by Susan Harris

I asked the staff of Behnkes Garden Supply Department in Beltsville, to recommend their top choices for these three essential garden supplies, and they weren’t shy at all.

Favorite Mulches

• Hardwood mulches are what they usually recommends and the kind most commonly used in our area.   At  3 cubic feet for $6 or $35 per cub yard, they’re also the best buy.
• One kind of hardwood mulch, “pine fines”, will also make your soil more acid.
• Cedar is a natural insect repellent, so the best option near the house foundation.

Favorite soil amendments (anything you mix IN the soil to improve it)

• Leafgro compost is a good product at a great price.  It’s also an outstanding example of recycling. By composting leaves and grass clippings that would have normally been disposed of in a landfill, the Maryland Environmental Service converts organic wastes into a valuable resource.
• Fafard Complete Planting Mix adds organic matter to red clay or sandy soil, conditioning garden beds and landscapes and promoting healthy root growth.  It’s specially formulated to drain well while retaining moisture.  Recommended for any and all outdoor plants – trees, shrubs, vegetable & flower beds.   It’s also recommended for lawn repair.
• How they compare: LeafGro adds more biology to the soil than the Fafard Complete does; however, both are excellent soil amendments.

Favorite potting medium

• Espoma Organic Potting Mix. No synthetic plant foods or chemicals are used.  A premium blend enhanced with Myco-tone Mycorrhizae.

What’s all this about coir?

I’m hearing concerns about peat-based potting media (is it really renewable?), so I asked about that.  Is coir, the alternative to peat being talked about, really a better choice for the environment?  Short answer, NO.  But here’s what one of the Behnkes experts had to say.

“Coir, extracted from the husk of coconuts, is an alternative to peat moss; both are sustainable resources. Peat moss from Canada is very highly regulated regarding harvesting and restoration. Bogs are restored to a natural state where they support the fauna and flora in as few as five years.  (Yes, I know “regulated by the government” can sometimes be questionable but in this case it IS regulated.)

“Coir comes from Sri Lanka. The process of producing coir requires large quantities of freshwater and takes almost nine months of washing to produce a finished product.  Freshwater is a precious commodity in that part of the world.  Then add in the impact of transporting the product to the U.S. and it turns out that coir has a very large carbon footprint.”

Miri Talabac, Behnkes’ buyer of shrubs (including roses),  reminds us that now’s the perfect time to start feeding our roses.  She recommends Rose-tone, and nags us all to follow package instructions (though thankfully it’s organic, so it’s hard to overdo).   Then feed monthly through July and once again in October to promote root growth.

Roses at the Scott Arboretum

Raised bed design by Alfred Millard. Fabrication by a local Amish carpenter.

Thanks to SusanReimer’s article about raised beds in the Baltimore Sun, we’ve gotten lots of questions about the ones we’re selling, and here are the answers!

How they’re made

They’re made by local Amish carpenters based on a design by Behnke’s fearless leader (officially, the president) Alfred Millard.   He thought there had to be a way to offer a good local product at a good price.   They’re made of untreated whiteoak.

Size

They’re 4 by 6 feet long, and 6 inches tall.  Starting next week, 4 by 4-foot raised-bed kits will be available, too.

Price
They sell for $49.95.

Posted by Susan Harris.

This excellent article by Natalie Brewer, University of Maryland Extension Howard County Master Gardener, has been moved to our website so more people will see it.  Just click here.

If you provide sunflower seeds, nuts or suet, woodpeckers, like this red-bellied woodpecker, are sure to become frequent visitors .

We all want the beauty and satisfaction that comes with a lush, dark green lawn. But we want to obtain it without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. Espoma’s premium organic lawn foods give the gardener peace of mind; preventing unsightly weeds and feeding with long lasting organics that nourish the soil as well as the grass so your lawn is more resistant to heat, drought, and other stress. And both programs outlined below will produce quality results and a lawn that is safe for family and pets on which to romp & roll.

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