When it gets this warm so early in March our customers always start calling the garden center and asking, "when are the pansies coming"? Well the answer is the same each year, the end of March.
So with a couple weeks still to go what can we do now to get ready? The answer is simple. Prep time!
During these warm days if you can take the time clean out your garden beds and clear them of any debris or winter protection you can start by the gardening season by adding a fresh layer of compost.
This year at our garden center we have two great products to use on in garden beds. One is New England's most popular compost, Coast of Maine's Lobster Compost and the second is a relatively new product called Sweet Peet.
I've used them both in my garden and am very happy with them both.
Quoddy Blend Lobster Compost
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Quoddy Blend is made from composted crab, lobster and aspen bark. The crab and lobster shells are a rich source of calcium and chitin, the aspen bark a source of tannins and lignins. It's a blend that's perfect for your vegetable garden, especially for your tomatoes! The calcium content is beneficial for lilacs and roses too.
We have named this blend for Passamaquoddy Bay, or "Quoddy" for short. The bay marks Maine's easternmost border with Canada and its deep, nutrient-rich waters, protected inlets, strong tides and currents make it ideal for salmon farming.
Quoddy Blend is available in 1 cubic foot bags.
Sweet Peet® is the premium mulch for flower and vegetable gardens. Sweet Peet® buffers both acid and alkaline (low and High pH) soils by helping to maintain the desired gardening Sweet Spot. During its formulation, Sweet Peet® goes through a thermal stage where weeds and weed seeds are destroyed, preventing contamination in your garden.
When tilled in at the end of each season, Sweet Peet® enriches the soil, improves tilth, encourages beneficial earthworms and replenishes microbes that are often destroyed by harsh chemicals and acid rain.
Like most mulches, Sweet Peet® suppresses weeds by smothering the soil. But Sweet Peet does more it is produced to optimize the naturally occurring cat-ion exchange which creates an undesirable growing medium for weeds.
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Enriches the Soil
The all natural, organic ingredients of Sweet Peet® allows air and water movement through the soil. It increases soil fertility through the slow, natural breakdown of organic matter into essential plant nutrients.
Improves Tilth
Applying Sweet Peet® adds moisture retentative properties to the root zone and gives structural support for plants, while providing a medium for root growth and soil organisms.
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Encourages Natural Growth
Sweet Peet® buffers both acid and alkaline (low and High pH) soils by helping to maintain the desired gardening Sweet Spot. It helps neutralize both acidity and alkalinity in the soil, nurturing the feeder roots of garden plants and encouraging natural growth.
Protects Against Chemicals
Sweet Peet® buffers the effects of acid rain. Sweet Peet® encourages beneficial earthworms and replenishes microbes that are often destroyed by harsh chemicals and acid rain.
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My husband bought Sweet Peet to put in our raised bed vegetable garden, without any soil. Do you think this is a good idea?
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