Helping plants deal with summer heat

It's summertime, and the livin' is, .... well,..... it ain't easy, at least not for a plant. Just posted some ideas for helping your plants deal with summer heat on our main website at www.gonursery.com . Take a minute to read these tips and be sure you're helping your plants the best you can.

A must see film.

I just watched the film "The Future of Food" on hulu.com and had my mind blown. It is a very disturbing look at the giant industrial farming "machine" and how it has effected our food, farmers, and economy. WARNING!!! It is not for the faint of heart. It will really kinda scare you into thinking harder about the food you eat and where it comes from. It really looks at genetically modified food and what has gone on in that industry.

It also reaffirmed what I have known for years. Monsanto is a very, very bad company. Do not buy anything from them, which will take some research. They have their claws in a lot of aspects of our lives.

Semi-Annual Pottery Sale

Well, it's that time of year again. Time for our semi-annual pottery sale at The Great Outdoors. All of our pots are on sale, at least 20% off. Some have been marked down as much as 50%-75%. Your next chance for values this good doesn't come until Labor Day, so get them while it's not too hot!!! Sales ends Wednesday, May 27th.

Gardens at Rancho Pollo nearing completion.

Well, after several months of weed / grass removal, soil amendment, planning and planting, the garden at my home, Rancho Pollo, is nearly complete. Things still look a little small, as some of these plants are pretty rare and hard to get in a large size. I know that in a couple of years, it will be spectacular. Spreading the 11 cubic yards of DeCoG was the last task and it was finished on Wednesday. Look for pictures coming soon.

Sustainability at TGO

I was very honored to be asked to speak at a recent conference on sustainability and garden centers. As usual, not only was I able to share my wisdom with others, but I learned alot as well. For example, did you know there are numerous issues with selling ladybugs? Look for my post on that soon.

The best news is that our keynote speaker, Joe Lamp'l, had a list of the things he thinks a garden center should do to be sustainable, and we do all of them!!! Recycling, waste reduction, green roof, etc... It was nice to see we are on the right track. I have now challenged our staff to stay ahead of the curve and find even more ways to leave less mark on the environment.

Gruesome Gardens

So, our annual Haunted House is back and better than ever. Gruesome Gardens has been open for a couple of weeks, and the response are great!

We are having a special Kid's Night this Thursday, Oct. 23rd from 7-10pm. We will turn down / tone down the scares so that kids under 12 can come and enjoy. I would still not recommend it for kids under, say 5-6, but you know your kids better than we do, so bring them out if you dare.

After Thursday, we will be open as follows:
Fri. & Sat. Oct. 24 &25 7pm-12am
Sun. Oct 26th 7-10pm
Tues. & Wed. Oct 28 & 29 7-10pm
Thurs. Oct. 30th 7-11pm
Fri. & Sat. Oct 31 & Nov. 1 7pm-12am.

The Truth About Organic Gardening

I just finished a great book about organic vs. conventional gardening. It is called "The Truth About Organic Gardening" by Jeff Gillman. Why did I like it? Well, for one it was an easy read. I'm a plant geek, not a bookworm. Also, I really agreed with the author, so that made it fun to read (self justification is good for anyone).

Mr. Gillman really throws it all on the table, comparing and contrasting several different organic and synthetic solutions to common pest and disease problems. He points out that while many synthetics are harmful to the environment, some are not so bad. Also, some organics can be very harmful to the environment. He even uses an old analogy I really like, "A rattlesnake is organic, but it is very deadly".

He, like I, definitely believes in using organics over synthetics, but just wants his readers to be informed of what it is they are using.

I came up with another analogy while reading that I would like to share, but be warned. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you may want to stop reading.

If you found a dog that was ill, had mange, parvo, and broken legs, and the vet said the best thing would be to put him down, you might agree it was the humane thing to do. But we see people nearly every day that insist on "saving" and plant that is wrought with disease, pests, and suffering root systems. The humane thing to do would be to put it out of it's misery. It is also the best thing you can do for the environment. The best way to be safe is to spray nothing at all.

Just keep this in mind the next time you find spider mites on a $1.29 annual plant.