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#1
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Towards a more organic garden (etc.)
I'm not a granola-type person, but I do have to say that after 2 and a
half years as a homeowner, I'm much more sensitive to the environment around me. I've removed tons of boring old shrubs and planted things that are interesting to me (a mix of fragrant and fruiting plants), and many of these things attract birds and insects of an amazing variety. It's incredible to be able to look out at the yard (or be out in it) and see these creatures going about their business...and it feels wrong to be spraying all kinds of better-living-through-chemistry mess indiscriminately all over the place. I'm not condemning anybody, please note, I'm talking about me here. You all do what you want, hear? That being said, I'm in the market for things that are less destructive to the balance of life out there. I have a few hybrid tea roses (why, I don't know...I should just give up), and I'm determined to find a source for Rose Defense, preferably locally. I'll order it from the manufacturer if I have to, but I'm surprised I can't find any around here. If you don't know what it is, it's a spray made from Neem seeds, which supposedly has both insecticidal and fungicidal qualities, and has been used in India for thousands of years for all kinds of uses beyond these. By the same people is a product called Vegetable Defense, also made from Neem. I asked about these, as well as diatomaceous earth (non-toxic and made from diatom skeletons, which are somewhere near microscopic size and practically shred slugs and other soft-bodied things as they slide over the powder you sprinkle around) at Buchanan's yesterday, and I might as well have been speaking Greek. I did mention to the very nice lady there that there seemed to be a wave of interest in this kind of stuff, and she just kept nodding and smiling. Whatever! I guess I'll just stick with the farmer's market and Big Bloomers from now on for my non-shrub needs (OK, wants!)...better selection and lower prices, anyway. I do think somebody around here needs to pick up the ball when it comes to organic gardening supplies. I'd like to support a Raleigh business like Buchanan's, so I guess that's why I'm disappointed in the response I got. |
#2
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Towards a more organic garden (etc.)
I can't help you with Raleigh but you might try Stone Brothers & Byrd in
Durham: http://stonebrothers.com They do have some organic products and they are reluctant to overuse chemicals. I brought my troubled Gardenia clippings in last week and they were very helpful in diagnosing the problem and discouraged a chemical remedy. I think any other place would have sent me home with a number of chemicals that would not have necessarily helped. For online resources you can try Planet Natural: http://www.planetnatural.com/ and Seeds of Change http://www.seedsofchange.com (in the Garden Tools section) They might have what you are looking for. We live on the Falls Lake watershed and we have a well for our water so we end up drinking what we put into our immediate environment. So we try to keep things as organic as possible with our gardening. Good luck, Robert "Brian" wrote in message ... I'm not a granola-type person, but I do have to say that after 2 and a half years as a homeowner, I'm much more sensitive to the environment around me. I've removed tons of boring old shrubs and planted things that are interesting to me (a mix of fragrant and fruiting plants), and many of these things attract birds and insects of an amazing variety. It's incredible to be able to look out at the yard (or be out in it) and see these creatures going about their business...and it feels wrong to be spraying all kinds of better-living-through-chemistry mess indiscriminately all over the place. I'm not condemning anybody, please note, I'm talking about me here. You all do what you want, hear? That being said, I'm in the market for things that are less destructive to the balance of life out there. I have a few hybrid tea roses (why, I don't know...I should just give up), and I'm determined to find a source for Rose Defense, preferably locally. I'll order it from the manufacturer if I have to, but I'm surprised I can't find any around here. If you don't know what it is, it's a spray made from Neem seeds, which supposedly has both insecticidal and fungicidal qualities, and has been used in India for thousands of years for all kinds of uses beyond these. By the same people is a product called Vegetable Defense, also made from Neem. I asked about these, as well as diatomaceous earth (non-toxic and made from diatom skeletons, which are somewhere near microscopic size and practically shred slugs and other soft-bodied things as they slide over the powder you sprinkle around) at Buchanan's yesterday, and I might as well have been speaking Greek. I did mention to the very nice lady there that there seemed to be a wave of interest in this kind of stuff, and she just kept nodding and smiling. Whatever! I guess I'll just stick with the farmer's market and Big Bloomers from now on for my non-shrub needs (OK, wants!)...better selection and lower prices, anyway. I do think somebody around here needs to pick up the ball when it comes to organic gardening supplies. I'd like to support a Raleigh business like Buchanan's, so I guess that's why I'm disappointed in the response I got. |
#3
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Towards a more organic garden (etc.)
I can't help you with Raleigh but you might try Stone Brothers & Byrd in
Durham: http://stonebrothers.com They do have some organic products and they are reluctant to overuse chemicals. I brought my troubled Gardenia clippings in last week and they were very helpful in diagnosing the problem and discouraged a chemical remedy. I think any other place would have sent me home with a number of chemicals that would not have necessarily helped. For online resources you can try Planet Natural: http://www.planetnatural.com/ and Seeds of Change http://www.seedsofchange.com (in the Garden Tools section) They might have what you are looking for. We live on the Falls Lake watershed and we have a well for our water so we end up drinking what we put into our immediate environment. So we try to keep things as organic as possible with our gardening. Good luck, Robert "Brian" wrote in message ... I'm not a granola-type person, but I do have to say that after 2 and a half years as a homeowner, I'm much more sensitive to the environment around me. I've removed tons of boring old shrubs and planted things that are interesting to me (a mix of fragrant and fruiting plants), and many of these things attract birds and insects of an amazing variety. It's incredible to be able to look out at the yard (or be out in it) and see these creatures going about their business...and it feels wrong to be spraying all kinds of better-living-through-chemistry mess indiscriminately all over the place. I'm not condemning anybody, please note, I'm talking about me here. You all do what you want, hear? That being said, I'm in the market for things that are less destructive to the balance of life out there. I have a few hybrid tea roses (why, I don't know...I should just give up), and I'm determined to find a source for Rose Defense, preferably locally. I'll order it from the manufacturer if I have to, but I'm surprised I can't find any around here. If you don't know what it is, it's a spray made from Neem seeds, which supposedly has both insecticidal and fungicidal qualities, and has been used in India for thousands of years for all kinds of uses beyond these. By the same people is a product called Vegetable Defense, also made from Neem. I asked about these, as well as diatomaceous earth (non-toxic and made from diatom skeletons, which are somewhere near microscopic size and practically shred slugs and other soft-bodied things as they slide over the powder you sprinkle around) at Buchanan's yesterday, and I might as well have been speaking Greek. I did mention to the very nice lady there that there seemed to be a wave of interest in this kind of stuff, and she just kept nodding and smiling. Whatever! I guess I'll just stick with the farmer's market and Big Bloomers from now on for my non-shrub needs (OK, wants!)...better selection and lower prices, anyway. I do think somebody around here needs to pick up the ball when it comes to organic gardening supplies. I'd like to support a Raleigh business like Buchanan's, so I guess that's why I'm disappointed in the response I got. |
#4
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Towards a more organic garden (etc.)
In article .net,
Robert wrote: I can't help you with Raleigh but you might try Stone Brothers & Byrd in Durham: http://stonebrothers.com They do have some organic products and they are reluctant to overuse chemicals. I brought my troubled Gardenia clippings in last week and they were very helpful in diagnosing the problem and discouraged a chemical remedy. I think any other place would have sent me home with a number of chemicals that would not have necessarily helped. Hey, thank you for the reply...I'll check those sources out further. I meant to reply to your gardenia post...I have a Chuck Hayes out front, and it's got some crispy brown leaves in various places on it. I wait until after the last bit of cold (this coming week, maybe?) and then cut these places off and around April 15th, hit them with some HollyTone and they are good to go. In my experience, it's a very hardy cultivar of gardenia, and these brown leaves aren't a big deal. We live on the Falls Lake watershed and we have a well for our water so we end up drinking what we put into our immediate environment. So we try to keep things as organic as possible with our gardening. I'm glad to see somebody else feels the same! |
#5
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Towards a more organic garden (etc.)
In article .net,
Robert wrote: I can't help you with Raleigh but you might try Stone Brothers & Byrd in Durham: http://stonebrothers.com They do have some organic products and they are reluctant to overuse chemicals. I brought my troubled Gardenia clippings in last week and they were very helpful in diagnosing the problem and discouraged a chemical remedy. I think any other place would have sent me home with a number of chemicals that would not have necessarily helped. Hey, thank you for the reply...I'll check those sources out further. I meant to reply to your gardenia post...I have a Chuck Hayes out front, and it's got some crispy brown leaves in various places on it. I wait until after the last bit of cold (this coming week, maybe?) and then cut these places off and around April 15th, hit them with some HollyTone and they are good to go. In my experience, it's a very hardy cultivar of gardenia, and these brown leaves aren't a big deal. We live on the Falls Lake watershed and we have a well for our water so we end up drinking what we put into our immediate environment. So we try to keep things as organic as possible with our gardening. I'm glad to see somebody else feels the same! |
#6
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Towards a more organic garden (etc.)
In article , Brian
wrote: I asked about these, as well as diatomaceous earth (non-toxic and made from diatom skeletons, which are somewhere near microscopic size and practically shred slugs and other soft-bodied things as they slide over the powder you sprinkle around) at Buchanan's yesterday, and I might as well have been speaking Greek. I did mention to the very nice lady there that there seemed to be a wave of interest in this kind of stuff, and she just kept nodding and smiling. Whatever! Buchanan's (Western Blvd) is usually quite good. I suggest you ask one of the older experienced guys that work there, they're usually somewhere out in the nursery area. If you went into the office, you might have gotten someone who serves more as a checkout clerk. Logan Trading Company near Peace College is another likely source. It's my understanding that diatomataceous earth is often used in swimming pool filters (big ones), so you might see if a pool supply has it. Rising Soon Pools about another half-mile towards Cary on Western Blvd is a possible candidate. -- Steve Holzworth "Do not attribute to poor spelling That which is actually poor typing..." Senior Systems Developer - me SAS Institute - Cary, N.C. - Open Systems R&D UNIX/VMS/MAC |
#7
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Towards a more organic garden (etc.)
In article , Steve Holzworth
wrote: It's my understanding that diatomataceous earth is often used in swimming pool filters (big ones), so you might see if a pool supply has it. Rising Soon Pools about another half-mile towards Cary on Western That would be Rising SUN Pools... Blvd is a possible candidate. -- Steve Holzworth "Do not attribute to poor spelling That which is actually poor typing..." Senior Systems Developer - me SAS Institute - Cary, N.C. - Open Systems R&D UNIX/VMS/MAC |
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