Tag Archive for: All-Purpose Potting Mix

5 Ways to Decorate Your Garden for the Holidays

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It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year! Everyone seems to be in a better mood when they’re spending time with the people they love.

Going all out with décor is easy and fun. Putting up a big Christmas tree with lights and ornaments, draping garland around the house, really makes it feel cozy and welcoming. Draping lights around the home and statues on your front lawn is a fun way to make the whole neighborhood light up.

This year, incorporate some living décor for your holidays. Here are 5 ways to decorate your garden:

1. Decorate Containers

Containers are a perfect way to liven up a home. Finding a festive container or painting a plain one with festive colors or patterns will bring it to life for the holidays. Fill your container with winter-hardy plants that are right for your zone. Just be sure to use Espoma Organic Potting Soil to give it the nutrients it needs.

2. Design the Grounds

With colorful winter shrubs, vegetables, and flowers, planting in a design can bring cheer in ways that are unique and cheerful. The colors and options your plants provide can make an image come through. Utilize the dead space in between your winter hardy plants to create a holiday design.

3. Plant an Evergreen

While everyone brings their trees indoors, plant one outside. You can decorate it the same way you decorate the one indoors. Plus, you can enjoy your Christmas morning outside, depending on the weather. Use natural materials, such as pine cones, berries, and flowers collected from your garden to decorate. Be sure to use Espoma Organic Holly-tone to keep the foliage green.

4. Train Your Plants

Adding a toy train to show off your garden is a great way to mix fun and childlike spirit into your garden. Utilize the plants you already have planted that will survive the winter. Have the toy train go around what you want to showcase. Add some twinkling lights, and everyone who stops by will want a garden like yours.

5. Green Your Mailboxes

Draping an evergreen garland over a mailbox is a simple way to incorporate living décor into your holidays. Creating a garland requires few materials and can look festive within a few minutes. Be sure to add a nice, large bow to tie it all together.

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Want to keep making decorations for your home? Check out this Succulent Snow Globe from Garden Answer.

 

 

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Espoma Organic Potting MixEspoma Organic Holly-tone

 

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Best Houseplants for the Kitchen

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Sometimes we find a beautiful houseplant and have no idea where to put it. Other times we have a space that needs filling and no idea what to put there.

The way we see it, you can never go wrong with more plants!

There’s no better place to start adding plants than the kitchen. If you haven’t thought of adding plants there before, you’re missing out!

Houseplants in the kitchen aid in decreasing cooking scents that consume your home – while it might smell amazing when you bake cookies, cauliflower can really bring you down. Or, you can grow edibles in your kitchen to have easy access while cooking.

Here are our top picks for plants in the kitchen:

 

  1. Assorted Herbs
    Herbs are perfect to grow in the kitchen. Place your herb garden on your windowsill or in a hanging basket for ease. Luckily, a lot of herbs grow well indoors with adequate light. They need to be rotated if they start to become leggy. Read more about growing herbs in your kitchen.
  1. Aloe Vera
    Aloe Vera is one of the easiest plants to grow, so keeping it in your kitchen will bring life there all year long. It’s especially great to have in the kitchen to use its natural coolant in case of a burn. It will do well anywhere in the kitchen, although next to the stove is probably best. Read more about growing aloe and other succulents.

  1. White Jasmine
    The soft jasmine scent that is released from the blooms of this plant will help keep your kitchen smelling nice and fresh. The scent is subtle enough that it won’t overwhelm the kitchen yet can still help your space feel clean and refreshed. Read more about growing jasmine.

  1. English Ivy
    Ivy is a diverse plant that can thrive in many rooms. Putting it in the kitchen will add dramatic lines and textures while purifying the air. If your cabinets don’t hit the ceilings, this ivy will gladly take up space. It will add wonderful shades of green with accents of whites or yellows. Read more about growing ivy in unusual spaces.

  1. Spider Plant
    Another great air purifier, the spider plant will help keep cooking more enjoyable. Place it somewhere you need to add height and texture to an area. It is an easy-care houseplant that will continue to love you in every season. Read more about the benefits of houseplants.

Don’t forget, all of these plants need to be fed as directed with Espoma’s Indoor! liquid fertilizer to grow strong and highlight their colors.

 

 

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VIDEO: Caring for Your Christmas Cactus with Garden Answer

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In this video, Laura from Garden Answer shares her top tips for nurturing everyone’s favorite holiday plant—the Christmas cactus! These beloved plants can thrive for years with proper care and attention.

Laura recommends starting with a high-quality organic potting soil, like Espoma Organic Cactus Mix, specially formulated for cacti and succulents. She also emphasizes the importance of fertilizing, suggesting Espoma Organic Cactus! Liquid Plant Food to keep your plant healthy and blooming.

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hauntingly Good Plants for Halloween

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The spookiest holiday of the year is just around the corner and trick-or-treaters are getting ready for the big night. This year, decorate your house with creepy, living decorations that will add an eerie twist to your night.

With their creepy names, weird colors and devilish shapes, these plants will be the center of every fun, spooky story you tell. Better yet, these plants can stick around all year with the right light, water and feeding directions.

Top 5 Spookiest Houseplants

Photo courtesy of Costa Farms

Spider Plant

This creepy plant is fun to decorate with due to its long spider-like legs that grow little “spiderlings” on the ends. Transfer it into a hanging plant basket and wrap synthetic web around the outside of the basket. Cover with plastic spiders to give it extra creep. Make it kid-friendly, by painting a container black and adding spider eyes to the front to make it look like one big spider. Spider plants are known for being low-maintenance so they will grow in almost any spot.

Dracula Orchid

The Dracula orchid is not an ordinary orchid. Aptly named, as it blooms, the center of the plant looks like it could bite you with its vampire-like mouth. Wrap your container in a cape and paint it red down the sides to decorate this plant into a creepy vampire.

Photo courtesy of Costa Farms

Devil’s Backbone

Devil’s Backbone gets its name from the interesting zigzagging formation of the leaves resembling a creepy spine as it grows. Invite this devilish plant to your home and hang ghouls and ghosts from it to add a spooky charm. Though it may be called the Devil’s Backbone, it works hard to purify the air from toxins.

Photo courtesy of Costa Farms

Earth Star

With spiky edges and elongated “fingers”, the earth star plant is a creepy addition to your Halloween décor. Transfer into a spooky container and let it spread and it will look like something is crawling toward you. Keep in bright light to encourage growth.

Photo courtesy of Costa Farms

Rope Plant

The rope plant’s foliage that twists and turns looks like something right out of a witch’s lair. Put a spell on your home with the shadows this plant gives off. The rope plant will flower and last up to a month.

Fun and spooky houseplants are the best way to bring live Halloween décor to your home. Feed as directed with Espoma’s Indoor! plant food.

 

 

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May Gardening Checklist: 5 Essential To-Dos for a Thriving Garden

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May is one of the busiest and most exciting months in the garden. Flowers are blooming, veggies are sprouting, and summer crops are ready to go in. But to keep your garden thriving naturally, it’s important to use the right organic products to nurture your soil, plants, and harvest.

Here’s your Espoma-approved May checklist to prep your garden for a healthy, productive summer season.

Garden Clean up

1: Tidy Up Your Garden Space

Start fresh by clearing out weeds, dead plants, and old debris — this keeps pests and diseases in check and opens up space for new growth. As you tidy up, top off your beds with Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost to enrich the soil with nutrients and improve texture.

Once your garden is clean, you can apply a layer of mulch to help conserve moisture and regulate soil temperature. This simple prep sets the stage for everything that comes next.

spring crops

2: Harvest Early Spring Crops

Your cool-weather crops like lettuce, spinach, radishes, and peas are likely ready to harvest. After picking, don’t leave that soil depleted! Replenish it by working in Espoma Organic Garden-tone or Plant-tone to restore nutrients before planting your summer vegetables.

For container gardens, refresh the mix with Espoma Organic Raised Bed Mix or Potting Mix so your new plants have a rich, organic base to grow in. Healthy soil = healthy crops.

People planning a project

3: Plan Your Garden Layout Thoughtfully

Before you rush to plant, take a little time to sketch out your garden plan. Group plants with similar needs together, and research what varieties perform best in your area. If you’re unsure, visit a local garden center and look for recommendations — and while you’re there, pick up organic fertilizers suited for what you’re planting (like Espoma Organic Tomato-tone for tomatoes, Berry-tone for berries, or Rose-tone for roses).

Planning ahead ensures you can match the right organic products to the right plants, maximizing growth and minimizing problems down the line.

planting with organic fertilizer

4: Get Planting — and Feed Organically

Once your area is frost-free, it’s time to plant! Whether you’re planting veggies, flowers, or herbs, give them the best start by enriching the planting hole with Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus. This starter fertilizer contains mycorrhizae, which help plants establish strong root systems and reduce transplant shock.

As the season goes on, continue feeding regularly with Espoma Organic Tone Fertilizers, depending on what you’re growing. These slow-release, organic fertilizers keep plants nourished naturally, without the risk of burning or chemical buildup.

planting

5: Transfer Indoor Seedlings Outdoors Carefully

If you started seeds indoors, harden them off gradually before moving them outside. Once ready, plant them in your garden or containers and mix Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus into the soil. This ensures young plants have access to the nutrients and beneficial microbes they need to get established and grow strong healthy roots.

For containers, fill pots with Espoma Organic Potting Mix, which provides excellent drainage and moisture retention while feeding plants with organic ingredients. Don’t forget to water thoroughly after transplanting to help roots settle in.

family in vegetable garden

🌸 Bonus Tip: Keep Feeding and Caring All Season Long

Throughout the summer, keep an eye on your plants. Feed every month or as needed with the appropriate Espoma Organic fertilizer for each plant type. Water deeply at the base, mulch to retain moisture, and enjoy the lush, organic garden you’ve worked so hard to create.

With the right products and a little care, you’ll be harvesting beautiful, homegrown food and flowers all summer long — the organic way!

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Potting soil Mix Big bagEspoma Organic Land and SeaEspoma Raised Bed Mix bag  Espoma Organic Tomato-toneEspoma Organic Rose-tone bagEspoma Organic Plant-tone organic fertilizer

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Fall Gardening Checklist

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September marks the turn of a new leaf. The hot summer weather is fizzling out in favor of cool, crisp fall breezes, prompting bonfires, football games, and pumpkin everything.

For gardeners, fall can be one of the busiest seasons. Often, gardeners juggle wrapping up their summer harvests with the responsibilities of preparing for the coming seasons.

With this to-do list from Homestead Gardens, you’ll be ready to fall in love with fall, and with some extra preparation, you’ll be better prepared for winter and spring, too!

organic vegetable gardening, edible schoolyard project, top reasons to start a garden

7 Things To Do in the Garden This Fall  

1. Deadhead to get Ahead

Freshen up flowerbeds by deadheading and removing plants that have stopped blooming. Do maintenance in the morning before the weather gets too hot.

2. Don’t Stop Planting.

After you’ve harvested your remaining summer veggies, you can plant fall crops and begin transplants! Use Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus at the time of planting to ensure your new or transplanted plants have the nutrients they need for establishment.

3. Serve… or Preserve. Have more vegetables and herbs than you know how to handle? Preserve your harvest. Experiment with making jams or pickles, and try freezing raw fruit, veggies, or herbs. Make sauce out of your tomatoes, or slow-roast them.

4. Flower Power

Keep your annual flowers blooming as long as possible! The key to success? Use Espoma’s Bloom! liquid fertilizer.

5. Watch out for Winter!

Start winterizing your garden’s watering system. Keep an eye out for the first few frosts of the season, and cover plants when necessary. Gradually transition your summer houseplants back indoors.

dahlias-1642686_1920

6. Divide and Conquer

Divide and split your perennials, dig and store tender bulbs like dahlias and caladiums, and start planting spring-flowering bulbs.

7. Red, Dead Ahead!

Are your tomato plants lacking fruit? Producing dull leaves? Sprinkle some Tomato-tone to give them a final boost.

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With these tips, your fall landscape will look its best.

Do you have a picture of your fall garden that you’d like to share? Drop by our Facebook page!

 

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Grab Your Books for a Lesson in Gardening 101

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Back to Gardening School: A Fresh Start for Your Garden

Remember the excitement of a new school year? Fresh notebooks, a backpack ready for adventure, and the feeling that anything was possible. That same sense of renewal is waiting in the garden this season.

Whether you’re just starting out or brushing up on your skills, it’s the perfect time to get back to the basics. Sharpen those tools (and pencils) and let’s head to Gardening School.

Farmer Nick dumping Espoma Raised bed Mix into a raised garden bed

1. Build a Strong Foundation

Every successful garden begins with healthy soil. Start with a quick soil test to understand what nutrients your garden may be missing, then build from there. For raised beds, fill them with a rich blend of natural ingredients—like those in Espoma Organic Raised Bed Mix—to create the perfect growing environment. Adding an organic compost such as Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost further improves soil structure, boosts moisture retention, and encourages healthy microbial activity. For container plantings, Espoma Organic All-Purpose Potting Mix provides the ideal balance of drainage and organic matter to keep roots thriving. And whenever new plants go in the ground, a starter fertilizer like Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus helps them establish quickly by supporting strong, resilient root growth. With the right foundation beneath the surface, the garden above will flourish.

old garden tools

2. Check Your Supplies

Just like gathering fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils, gardeners should review their tools. Replace cracked handles, rusty clippers, or wobbly rakes so nothing slows you down during the season. A little care and preparation now saves frustration later and makes gardening smoother and more enjoyable.

Farmer Nick planting a flowering plant

3. Redefine Your Garden’s Style

A new season is the perfect time to refresh the look of the garden. Whether the goal is calm and classic or bold and colorful, the right nutrition helps plants live up to their potential. Espoma Organic Plant-tone provides complete, balanced nutrition for a wide variety of plants, while Espoma Organic Holly-tone supports acid-loving favorites such as azaleas, rhododendrons, and hydrangeas. Feeding properly is the simplest way to bring a dream garden style to life.

little girl holding a carrot

4. Learn From Last Season

Every garden has its victories and its challenges. Take time to reflect on what thrived and what struggled, then plan for improvement. Espoma Organic Garden-tone is specially formulated for vegetables, helping ensure bigger, tastier harvests season after season. When planting new crops or ornamentals, Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus gives roots the boost they need to grow stronger and more resilient than before. Each new season builds on last year’s lessons with the right nutrition.

indoor plants

5. Don’t Forget Your Indoor Plants

While outdoor gardens take the spotlight, houseplants need care too. Feeding them regularly keeps leaves lush, colors vibrant, and growth steady all year long. Espoma’s Indoor! organic liquid fertilizer makes it easy to give houseplants the nutrition they need with every watering. When repotting, Espoma Organic Potting Mix provides the perfect organic base to keep indoor plants healthy and happy. A thriving indoor garden completes the picture of a gardener’s success.

Farmer Nick holding a shovel

6. Sharpen and Shine

Tools are the unsung heroes of every garden. Taking time to clean, sharpen, and maintain them ensures they last longer and work more effectively. Well-maintained tools make every gardening task easier, allowing more energy to be devoted to growing beautiful, thriving plants.

7. Grow Your Community

Gardening is even better when knowledge is shared. One of the most valuable tips to pass along is to start every planting with a quality organic starter fertilizer like Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to set roots up for success, and then feed with Espoma Organic Plant-tone throughout the season to keep growth steady and strong. These trusted essentials have been used by generations of gardeners, and passing them along helps the whole community grow stronger together.

Graduation Time!

Congratulations—you’ve completed your Back-to-Gardening School crash course! Toss those gardening gloves in the air, because the lessons learned here will lead to healthier plants, bigger harvests, and gardens worth celebrating.

At Espoma, teaching organic gardening practices has been a passion since 1929. With products that are safe for people, pets, and the planet, Espoma is here as a mentor and partner on every gardener’s journey. Class dismissed—now go grow with confidence!

Farmer Nick & PlantKids Course 

Looking for a fun way to introduce kids to gardening? Check out our brand partner Farmer Nick’s course, The Adventures of Farmer Nick and Plant! Designed for children ages 4 and up, this 10-episode series inspires a love of gardening and plant science through hands-on lessons. Sometimes silly, always fun, it’s a playful way to spark curiosity and delight both kids and adults alike.

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Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag Image Espoma Organic Holly-tone Organic Fertilizer for all acid loving plantsEspoma Organic Plant-tone organic fertilizerEspoma Organic Garden-tone Espoma Organic Potting soil Mix Big bag Espoma Raised Bed Mix bag Espoma Organic Land and Sea Espoma Organic Indoor! liquid plant food - Organic fertilizer

 

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Thyme to Plant an Indoor Herb Garden

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Add a dash of delight to your daily routine while keeping winter blues at bay. Start an indoor herb garden today.

Each time you grab sprigs of fresh herbs, you’ll forget all about winter! At that moment, all you’ll think of are the fresh, invigorating flavors of summer.

Plus, starting an indoor herb garden is simple with these tips.

Grow Superb Herbs Indoors

Give savory and sweet herbs these five ingredients, and they’ll flourish inside! Use fresh, flavorful herbs in cocktails, teas and recipes all winter long.

 Ray of Sunshine. Place indoor herbs in the sunniest spot possible. They love natural light and need at least 4 hours of sun every day. Keep herbs warm by avoiding chilly windows.

  1. Heaps of Herbs. Not every herb thrives indoors. Plant these herbs that grow best inside: mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemongrass, chives and bay.
  2. Pile of Pots. Choose pots or upcycle containers with drainage holes on the bottom. Or place stones in the bottom of the pot before adding soil. For unique, DIY planter ideas, check out our Pinterest page.
  3. Settle in Soil. Plant herbs in Organic Potting Soil. Pick an organic potting soil that contains earthworm castings and Myco-tone® to ensure herbs grow strong roots.
  4. Feed and Repeat. Indoor! is an organic plant food that helps you grow bigger and better herbs. Continue fertilizing herbs once each month.

With your just-plucked herbs, cook up dishes that harness herbs’ intensity. Try a few of our favorite recipes that include herbs here. Bon appétit!

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