HELPFUL RESOURCES
Our Contribution
To Your Organic Lifestyle
Roses – amending soil with oyster shell.
Recently received an email from a customer that was inquiring about amending the soil for her roses with oyster shell. Here is my reply (looking for other thoughts here): "Yes, Oyster Shell Flour (or crushed oyster shell) adds calcium and helps raise soil pH. ...
Biochar Q&A
Question: How many square feet of bed space will a one cubic foot bag of biochar cover? Answer: 10 to 20 square feet would be about right.
Lady Bugs – Tips for a Successful Release of these Beneficial Insects
Keep the lady bugs refrigerated until dusk (they are less likely to fly away). Mix the packet of beneficial insect food with 1 pint water (even better if water is non-chlorinated...you can let tap water stand for a while and the chlorine...
Walt’s top 10 Gifts for Gardeners (all under $20!)
Get your favorite gardener something they will really use this year. Walt’s Rainy Pacific North West Blend Organic Fertilizer: Give their garden a boost with this 7-4-9 all-purpose organic fertilizer. Great for veggies and ornamentals a like. If your gardener is a...
Walt’s top 5 Natural Nitrogen Soil Conditioners for the Garden
(In no particular Order) Fish Meal: We’ve all heard the story of Squanto teaching the Pilgrims how to grow maize with Fish. Fish meal keeps with that tradition. A great slow release fertilizer best added early in the season. Fish Meal will help your young plants get...
Cation Exchange Capacity: What is it and why is it important?
This is a complicated subject, and we don’t claim to be experts, but here is a quick and dirty explanation. A soil's ability to react with positively charged molecules is called it's cation exchange capacity (CEC). The higher the CEC, the higher the negative charge of...
Ag Lime, Dolomite, Gypsum, Oyster Shell…What Kind of Calcium Do You Need?
There is a lot more that could be written on this topic, but here are the quick and dirty differences between calcium sources for your soil. Agricultural Lime: Calcium carbonate – CaC03 Pure calcium carbonate is used to help prevent the spread of various diseases,...
Why Use Organic Fertilizer On My Lawn?
This is a question that comes up a fair amount here at Walt's. 'Why use organic fertilizer on my lawn (or any ornamental for that matter). I'm not eating the grass so it doesn't really matter right?' Not exactly. organic fertilizer acts like a key to unlock...
Garlic 101
Garlic is a member of the genus allium, making it a relative of leeks, onions and shallots. It is one of the oldest cultivated crops, and it makes everything taste better! When to Plant This naturally depends on your location. In Seattle garlic is typically planted...
Covercrop 101
What is cover crop or green manure and why use them? Cover crops can: Protect your soil from runoff and erosion Recycle and supply nutrients Replace soil organic matter Suppress weeds Attract beneficial insects Break up compacted soils When...
