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| What does it mean to "grow organically"? | Ask a handful of people what 'organic' means and you will receive an array of answers. Definitions and practices of organic agriculture will differ depending upon whether you are talking to a farmer, gardener or organic certifier. The basis of organic agriculture is to farm/garden in rhythm with nature's laws in a sustainable manner that provides a healthy eco system for all beings involved. How this philosophy is played out in practice varies greatly from individual to individual, organization to organization. These principles usually include using cover crops, reducing off-farm inputs, maintaining and enhancing ecological harmony and refraining from using chemical fertilizers and chemical pest controls. And, since the implementation of the National Organic Program (NOP) under the USDA, "organic" has become a legal term as defined by the federal government, so only if certified under the NOP may the term "certified organic" be used. USDA NOP regulations define what products and processes are allowed under certified production.
NOP organic certifiers verify that a grower is complying with the program. Historically, before NOP, independent organic certification organizations existed to insure that farmers maintained certain basic organic principles in their farming practices. Consumers relied on these organizations to determine which producers were applying organic principles. While these basic principles were usually consistent among most organic certifying agencies, interpretation of these standards could differ, so the goal of NOP was to establish minimum standards for certified organic so that consumers could expect consistency throughout the marketplace.
When deciding on what products to use in your garden to grow plants for your own use or consumption, you have a bit of latitude in deciding what products you may use and still consider your garden organically grown. While the National Organic Program (NOP) defines product acceptability for certified organic growing, you may decide for yourself what you consider to be organic. To provide some guidance, we have noted on our website what products are listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) or the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) as being acceptable for use by certified organic growers. Also, we indicate what products may be considered to be acceptable under NOP according to the manufacturer. In general, and to the best of our knowledge, most of the products we sell are appropriate for sustainable agriculture. However, many products have never been submitted for review of their organic status. As we will never know the exact formulation of those products, we can never be sure that such products are truly 'bona fide' organic. Use your own best judgement, based on your approach to organic gardening, and information available about specific products, when considering the use of any of our products. |
| What fertilizer should I use? | | The best way to tell which fertilizer you need in your garden/farm is by conducting a soil analysis. In the long run, it is the most economical way to buy nutrients because you will not spend money on unnecessary fertilizers. Also, nutrient excesses can cause imbalances that affect plant health. If you know what nutrients your soil needs, see our Fertilizer Solutions Chart (98k PDF) or browse our Fertilizers for help in deciding which fertilizer to use. |
| How do I plant a lawn? | | Before you plant a lawn and invest in the required soil amendments, your first consideration should be whether you have an adequate water supply to support the size of lawn that you want. There are many creative alternatives to lawn grass that require less water and can be used in addition to a lawn. As with all planting projects, the most economical approach would be to first perform a soil analysis to determine the deficient nutrients in your soil. For more specific lawn planting recommendations, see our Lawn Seed Mixes reference library article. To order lawn seed, browse our Lawn Seeds. |
| Something's eating my plants. What do I do? | The first thing to do when you notice a pest in your garden is to identify the pest in order to determine what methods can be used to control it. Contact your local county extension agency, university, an entomologist, the Internet (see Pest Controls) or reference books. Once you determine what insect is in your garden, you can decide if it is actually a pest that needs to be controlled or one that might only cause superficial damage. Ask yourself, what level of damage is acceptable? Can you accept a few holes from flea beetles on your arugula? Will the pest only stay around for a few weeks and then disappear?
If you have decided that you need to use a pest control, we suggest starting with a low impact pest control to avoid upsetting the ecological balance of beneficial insects which may currently exist in your garden. First try benign pest controls like traps and barriers or release beneficial insects. Stronger pest controls are not necessary unless you have a severe outbreak and lower impact methods have failed. See our Natural Pest management-Getting started Reference Library article, or our Pest Management Solutions Chart (76k PDF) or browse our Weed & Pest Control products for more information on choosing an appropriate pest control. |
| What's the difference between open-pollinated, hybrid and heirloom seeds and which ones are organically grown? | | In our catalog, we sell all three of these types of seeds, although we offer more open-pollinated or heirloom seeds. Hybrid seeds are seeds that are obtained by cross-fertilizing two or more different plant varieties. Seeds collected from plants grown from these seeds will not grow true to type and/or they will be sterile. Hybrid seeds are usually produced with non-organic growing methods. Open-pollinated seeds are those that yield seeds that grow plants true to type, as long as no cross-pollination has occurred in the field. Heirloom seeds are those that have been around for more than 50 years, have a history and are open-pollinated. For instance, Amish paste tomatoes have been cultivated over the years by the Amish. Open-pollinated and Heirloom seeds can be produced using organic or conventional growing techniques. Unfortunately, there are not many seeds available that are produced organically. See the Organic Seed Packs and Organic Bulk Seeds, Turtle Tree Seeds, Horizon Herbs, TomatoFest and Seeds of Change in our catalog. However, since organically grown seed is limited, organic growers can usually sow conventionally grown seed as long as the seed has not been treated with any type of fungicides, visible by a bright neon colorant. See our Seed Packs and Bulk Seeds for more offerings. |
| When is the best time to start my vegetable seeds? | | Most seed packets contain the appropriate information for starting seeds. If the information is not clear, first determine whether the vegetable you are starting is a cool or warm season vegetable. Cool season vegetables are those which grow in spring and fall (and mild summer and mild winter areas) like broccoli, radishes, spinach, etc. Warm season vegetables are those that are frost sensitive and can only grow in the heat of summer like tomatoes and melons. The minimum soil temperature required for cool season vegetables is usually about 40°F, with some like lettuce needing only a minimum of 35°F. Warm season vegetables germinate best at soil temperatures above 60°F. For more specific information on starting and growing vegetables, see Knotts Handbook for Vegetable Growers or Just the Facts. |
| How do I know what irrigation system to use? | | The first consideration in designing an irrigation system is the layout of your landscape. Poly tubing and Aquapore can snake through established plantings whereas T-tape can only be used in straight lines. Poly tubing enables you to direct water to specific areas while Aquapore and T-tape emit water along the entire line. All of these products can be used together with the proper connectors. Each page of the Watering section in our catalog shows the parts needed with the specific type of tubing, or go to the Drip Irrigation section of our catalog. The topography of your landscape will also determine what irrigation system to use because Aquapore and T-tape need to be used on relatively level terrain otherwise most of the water will end up at the bottom of the slope with little irrigation at the top. |
| When do I turn under my cover crop and how long do I need to wait afterwards until I can plant? | | Full bloom or early seedpod formation is the optimum time to turn in a cover crop in order to receive the maximum amount of nitrogen. By turning in your cover crop while it is still green and lush, you are maximizing the total nitrogen. Once you mow the cover crop, try not to let it sit out in the sun too long, otherwise you will lose nitrogen to the atmosphere. The amount of time needed for a cover crop to breakdown in the soil depends upon soil temperatures and soil biology. Turning a cover crop into the soil in the middle of summer may only take 1-2 weeks to breakdown, depending on the particle size and soil microbial activity. Turning a cover crop into cooler soil will increase the needed breakdown time to 4 weeks or more. See Bulk Seeds for our cover crop products. |
| How do I use a soilblocker? | | Once you have chosen your soil mix, which can range from your own homemade soil mix to a coco peat-based mixture such as Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply's Quickroot soilless potting mix, it is best to wet the mixture before making blocks. Depending upon the moisture level of the mix, the average ratio should be 1 part water to 3 parts mix. After wetting the soil mixture, push the blocker into the soil mix several times until the blocker chambers are completely filled. Scrape the blocker across the bottom to remove excess soil and depress the plunger to eject the blocks into a tray or container. Dip the blocker into water if it gets too gummed up and thoroughly clean it after you are through making blocks. See the Growing section of our catalog. |
| Which potting soil should I use and for what purposes? | | Potting soils are formulated with specific ingredients for particular uses and are best for indoor containers. Soilless potting mixes, such as Quickroot, are formulated for starting seeds as they diminish the possibility of seedlings damping off, a devastating disease to young seedlings. Quickroot is mainly used for short-term seed propagation, otherwise liquid fertilizers should be sprayed on plants weekly. Use Planting compost for short-term container growing or for amending the soil for planting. Coco peat also has multiple uses as a seed-starting medium and for landscaping purposes. See a list of our soil mix products under Plant Starting and Propagating. |
| How often do I foliar feed my plants? | Foliar feeding mainly addresses the immediate nutrient needs of your growing crop or enhances fertilization for optimum production. In general, growers will foliar spray 6-8 times per crop while other growers may spray weekly. A minimum of 3 sprays per crop is recommended. Foliar spraying can also be conducted during stressful times, or timed to enhance crops during critical growing points like at flowering, fruiting or seed formation. For more information on foliar feeding see Fertilizing Organically.
Fertilizers that are appropriate for foliar feeding are marked with a  symbol in the Fertilizer section of our catalog. |
| How deeply do I plant seeds? | | As a general rule, seeds should be planted to a depth equal to 2-3 times the width of the seed. However, some seeds are large and tend to migrate to the soil surface and need to be planted a little deeper. The New Seed Starters Handbook provides guidelines for planting many seed varieties. Most seed packets also contain the appropriate planting depth for each variety of seed. |
| How do I choose a cover crop? | | The first step in choosing a cover crop is to determine what results you want to obtain from your planting. Cover crops can be annual or perennial. If you want a permanent cover you would choose a perennial cover crop. If you were planting a cover crop only to receive benefits for the next crop season, you would choose an annual. If you need Nitrogen, then a legume or legume mix would be your choice. You also need to consider how soon you may be planting your crop and choose a cover crop based upon the days to maturity. The time of the year is also a consideration as there are warm and cool season cover crops. See the Bulk Seeds section in our main catalog for a more detailed description of cover crop seeds. Also see Feed the Soil, Managing Cover Crops Profitably or Cover Cropping in Vineyards for more details on cover crops. Link to the UC SAREP www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/ccrop cover crop database that has extensive information on many different kinds of cover crops. |
| How do I use inoculants? | | For legumes, you will need to purchase the proper rhizobacteria inoculant to enhance Nitrogen fixation. Rhizobacteria do exist naturally in the soil, but not in sufficient amounts to maximize nitrogen fixation. To inoculate your seed, simply place your seed in a mixing container, moisten the seed slightly with milk or water, add the inoculant and mix thoroughly. The seed will turn black when coated. Inoculate seed just prior to planting. See our Reference Library article Inoculate your legumes for more information. |
| What is the shelf life of your products? | | This commonly asked question is difficult to answer since we sell so many products, in excess of 2,000! However, there are some general comments that can be made. Powdered products such as fertilizers can usually be stored indefinitely if stored out of the sun and extreme temperatures. Liquid fertilizers have a shelf life of approximately 1-2 years if stored under the same conditions. Some products such as grasshopper bait, liquid Bts (bacillus thuringiensis) and other biological products can have shorter expiration dates. In most cases, indication of a limited shelf can be found on the label. Refrigeration can lengthen the shelf life of some of the more perishable products. |
| How do I store garden seeds? | | Most seeds will last an average of 3-4 years if stored in a cool, dark place, between 40°-50°F, at low humidity. Some seeds such as cantaloupe, watermelon and cucumber seeds can last up to 5 years whereas seeds such as onions and sweet corn may store as little as 1 year. Germination usually declines with time so you may want to sow old seeds thickly. Seeds should be stored in a moisture-proof, sealed container. For more information on seeds, see Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth. |
| How do I know what type of rowcover to choose? | | Generally speaking, rowcovers can either be heavy plastics or floating polypropylene fabrics. Heavier plastics need supports to avoid crushing plants and generate higher daytime and nighttime temperatures. Floating rowcovers may be laid directly over crops or used on supports and provide insect protection as well as some degree of frost protection, depending on their thickness. Floating rowcovers come in different weights, which provide varying degrees of frost protection. They are permeable to water, sprays and air so removal is generally not necessary. See Rowcovers - Which one? for more information. |
| What is the difference between the fertilizer injectors you | | We offer four types of Liquid Fertilizer Injecting Equipment, ranging from garden to farm size. The simplest mixer to use is the Brass Siphon Mixer. This unit is used in garden situations when using a garden hose but cannot be used with drip irrigation. A siphon tube takes the liquid fertilizer from a bucket and draws it into your hose line at a 16 to 1 ratio. The Add-It Fertigator is also for home and garden use but is installed into an irrigation system and is used for either drip or sprinkler systems. It is also set at a predetermined ratio, depending on the size of the unit. The Young Mixer-Proportioner is for small to medium sized market gardeners who need a sturdy and flexible injector. The rate of injection can be chosen from between 1:30 to 1:200. It is also used with a garden hose. The Mazzei Injector needs to be permanently installed into an irrigation system requiring installation expertise but otherwise is easy to use. It works using pressure differential to create suction and draw the fertilizer solution out of a container. The injection rate depends upon the pressure and flow rates. |
| What is the difference between the mulches you offer? | | For weed control, maintaining moisture and creating warmth, Mulch Materials work wonders! Mulches are derived from vegetative materials, such as cocoa bean hulls, hay, wool, etc. or are made from different grades of plastics. We offer both types. For natural mulches, we sell Cocoa Bean Hulls, which smell like chocolate. We also offer many types of plastic mulches. One mil plastic is usually used for one crop season and then discarded. We sell either a black poly mulching film that is mainly for weed control and IRT green plastic which offers weed control and increases soil temperatures. For mulching permanent orchards or perennial gardens, consider the Sunbelt Weed Fabric, which lasts 8-12 years. It is mainly used for weed control, allowing water to permeate through the woven plastic. Many orchardists use it around their trees for permanent weed control. |
| How does kelp work for frost protection? | | Spraying foliage with kelp extracts will increase the mineral content of the leaves, reducing the water in the leaf's cells, thus providing a few degrees of frost protection. To obtain the full effect from kelp, spray your plants weekly, for a few weeks prior to the first expected frost. See Kelp for more information on choosing kelps. |
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