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Tag Archive for: Organic Gardening

VIDEO: Boosting Blooms with Wyse Guide ??

August 22, 2023/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables - None, Kaleb Wyse

Looking to get more blooms from your potted annuals? High phosphates in your fertilizer are key! That’s why Kaleb from Wyse Guide uses Espoma Organic Bloom! Liquid Fertilizer. Follow along as he explains why it’s essential to give these flowers all the help they can get. It’s easy, nutritious, and a guaranteed bloom booster!

Learn more about Wyse Guide here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/WyseGuide

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WyseGuide/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WyseGuide/

Website: https://www.wyseguide.com/

 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Fertilizing-Annuals-2.jpg 1920 1280 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-08-22 16:47:242023-08-22 16:47:24VIDEO: Boosting Blooms with Wyse Guide ??

Fertilizing Vegetables Plants! ???with Garden Answer

August 22, 2023/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Fruits & Vegetables, Garden Answer

Join Laura @GardenAnswer as she takes you on a tour through her vegetable gardens. Experience the joy she feels bringing her harvest to the table and learn what it takes to maintain healthy vegetable plants.

Laura enriches her soil with Espoma Organic Land & Sea Compost, creating a nutritious medium for her vegetables. At the time of planting, she uses Bio-tone Starter Plus to provide essential nutrients for establishment. For ongoing care, Laura feeds her established plants with Garden-tone, ensuring they remain healthy throughout the season and yield a bountiful harvest.

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/gardenanswer 

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Fertilizing-the-Vegetables.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-08-22 15:54:102023-08-22 16:21:17Fertilizing Vegetables Plants! ???with Garden Answer

VIDEO: Blooming Wonders ??- Planting Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’ || Flock Finger Lakes

August 22, 2023/in Blog, Flowers

Join Summer Rayne Oakes from  @FlockFingerLakes  as she demonstrates planting the incredibly beautiful bloomer, Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’ corms. Corms, which are fleshy underground stems that act as food storage structures in certain seed plants, take center stage in this tutorial. Summer will guide you through the process of preparing the corms for proper planting. Summer uses Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus when planting, ensuring that these Anemones yield magnificent, large blooms.

Learn more about Flock Finger Lakes here:

Website: flockfingerlakes.com

Instagram – @flockfingerlakes

YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes

Twitter – @flockny

Facebook –Flock Finger Lakes

 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Anemone-Mr-Fokker-frame-000000-1.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-08-22 11:47:112023-08-22 16:23:03VIDEO: Blooming Wonders ??- Planting Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’ || Flock Finger Lakes

Growing Joy with Maria Blog: Culinary Meds From Our Garden

August 21, 2023/in Blog

Spending time gardening is so much more than just a hobby—it provides immense benefits for both your physical and mental health. Gardening allows you to connect with nature, get your hands in the soil, and relax outdoors. Plus, when you grow your own fruits, herbs, and vegetables, you can maximize the nutritional value of what you eat.

This blog is inspired by Episode 131 of Growing Joy with Maria Podcast, where host Maria Failla talks about how to get the most nutrition from your home garden with Dr. John La Puma, culinary and eco-medicine expert.

 

Extracting Nutrition from Common Garden Herbs & Alliums

It’s a common misconception that fresh herbs straight from your garden are more beneficial than dried herbs. Both are delicious and contain different nutritional profiles!

Fresh herbs like basil, oregano, and mint contain more vitamins, while drying herbs increases their concentration of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. For maximum benefit, Dr. La Puma recommends using both fresh and dried herbs in your cooking.

Try traditional practices like adding dried herbs early in the cooking process to allow the flavors to blend, then sprinkle fresh herbs in at the end for a nice finish. To help your herb garden thrive, Espoma Organic Garden Tone is a great fertilizer that provides balanced nutrition.

Looking for even more anti-inflammatory benefits from your garden? Alliums are powerhouses. Garlic, onions, leeks, and chives contain a compound called quercetin that fights inflammation. Eating alliums raw or lightly cooked gives you the most quercetin. Try sprinkling some snipped chives into your scrambled eggs in the morning for some added benefits!

 

Health Benefits of Cruciferous Veggies

Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower are very nutritious and great for detoxification, but cooking them can diminish some of their beneficial effects.

Dr. La Puma shared a simple trick—before cooking your cruciferous vegetables, shred some (a tablespoon or two) while still raw, and put it aside. After cooking, add the shredded raw veggies back into the dish. This helps to reactivate the enzymes that aid detoxification.

 

From Leaf to Root: Creative Ways to Use Leafy Greens and Root Veggies

Leafy greens like arugula are very nutritious. Arugula adds a peppery punch to dishes, so try whipping up some arugula pesto or tossing it over salads and sandwiches.

 

 

If you find your garden lacking in leafy greens, it may help to look where you least expect it—like your root vegetable harvest! Root vegetables like sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile, and their leaves are packed with nutrition. Treat sweet potato leaves like spinach. Simply steam or sauté them briefly as you would other hearty greens

Sweet potatoes themselves are also extra nutritious due to their vibrant color. For maximum nutrition and flavor, it is recommended to roast them whole and unpeeled at high heat. The skin contains valuable vitamins, adds texture to any dish, and you can toss it with some oil and spices like rosemary before cooking.

Discovering Your Comfort Nature

In addition to culinary medicine, Dr. La Puma’s latest work focuses on “comfort nature”—finding places in nature that you find particularly relaxing and restorative. He explains that just as we each have personal comfort foods, we also have unique comfort spaces in nature. This could be the beach, the woods, a pond, garden, or anywhere outdoors that makes you feel peaceful.

Connecting with nature provides profound benefits for both mental and physical well-being. If you can’t easily access your ideal nature space, bring elements of the outdoors in through natural light, nature sounds, and houseplants. Espoma Organic Potting Mix is a great way to give your plants healthy and nourishing soil. Houseplants are especially known to improve our well-being.

Additional Tips for Culinary Medicine at Home

Dr. La Puma shared several other useful culinary medicine tips:

  • Brighten up dishes with visible garnishes of spices like cardamom and za’atar. Their flavors provide a burst of nutrients.
  • Soak raw onions in apple cider vinegar to remove harsh, spicy edges.
  • Pickled raw onions are delicious in salads and on burgers. The vinegar marinade counts as raw, so you get maximum nutrition.
  • Easy herb plants for windowsill gardens include rosemary, thyme, and mint.
  • Lettuce varieties like arugula and spinach grow well alongside cruciferous veggies like kale.

*****

The benefits of gardening and preparing delicious meals with your fresh-picked produce are immense. You can reduce stress, immerse yourself in nature’s beauty, and fill your body with vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds. So start growing your own healing garden to connect with the earth and enrich your health. And don’t forget to enjoy the journey because gardening and cooking should be creative, inspiring, and fun!

 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Copy-of-Espoma-Culinary-Medicine.png 1080 1080 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-08-21 17:40:012024-08-30 20:21:30Growing Joy with Maria Blog: Culinary Meds From Our Garden

Summer Plantings ☀️ – Sun Loving Shrubs and Perennials with Garden Answer

August 15, 2023/in Blog, Garden Answer

Venture out to the garden with Laura from Garden Answer as she takes on her next summer project, planting sun-loving shrubs and perennials.

To give her new plants a strong start, Laura uses Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus, to ensure they develop a strong root system quickly for optimal water and nutrient absorption from the soil.

 

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/gardenanswer 

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/4-Beautiful-Plants-thmbn.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-08-15 16:42:222023-08-22 16:20:52Summer Plantings ☀️ – Sun Loving Shrubs and Perennials with Garden Answer

Once a Lawn, Now a Beautiful Garden! ???|| Flock Finger Lakes

August 11, 2023/in Blog, Flowers

Join Summer Rayne Oakes of @FlockFingerLakes on a tour of what was once a boring lawn and is now a beautiful garden. This garden boasts a variety of sections filled with everything from herbs and flowering plants for pollinators to shrubbery and trees. Summer delves into the details of each plant type, explaining its benefits to both her space and the local ecosystem.

During her garden renovation, Summer filled her raised garden beds with Espoma Organic Raised Bed Mix, ensuring a rich growing medium for her new plants. While planting, she also used Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to give her plants the essential nutrients they needed for successful establishment.

 

Learn more about Flock Finger Lakes here:

Website: flockfingerlakes.com

Instagram – @flockfingerlakes

YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes

Twitter – @flockny

Facebook –Flock Finger Lakes

 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/June-Insects-IMG_8172-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-08-11 11:51:042023-08-11 12:03:48Once a Lawn, Now a Beautiful Garden! ???|| Flock Finger Lakes

VIDEO: Grow Healthy Tomatoes with Wyse Guide! ??

August 10, 2023/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables, Kaleb Wyse

Are your tomatoes starting to bloom? Kaleb from Wyse Guide has some bountiful tips to ensure your tomato plants stay happy and healthy! Watch as he uses Espoma Organic Tomato! Liquid Fertilizer to help his tomato plants grow more blooms.

Learn more about Wyse Guide here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/WyseGuide

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WyseGuide/

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Website: https://www.wyseguide.com/

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Pruning-Tomatoes-1-scaled.jpg 2560 1707 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-08-10 10:46:332023-08-10 10:46:33VIDEO: Grow Healthy Tomatoes with Wyse Guide! ??

VIDEO: Soft Landing Plantings ???with Flock Finger Lakes!

August 4, 2023/in Blog, Espoma Videos

Watch Summer Raye Oakes @FlockFingerLakes as she talks about a unique approach for plantings under trees.

Instead of mulching around your trees, Summer suggests planting what is known as a soft landing planting around strategic trees in the landscape. The idea is to plant native herbaceous plant species that provide a “Soft landing” plus critical shelter for insects like moths, butterflies, beetles, etc. to pupae as they fall from trees.

This practice boosts the variety of insects and, in turn, has a positive impact on the growth of bird populations. Additionally, strategic plantings beneath trees serve as a natural barrier, preventing the intrusion of undesirable weeds or deep-rooted grasses.

In the video above Summer uses Espoma Organic Bulb-tone when planting Trillium around her Locust tree. We also recommend using Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus when planting to help give your plant the nutrients it needs to succeed in its new environment.

 

Learn more about Flock Finger Lakes here:

Website: flockfingerlakes.com

Instagram – @flockfingerlakes

YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes

Twitter – @flockny

Facebook –Flock Finger Lakes

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Soft-Landing-frame-000000.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-08-04 11:35:332023-08-04 15:09:56VIDEO: Soft Landing Plantings ???with Flock Finger Lakes!

Planting Coleus With Garden Answer!?☀️?

July 31, 2023/in Blog, Garden Answer

Check out Laura @GardenAnswer‘s latest grand planting project!

Watch Laura plant multiple varieties of Coleus plants, infusing her landscape with deep vibrant colors. Laura shares her top planting tips when laying out and caring for multiple varieties.

To ensure the success of her new Coleus plants, Laura relies on the assistance of Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus. Bio-tone provides the ideal nutrients needed for her plants to flourish in their new environment.

 

 

Coleus, known for its vibrant and colorful foliage, is a delightful and easy-to-care-for plant that can bring a splash of color to your outdoor containers or garden beds.

Here’s a brief guide to help you nurture your Coleus and keep it thriving:

  1. Planting:
  • Location: Choose a sheltered spot that protects the plant from strong winds, as Coleus stems are delicate and can break easily.
  • Soil: Ensure well-draining soil to prevent waterlogging and promote healthy root growth.
  • Initial Watering: Water the plant thoroughly after planting.
  1. Growing:
  • Watering: Avoid overwatering, as Coleus is susceptible to rot. Water only when the top inch of soil becomes dry.
  • Pruning: Regularly pinch back growing shoots on young plants to encourage bushier growth and more vibrant foliage.
  • Fertilizing: In mid-summer, apply a liquid fertilizer like Espoma Organic Grow! to containers and Espoma Organic Plant-tone to garden beds to provide essential nutrients for healthy growth.
  • Trimming Flower Spikes: In late summer, cut off any flower spikes that appear. This helps extend the plant’s lifespan and encourages the growth of new colorful leaves.
  1. Variety Consideration:
  • Coleus comes in various leaf colors, including green, yellow, pink, red, purple, and maroon. Be sure to check with your garden nursery on the specific variety you have, as some modern types can tolerate sun, while others prefer shade.

With minimal effort and attention to these care tips, you can enjoy the beauty of your Coleus plant as it enhances your outdoor space with its vibrant hues and attractive foliage. Happy gardening!

*****

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/gardenanswer 

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GA-Coleus-YT-Short.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-07-31 10:53:002023-08-22 16:22:25Planting Coleus With Garden Answer!?☀️?

Growing Joy with Maria Podcast Episode 30 Blog: Orchid Care Basics

July 25, 2023/in Blog, Bloom and Grow Radio, Fruits & Vegetables - None

Orchids have long captivated plant parents with their beautiful flowers and unique growth habits. Despite what others commonly think, taking care of them is not as difficult as their reputation implies. With the right knowledge and approach, you can bring the beauty of orchids right into your home.

This blog is inspired by Episode 30 of Growing Joy with Maria Podcast, where host Maria Failla talks about orchid care with Chris Satch, the NYC Plant Doctor and educator for the New York Botanical Garden.

What is an Orchid?

Botanically, orchids are plants that have a unified column, which is a unique reproductive structure that unites the orchid family. They can adapt to different environments, but most of them do love the tropics—which is why you can find them on every continent except Antarctica.

Orchid Care Basics

Let’s get into the basics of taking care of them:

  • Light requirements: Orchids love bright, indirect light. Placing them near an east or west-facing window where they receive filtered sunlight is ideal.

 

  • Temperature & humidity: Orchids thrive in moderate temperatures, so it’s ideal to maintain them within the range of 60°F to 80°F during the day, with slightly cooler temperatures at night. They also love higher humidity levels!

 

  • Watering: Orchids have different moisture requirements, depending on the species and growing conditions. As a general rule, water your orchids when the soil is almost dry but not completely dried out.

 

  • Potting mix: Avoid planting orchids in regular potting soil. They need a well-draining mix that mimics their natural environment. Sphagnum moss, orchid bark mix, or a combination of the two are typically used to provide moisture control for orchid roots. Use Espoma Organics Orchid Mix, which is a blend of organic materials that ensures proper drainage while retaining essential moisture.

 

Common Orchid Types

  • Phalaenopsis: A popular choice for beginners, with elegant and long-lasting flowers.

Pink Orchid

  • Cattleya: If you’re a collector, you’ll love these orchids. They have vibrant and fragrant blooms but prefer brighter light and slightly cooler temperatures.

Pink and orange Cattleya flower, orchidaceae family

  • Vanda: Known for their striking, colorful flowers and aerial root growth. They like high humidity and bright, indirect light.

Pink, red and yellow flowers

  • Encyclia: These charming, unique flower forms are known for their toughness and ability to adapt to different conditions. 

 

 

Fertilizer: To Use or Not to Use?

Fertilizing orchids during their active growth periods is beneficial for the beautiful blooms associated with them. A balanced orchid fertilizer like Espoma Organic Orchid! A bloom booster that will do wonders—just make sure not to overdo it! Too much can build up salts and harm the roots.

Myth Busting: Ice Cubes & Level of Difficulty

Myth 1: Ice Cubes are Good for Orchids 

Myth! Putting ice cubes on the soil can actually harm your orchid. It’s best to water them thoroughly and let any excess water drain out of the pot. You want to avoid letting the roots sit in standing water.

Myth 2: Orchids are Difficult to Care For

Partially a myth. Here’s the truth: some can be tricky, but most of the orchids you’ll find in stores are specifically selected to be tough and adaptable to indoor conditions. In fact, orchids are often described as plants that like “benign neglect.” You can leave them alone for a while, and they’ll still thrive!

Troubleshooting Orchid Problems

Q: Why is my orchid not blooming?

A: If your orchid isn’t blooming, it might need more light or consistent temperatures. 

Q: Why are my orchid leaves turning yellow?

A: If the leaves are turning yellow, you could be overwatering or underwatering. And if you notice mushy or black roots, that might indicate root rot, which can be caused by too much water or poor drainage.

*****

It takes patience, attention, and a willingness to learn to take care of orchids. But it’s totally worth it! Add these plants to your collection, and enjoy their stunning flowers and captivating growth patterns for years to come. 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Copy-of-Espoma-Orchid-Care.png 1080 1080 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-07-25 11:19:432024-09-27 17:00:28Growing Joy with Maria Podcast Episode 30 Blog: Orchid Care Basics
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