bag or rake the shredded leaves and grass clippings to work into your soil. Not only will the grass and leaf bits break down to provide essential soil nutrients, but they will work to loosen and aerate the soil as well, increasing root health during the next spring and summer growing season. This will aid in soil drainage, too.

Before you know it, we’ll be experiencing warm evenings and even warmer days; perfect for planting all the tasty vegetables we’ll be enjoying throughout summer and fall. Naturally!

For more info on compost use and benefits, visit http://www.gotcompost.com/

Soil. It's What You Find Under Your Feet!

What’s the difference between soil and dirt? Dirt is what you find under your fingernails. Soil is what you find under your feet. Think of soil as a thin living skin that covers the land. It goes down into the ground just a short way. Even the most fertile topsoil is only a foot or so deep. Soil is more than rock particles. It includes all the living things and the materials they make or change.

Soil Organic Matter (SOM) is that fraction of the soil composed of anything that once lived. Most soil lacks enough organic matter to support healthy plant growth. The Strive for 5% campaign was developed to help us increase SOM for healthy soil!

Truly healthy soil has between 3% and 5% organic material. That level can be maintained ONLY IF you add organic matter to the soil at the surface year in and year out. The plants, the earthworms, and the microbes need that additional matter to sustain a healthy soil. In the woods and prairies, that added organic matter came from dead leaves or dead grasses decomposing each year. We need to replicate that process in our lawns to be able to maintain a healthy organic content in our soil.

But few residential landscapes have soil this rich with organic material. The reality is that the soil under American lawns typically contains less than 1% organic material. This is because over a ten or twenty year period not only was no new organic material introduced, but the most abundant natural sources such as leaves and grass clippings were regularly collected and disposed of in our weekly trash pick-up.

A healthy soil needs a steady source of new organic material. It is constantly decomposing and yielding nutrients for the grass plants and must be replaced. The black fibrous material (called "humus") that results from the decomposition of grass clippings and other organic material eventually has little food value left. But, it does have enormous value in aerating the soil, in storing water, and in feeding key microorganisms needed for other tasks.

While leaving grass clippings on the lawn provides some organic material, it is not enough to consistently provide 3 or 5 %. You must provide more. And how may I provide more organic matter, you might ask? The answer is simple; STA Certified Compost! Applying a layer of compost to lawns twice a year (called 'top dressing') adds vital nutrients, increasing soil's water holding capacity and soil structure. Top Dressing is widely recognized by landscape pros as the most environmentally responsible method of lawn care. Compost is also beneficial for erosion control, turf establishment, tree & shrub backfill mix and used in flower & vegetable gardens for vibrant blooms and healthy veggies.

STA Certified Harvest Blend Compost can do many things for your soil. Benefits include:

·        Improving soil structure, porosity and density to ensure a healthier root environment

·        Infiltrating heavy soils, thereby reducing erosion

·        Increasing water holding capacity of soil so that water is used more efficiently

·        Stabilizing pH and improving the soil’s ability to hold nutrients

·        Supplying valuable microbes, micro and macronutrients and organic matter to the soil environment

·        Helps to suppress soil-borne plant pathogens

·        Binds and degrades specific pollutants

We encourage you to schedule a visit to one of the participating STA composting facilities to get a first hand look at the commercial composting process. To locate a facility in your area, visit http://www.compostingcouncil.org/ & click on "Buying Compost" under the Resources tab. Please visit the US Composting Council’s website for more information on the Consumer Compost Use Program and all issues related to compost.

And if you need compost for your next landscaping project, be sure to give us a call us @ (805) 925-2771 or email Info@HarvestBlendCompost.com. For the scoop on compost visit www.GotCompost.com

Add Organic Matter to Soil for a Healthy Landscape

If your soil and turf are healthy, you might think that the soil would be able to generate its own organic content. This is not necessarily true.

The ideal soil is open and crumbly, giving the grass roots plenty of room to grow full and deep. When digging, you should find a large population of earthworms and microbes; these are the good guys in your soil. When earthworms, microbes and roots die off they decompose, raising the soils’ organic levels for new soil life. This cycle is referred to as the Soil Food Web, where roots, earthworms, and microbes are constantly recycling themselves.

Truly healthy soil has between 3% and 5% organic material. That level can be maintained ONLY IF organic matter is added to the soil at the surface year in and year out. Plants, earthworms, and microbes need that extra matter to support healthy soil. In the woods and grasslands, that added organic matter came from dead leaves or dead grasses decomposing each year. We need to repeat that process in our lawns to be able to maintain a healthy organic content in our soil.

Very few residential landscapes have soil this rich with organic material. The truth is soil beneath our lawns typically contains less than 1% organic material. This is because over a ten or twenty year period not only was no new organic material introduced, but the main source of these materials such as leaves and grass clippings have been collected and transported to local landfills. What a waste!

Healthy soil needs a steady supply of new organic material. It’s constantly decomposing, adding nutrients for the grass and plants, and must be replaced. Decomposed grass clippings and other organic material don’t have much food value left, but they’re valuable in aerating the soil, storing water and in feeding key microorganisms needed for other tasks. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn might provide some organic material; it is not enough to consistently provide 3 or 5 %. This is why we need to add more.

How can we add extra organic matter, you ask?

The solution is simple, and one you may not be familiar with; top dressing. Top dressing a lawn is the process of adding a fine layer of quality compost to your lawn. The quick & easy method involves simply working the compost into the grass with the back of a landscaper’s rake or a stiff broom (making sure not to smother grass with compost) and watering thoroughly. In only a few days, you’ll notice your lawn taking on a strong, healthy appearance; greening up where before there were patches of brown grass.

The “Professional” method is the same process with one exception; aerate soil before adding compost. If you have an irrigation system you’ll need to make it’s marked with flags before aeration (don’t want to poke holes in pipes now, do we?) Then proceed as you would for the quick & easy method, making sure to water well when finished.

Organic Matter on Surface Is Lunch

When you top dress your lawn with compost, this organic material eventually begins to decompose. More important, the earthworms seek it out and pull it down into the soil and eat it. Happy earthworms = Healthy soil!

If you don’t regularly top dress your lawn, it’s high time to begin. It might sound like extra work, but it’ll pay off big time in contributing to the development of healthy soil; stimulating soil life to provide nutrients and opening soil structure so it holds air and moisture.

Harvest Blend Compost contains premium organic matter necessary to raise soils’ organic levels to the recommended 5%. Locally produced from quality, recycled organic materials, Harvest Blend Compost has passed the strictest testing methods to carry the Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) label. This means our products are free of weed seeds and pathogens, guaranteeing product safety for your lawn and garden.

Healthy soil translates into healthier grass. Growing in soil with 5% organic content, lawns can expand their considerable root systems, reaching deep into the soil to tap more dependable supplies of water and nutrients. They are more self-reliant, less dependent on us for nutrition and moisture. They do not suffer stress. The result is fewer problems with weeds, diseases and pests. Naturally!

For more info on Harvest Blend Compost and all its benefits, go to http://www.gotcompost.com/

Give-Away Distributes Over 12 Tons of Harvest Blend Compost!

Say you want to hold a workshop to educate the public on all the good stuff compost can do for their lawns, gardens and community. Getting folks to come out on a beautiful Saturday morning might sound a little tough, but we found the key: coffee, donut holes and an entertaining presentation! Oh, guess the free vegetable transplants and Harvest Blend Compost might have made a difference.

We had a great turnout at our Pro Am Series Lawn & Garden Workshop at Mussell Center last Saturday, May 21. More than 12 tons of premium Harvest Blend Compost and hundreds of vegetable transplants were given away to participants.

The City of Santa Maria Utilities Dept. set us up in a room next to the Community Garden – really handy since many of the participants have plots there. Our day began around 9:00 a.m. with Bob Engel, Harvest Blend Compost Vice President, taking the floor to introduce us to the composting process. He turned what could be a dry, scientific topic into something we wanted to learn more about.

Our garden/soil experts, Jim Gill and Chuck Nagel, then spoke about:

The importance of healthy soil for a healthy garden: the proper foundation is necessary for a healthy garden. Your veggies and flowers won’t thrive without the necessary nutrients. Compost provides those nutrients, as well as improving soil structure and soils’ water holding capacity.

Sustainable gardening: working with, instead of against, nature. Applying compost to lawns and gardens fits this definition. Buying and reusing recycled organic materials (compost) supports the diversion of these resources from landfills, lessening the impact on this already overcrowded area.

Lawn Top dressing: applying a layer of compost over a lawn, raking it in and watering, will create a strong, green lawn your neighbors will envy. Our authorized Harvest Blend dealers have all the literature you need to do it yourself. Click her for a dealer near you

Outside in the fresh air, guests were able to choose from a selection of vegetable transplants donated by Plantel Nurseries, Inc. Looks like we’ll be enjoying tasty salads of red & green lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and bell peppers this summer!

Even the kids had fun! This little guy couldn’t wait to get home to start his garden and kept asking his mom when he could “jump in the dirt pile” (actually compost, but we didn’t think that would change his mind).

  

Now it was the big kids’ turn to have fun getting dirty! Bags, pails, wheelbarrows and even truck beds were filled with premium Harvest Blend Compost. Those with a garden plot nearby trucked the compost to their gardens and began working it into the soil.

 

By 4:00 that afternoon the roll-off had been swept clean! More than 12 tons of compost had been given away to community residents who will now replenish the earth with this valuable resource; growing gardens, top dressing lawns and “Completing the Cycle”. Naturally!

For more info on Harvest Blend Compost click here

Thank you to everyone who donated their time, efforts and resources to make this event a success. We couldn’t have done it without your cooperation.

Compost – Buy it. Try it. My, it works!



This is what compost should look like!

It's International Compost Awareness Week - the one week we celebrate all things "Compost" – and the reasons compost is the natural choice for responsible soil care. Much of the public has a concept of compost; the heap of food scraps and yard waste DIY-ers keep out back, tending month after month, hoping for one wheelbarrow of prized “black gold” to distribute over an entire yard.

But if you don’t have a year to devote to a compost pile and you’d like to get started on amending soil for your spring & summer gardens. You can buy compost now. That’s right! “Compost” isn’t only a verb; it’s a ready-made product that may be purchased locally. The hard part is in knowing what to look for? How can you tell high quality, nutrient rich compost from the “other" stuff?

The difference between good and not-so-good compost is similar to choosing fresh produce over fast food. Your first stop might be one of the large home improvement centers, where you’ll find bagged products with hard to decipher labels, touting a product that’s sort-of-like-compost. The cheap, too-wet/too-dry, heavy, generic stuff without a lot of info on the label, baking in the sun at a big box store isn’t our first choice (or second, or third, or…) It shouldn’t be anyone’s choice, really. The labels and names on cheap bags of “Maybe Compost” are generally somewhere between non-existent, confusing and extremely misleading (just like the materials inside the bag). Worst of all, this low-rent spread has probably been anaerobic inside that bag for a long time (no air means no live microbes to improve the soil).

Small, local nurseries may carry high end, expensive bagged products and possibly some bulk amendments. Sure, you’ll be able to buy products that say they will improve your landscape, but will they be a quick fix or the long term solution your soil is in need of. A key factor is in knowing where your compost originated. Is there a compost facility nearby? If so, you know for certain they are kept to the highest standards of production; destroying harmful weed seeds and pathogens in order to gain the Seal of Testing Assurance label -always look for compost that is STA Certified.

An ideal product for all your landscaping needs is Harvest Blend Compost, produced on the Central Coast by Engel & Gray Regional Compost Facility. As consumers, one of the most powerful things we can do is to purchase products made locally from recycled materials. Our compost is made from locally collected/recycled organic materials, much of it diverted from our landfill. The composting process occurs when micro-organisms break down organic material (leaves, twigs, biosolids & manures) into a dark crumbly soil amendment.   The end product of this recycling process is Harvest Blend Compost; a stable humus product that is rich in nutrients and micro-organisms.  

Compost has many uses; as a soil amendment compost adds structure and vital nutrients young plants need to grow; as top dressing, compost opens compacted soil, increasing oxygen and soils’ water holding capacity; use in gardens before planting for vibrant flower beds and healthy vegetables. Stop by one of our dealers for free application sheets to help you do the job right.

All natural STA Certified Harvest Blend Compost is available at authorized dealers near you, from Paso Robles to Santa Barbara. For a dealer near you Click and enter your Zip in our dealer search box

Final note: Composting is a complex process by which raw ingredients are transformed by living organisms and processes. Drying is not the same—not even close. Dried something-or-other can’t do all the wonderful things that living compost does. Naturally!

Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week! Buy Compost