The other day I picked up a horticulture publication and read that Wal Mart has joined the retailers that will begin selling “organic” grown fruits and vegetables. Of all the many trends I’m seeing in today’s culture, this is one that I am definitely interested in. The forces in our industry have been moving in the direction of a modified organic program. It appears to be very promising.
The program I’m referring to is “Circle of Life”. It is an inspiration of two men at the Ball Seed Company, Francis Kwong and Greg Trakka, with the blessings of Ball CEO Anna Ball. Essentially the program is designed as a realistic way for greenhouse growers to produce crops in a more earth and consumer friendly way. We at Edwards have been fortunate to become one of the founding businesses to help develop this program.
So what is “Circle of Life”? It’s an organized way in which to grow plants with organic based fertilizer. Our company will be using Daniels Professional Plant Food. It is a seed extract that contains all of the essential nutrients. It promotes beneficial microbial growth and will be used in conjunction with compost tea, which we are brewing on site. The program also includes the use of a more thoughtful approach to minimizing disease and insects. It begins with a thorough, weekly observation of crops . Any suspects are rogued out, disposed of and proper biological controls are used. The environments around the greenhouses are weed free and when possible, integrated pest management is used. This Spring we had great success with lady bugs used to control peach leaf aphids.
We have several biologicals available. BioWorks has products designed as preventatives and prevention is the most efficient and economical way of handling disease and insects. Many of these products are also effective with light to moderate infestations. The products are also plant based and very safe around animals and humans.
Another problem we are working on is moving in the direction of a more “green container”. This desire came as a result of one afternoon on the recycle pile… This job, although very important, is highly time consuming and very boring. For me it was all quite aggravating. This is supposed to be an environmentally sensitive industry and yet we consume and dispose of millions of pounds of plastic yearly. Plastic needs petroleum for its production… Understand where I’m going with this? Anyway, we have had the opportunity to work with some alternative to the plastic. Some have bombed … the chicken feather pots smelled and the Misanthinus Grass was to slow to biocompose. Now we are working with a rice pot that is guaranteed to decompose in 8-12 weeks in a compost pile. Also, the new Elle pots show promise. The covering is a spun fabric. The soil is stuffed in like a sausage and cut to a prescribed length. The pot is inserted into the ground after the seedlings are about 4 weeks old. The pot interfaces well with the ground soil and there is little problem with wicking. So …this is the beginning of what I hope will be a move toward a more responsible approach to growing. Although, we aren’t Wal Mart by any stretch of the imagination, we are as concerned about our environment.
Join us in this grand experiment and by the way, Happy Earth Day!
NOTES FROM THE BUTTE
Our Retail shed is sporting a vibrant display of color in new pottery and mosaic stepping stones. To our existing inventory, we have added numerous varieties of flowering and shade trees; as well as potted and bare root fruit trees. Several new herbs, including thymes and lavenders, combine with a larger selection of I gallon perennials to create a delightful gardening palette. Please come join us for plants, dirt, compost, pottery aching muscles and sunburn. Hours : Monday through Saturday 9 AM - 6 PM
Sunday 10AM - 4PM 2424 W Idaho Blvd. Emmett 365-2834 |
