Growing Good

Winter Garden Prep with Farmer Steph

Now is the time to save seeds, cover crops with row cover and begin to bring your plants inside. Farmer Steph will get you excited and prepared for all the fall garden fun that is ahead of us for October. You can save money while you revive your soil with your fall bounty of leaves. Cover your fall crops to avoid frost. Bring those herds inside and repot them for holiday gift giving and harvest your seeds for next spring! Check in next week when we found out how Farmer Steph's dog "tractor" gets along with her new "hug" bunny!

Frey Group Soils History and Products with Dustin Frey

Dustin Frey shares a brief history of Frey Group, LLC. Our hardworking family with roots in farming, logging, and timber, began offering the material’s by-product, bulk hardwood, as mulch in the 1980’s. Now we offer several different bagged bark mulches, gardening soils, and custom growing mixes for both the general consumer as well as the professional greenhouse/nursery grower. Dustin gives you a quick lesson on each of our product lines: Frey’s, Twin Oaks, and Four Corners, plus a line of professional greenhouse/nursery mixes from Frey Group Customer Professional can be found at independent garden centers retailers and nurseries throughout the mid-atlantic, northeast, southeast and mid-west regions of the United States. We invite you to share the history and enthusiasm for the future as we continue to develop and refine our products and services.

Organic Gardening with Felicia Newman

Coast of Maine's Director of Operations, Felicia Newman talks with Cameron Bonsey about Coast of Maine's, Tomato & Vegetable Planting Soil, Planting Soil for Roses and Flowers and Planting Soil for Acid-Loving Plants. You will learn what goes in to making each soil from sourcing raw materials to blending and mixing. As well as the PH, texture and biological diversity that will help you choose the best soil for your planting needs. As an added bonus you will get listen to a conversation between friends who really care about Coast of Maine Brands, helping gardeners and supporting local retailers.

Coastal Cannabis Cultivators with Krishna Gandi

Coast of Maine's VP of Marketing Cameron Bonsey interviews Krishna Gandi of Coastal Cultivars. Coastal Cultivars is one of Massachusetts’ largest outdoor cannabis farms. Their licensed, 14+ acre cultivation is based in the agriculture-rich community of Wareham, MA, along Buzzards Bay. This spring they purchased enough Stonington Blend Grower's Mix to grow 3,400 plants in 50 gallon containers. Harvesting has begun and initial testing has produced amazing results. The first strains will be in retail locations in October. https://www.coastalcultivars.com/ https://www.number9collection.com

Fall Herb Transplanting with Farmer Steph

Fall is the best season!!
Many plants are just coming into their own. These plants get better with the cold. Transplant herbs like cilantro, basil, rosemary and thyme. Add organic matter like leaves to your garden. When pumpkin season is over don't through them in the trash! Cut them up and compost them and throw the pieces around your yard.

Soil Care in September with Farmer Steph

September is for soil care! Feed your soil, feed your soul! Farmer Steph gives us a bunch of gardening enthusiasm while she also teaches us about moving and planting perennials, gently dealing with deer and pollinators feeding on your plants and setting up your soil and mulch plan.

Stonington Grower’s Mix Customer Testimonial

@frosty_smoke tells Cameron his journey of growing his own medicinal cannabis for a medical issue. In doing his own research for the best, most complete and healthiest soil he discovered Stonington Blend Grower's Mix. Six years later he is still growing beautiful, high yield, tasty terpene and strong THC medicine that he can trust. When he started, he simply followed the recommendations and had success. With each grow he continues to learn. He loves checking on his plants each day. With the flavor, cost savings and personal pride in growing he will never use another soil.

Compost and Fertilizers Tips for Fall Garden Care with Farmer Steph

Farmer Steph let's us know that September is for soil care. Your plants can use a good feed rich now. Add compost and organic fertilizer like Stonington Plant Food, fish bone meal and kelp. Do a thorough weeding. There is so much growing season left. Harvest consistently. The kids will want to harvest as the veggies are ready to eat. Start canning and preserving. You can find recipes and videos at farmtotablekids.org Don't worry about making a mistake! Have fun and be consistent. Donate extra harvest to your local food banks and your neighbors. Happy gardening!

Fall Hardy Gardening with Farmer Steph

In this episode Farmer Steph describes choosing cold hardy seeds for a fall crop, saving seeds for next year and "cut and come again" flowers. The fall growing season is perfect for lettuce, spinach, watermelon radish and carrots. The ground is warm so seeds can be planted directly in the ground. As back to school season starts and the days get shorter and cooler kids attention is drawn even deeper into the reemergence of the garden where they can share the harvest with neighbors and local food banks. Cut and come again flowers like asters, snaps dragons, strawflowers, zinnias, cosmos and dahlia will also continue to bloom and bring a sense of pleasure and calm. Collecting and saving seeds is a great activity that kids love. It will save you money while deepening you child's understanding of nature.

Heavy Rain Garden Impact with Farmer Steph

We just had a wonderful and needed two days of rain in Maine. Father Steph gives us advice on the impact on the garden vegetables. This will especially impact melons, tomatoes and cucumbers. They can crack so harvest them ASAP if the do. This time of year always harvest before and after rain . Store tomatoes shoulder down. You can harvest them at the first sign of their natural color and let them ripen inside. It is also a good time to harvest and dry straw flowers. Pest like horn worms, leaf hoppers and japanese beetles can be an issue. Use your morning walk to simply pick them off by hand. This is usually enough to control them. Heathy plants will resist pests. A liquid foliar spray like Coast of Maine's liquid squid with help as will amending the soil. You can begin to plant fall crops like brassicas, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, beans and watermelon radish. Donate your extras to a local food pantry. You can also round you the neighborhood kids and do a garden drive. It will feed your soul as you help to feed others.