Wow! That was an impressive snowstorm, even if it did arrive several days later than predicted. We know how hard many of us have had to work to clear paths through it. And we hope everyone stayed safe, warm, healthy, and well-fed throughout. Colorado has been experiencing a long-term regional drought, so this addition to our mountain snowpack couldn’t be more welcome. Just think what a difference all this snow can make for Colorado’s farmers, many of whom have seen their ditch water allotments disappear in early July for the past several years.
Gardeners will be chomping at the bit to prepare the ground for growing this year’s bounty, but please don’t dig in too soon –if you work the soil while it’s very wet, especially clay-based soil, you can do substantial damage to the soil structure and make it very difficult to work with in the future. You’ll need to restrain yourself until your garden soil is friable (crumbly) – somewhat moist, but not wet enough to press into a ball that stays intact.
In the meantime, you can stock up on soil amendments to improve your soil’s fertility and structure. Mikl carefully researches, chooses, and tests our soil products, always seeking the most effective organic composts, soil conditioners, fertilizers, mulches, and potting mixes. And this year we are excited to offer some excellent new products, included in the descriptions here. Not everything is here yet, but they’ll all be rolling in soon!
Very Special Products to Benefit Your Soil Life and Your Plant Life
POTTING SOILS
from PAONIA SOIL CO: NEW!
The Bomb: We cringe at the name, but we love the product! Using their own biodynamic compost, coir, peat, minerals, worm castings, kelp, molasses, feather meal, fishbone meal, humate, natural potash and over 20,000 species of microorganisms.
Raised Bed Mix: The Bomb with nonGMO rice hulls instead of perlite. Very rich and long lasting.
Dynamic Dressing: their biodynamic compost, scientifically balanced carbon to nitrogen, higher NPK than other composts, strong fungal balance, 20,000 diverse species; we use this in our compost tea.
FORT VEE: Compost based, peat, rockdust, blood meal, kelp, bone meal, gypsum, vermiculite, biodynamic preps; Proven locally at Kilt Farm for seed germination and transplanting of seedlings and potting up house plants.
OCEAN FOREST POTTING SOIL: their top grade with kelp meal, bat guano, crab, and fish: nutrient rich: performed well. Great for Container Gardening.
COCO LOCO POTTING SOIL: made from Coco fiber instead of peat, looks good, it performs well. Great for Container Gardening.
COMPOSTS
A-1 ECOGROW: locally made from landscape and beer wastes, locally proven over many years.
EKO COMPOST: made locally from egg farm chicken manure and wood wastes, locally proven many years.
DAIRY COW: from low salt local Dairy Cow manure and bedding, locally proven many years.
ORGANIC MUSHROOM COMPOST: from a local organic mushroom farm. Premium food for soil life and wonderful in vegetable gardens, helps to loosen heavy soils and improve aeration and porosity.
LAWN TOPDRESSING: a fine grade of local Eko Compost, ideal to topdress lawns following aeration and fertilizer; gets food and water holding capacity to roots; great to apply to perennials too.
EXPANDED SHALE: a shale product that is mined and fired just south of Boulder to create a porous, light “gravel” that holds both water and air and creates optimal housing for microorganisms. Aids in water penetration of tight clay soils (a Real clay buster).
BIOCHAR: made from beetle-kill pine; high carbon soil amendment retains water and nutrients, high surface: great habitat for microorganisms, increases soil fertility and soil health. Only a small percentage needed for value.
FERTILIZERS
CORN GLUTEN: A non-toxic, weed-and-feed with 9% nitrogen. It inhibits seed germination, but is harmless to plants with root systems, people, worms, and microorganisms. The effect can last up to 6 months and is especially useful in lawns.
“Applied in September / October, and again in late February / March it will prevent the majority of existing weed seeds from germinating. By doing this every year, you can virtually eliminate your weed problem.”
Kelly Grummons : Timberline Gardens, July 2010
SOIL FERTILITY MIX: Harlequin’s own blend of certified organic fertilizer, humate, rock minerals, dry molasses, land: sourced coral calcium and mycorrhizae. Great for veggie gardens and all plants.
YUM YUM MIX: 2-2-2 Vegan/Organic fertilizer for alkaline, nutrient-poor Western soils, feeds plants/microbes. Made from alfalfa, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, rock dust, green sand, humate. Great for fertilizing native plants and many xeriscape plants, especially with rocky Mountain Minerals (below).
RICHLAWN 5-3-2 organic: made in Platteville from poultry manure and wood wastes. Excellent for shrubs and trees and is recommended for raspberries and other small fruits. Economical and is effective for fertilizing lawns.
ALPHA ONE FERTILIZER: locally made 7-2-2. An alfalfa-based product with a high organic matter content, very high humic acid value, low pH for Colorado alkaline soils, and is non-burning. It also contains blood meal, cottonseed meal and bone meal. Excellent for vegetable gardens, lawns, and flowering shrubs.
BIOSOL: 6-1-1 OMRI certified organic fertilizer that is composed of 90% fungal biomass, made from organic soybean meal, organic cottonseed meal, sucrose, lactose and trace minerals; holds water and stimulates soil life; without salt, non: burning, weed-free, pH 6.5-7.5; Vegan. Lowest salt index of all organic fertilizers.
BIOSOL FORTE: 7-2-1 same ingredients as 6-1-1 but not certified organic.
MILE-HI ROSE FEED: locally formulated specifically for Colorado soils, mostly organic, contains 12 essential nutrients and trace minerals for roses, adds organic matter, supports microorganisms. We’ve been using this for 22 years at the Boulder-Dushanbe Tea House with great results.
ROCKY MT. MINERALS: high calcium mineral supplement from Salida, CO; improves yield, stem strength, fruit quality and nutrient density of foods, in general improves health of plants. Good availability.
HUMATE: this is a mined carbon concentrate that multiplies microorganisms and has the effect of making nutrients in the soil available. We have been using this for years in our potting mixes and gardens.
HARLEQUIN’S COMPOST TEA: enriches soil, prevents disease, supports and inoculates soil life, increases plant growth and flowering. We make our own from Biodynamic Compost. Local fertility – Try it!
MULCH, MYCORRHIZAE & MORE
FINE WOODCHIP MULCH: mats tightly to prevent blowing by the wind, and lets less light get to weed seeds, has more nutritive potential than cedar or redwood, decomposes rapidly against the ground.
SOIL PEP: partially composted fine bark mulch, dark and beautiful, ideal for rose gardens, shrubs and perennials, premium quality for front entrances and high visibility.
SQUEEGEE: fine gravel for rock garden plants, cacti and plants needing a dry crown. Like organic mulches, it helps to retain moisture in the soil, good seed bed for self-sowing plants.
BIG FOOT MYCORRHIZAE: combines 4 species of mycorrhizae with biochar, worm castings, seaweed, and rock minerals to provide a strong population of plant allies to bring water and nutrients. NEW!
ENDO MYCORRHIZAE: water-soluble symbiotic fungus, inoculate roots to bring water and nutrients; aids in establishing plants, enhances growth and health; highly recommended; easy to use powder. Use during planting and transplanting.
MYKE VEGETABLE AND HERB: aids seed germination, plant growth/development, reduces watering. Perfect to sprinkle in bottoms of seed furrows.
BIODYNAMIC COMPOST STARTER: speeds decomposition, adds nitrogen bacteria, helps make humus, improves mineral availability; for compost piles, manure, leaves; 55 microorganisms.
BIODYNAMIC FIELD AND GARDEN SPRAY: speeds the breakdown of cover crops or sheet mulch; planting can be 2- 3 weeks after spraying and turning under, 55 microorganisms.
Not a Soil Product, but a GREAT PRODUCT:
SOLAR CAPS: Season extending device that is a big improvement over “Wall-o-Water”. Sturdy wire frames are covered with a water-filled lining, they don’t blow over, light transmission is excellent. They can be left on all season to keep the soil warm at night, which is very beneficial for tomatoes and peppers. We planted a tomato in one on April 11, the first fruits were ripe July 15. See our step-by-step demo!