"New this year, we will have a space at The Regional Market. Stop in and see Lisa. She will be bringing organic gardening solutions and can answer your gardening questions. Also, new plants from the garden center will be featured and bounce-back coupons given away for purchases at our store location.
Now redeeming the Ballantyne Bucks you earned this Spring. Stop in today and redeem your Ballantyhe Bucks for up to 50% off your purchase of regularly priced items. Ballantyne Bucks are redeemable for any cash and carry purchases in our store except gift cards and already discounted items. We can't wait to see you again. There are new exciting plants in the nursery to choose from, so stop in today!
We’ve increased our Organic Solutions line of products. We have new fertilizers and insect and disease solutions. Did you have Late Blight on Tomatoes last year? Start treating early to help prevent the disease this year! Slugs? We’ve got what it takes to beat them. Problems with aphids? How about Lady Bugs? Yep, we have them too.
The biggest trend we have seen in the last couple of years is toward growing in raised bed gardens. There are lots of reasons for growing in raised beds, see the article below. We have a great new product made from recycled plastic. It is sturdy, clean, and easy to install. Have your raised bed veggie garden ready to plant by lunch time. Just the right size at 4’x4’ this garden can be expanded to bigger size, like 4’x8’ and can also be stacked. Buy the trellis kit that goes with it for growing peas, tomatoes, beans and more. All parts are compatible and snap together with a power drill and hammer.
Going Organic is a way of life.
A new set of catch phrases has emerged with the recent movement toward “green” living. It is now hip to be “Going Green”. Environmental sustainability, recycling, reusing, and reducing are the words of the day. With luck, this time it will stick. These ideas are not new. I am sure some of us remember that American Indian shedding tears on the banks of a polluted waterway? That old public service commercial, urging us not to pollute, rings truer today than ever.
In the gardening world the big deal is going organic. In this modern day filled with fungicides, herbicides and insecticides organics seem like a complicated and new fangled idea. On the contrary, prior to the dawning of DDT, organics were the only way to garden. It is still possible to find a person today who could speak firsthand about an ancient way of life, where recycling meant using the horse manure in the vegetable garden. It was a time when good crop management practices kept garden pests at a minimum. Chickens in the garden fed on tomato hornworms and cabbage loopers. Nothing was wasted. Even egg shells and coffee grounds were reused as compost.
Organic principles are a way of life. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Start a compost pile. There are many different ways to compost, there is one to suit every kind of gardener. Even if you don’t garden, your compost might be a valuable gift to a neighbor or family member. Compost is a valuable and important source of fertilizer and soil amendment.
- Walk your yard and garden every day. Take a few minutes each day to do an inspection. Many pest and disease problems can be nipped in the bud without pesticides if they are identified early. Get down at plant level and pay attention. It’s good for both you and your plants.
- Learn the difference between good bugs and bad bugs. It is never a good idea to just kill every bug you see. You could be wiping out a predatory insect that is working on your side. Know your enemy; you will be a more effective general.
- Choose your plants and their placement wisely. Perhaps the simplest idea yet is to put the right plant in the right place. Gardening and landscaping with plants suitable for your conditions will prevent a great deal of problems. Try working with Mother Nature, not against her.
- Think about children and pets. Don’t apply anything to your yard, lawn, or garden that you wouldn’t want your kids or pets to come in contact with. Carefully weigh your priorities and look for less toxic solutions to your yard and garden needs. There is almost always a cleaner, greener, healthier way.
Lisa Ballantyne
Owner-Ballantyne Gardens
Horticulturist
Member-Garden Writers Association
Past President-CNY Nursery and Landscape Association
Master Gardener
