FoxFarm Blog

Be Good To Your Worms

You’ve learned how to manage your annuals and perennials.  You’re on top of irrigation.  You’re at peace with your bugs.  But what about your worms? What have you done for them lately?

Earthworms do more than plough the soil.  They also devour harmful, disease-causing bacteria, encourage beneficial microbes to flourish, and help deliver nutrients to the root zone.  Earthworm castings are extraordinarily high in helpful bacteria and fungi that attach to plant roots, transforming nutrients into a form that’s easier for them to use and expanding the effective root area.

Earthworms prefer a damp, rich soil. Adding organic matter—compost, aged manure, mulch, and organic fertilizers—will give them something to munch on while they’re keeping your plants healthy.

If you till or double-dig your garden, you’ll discourage earthworms. They like undisturbed soil.  Instead, try smothering weeds with newspaper or cardboard, piling compost, mulch, dried leaves, grass clippings, and aged manure on top, and letting that settle for a few months.  Then plant right into it.  No digging required!

Fill unused beds with cover crops like fava, vetch, and rye.  Earthworms are attracted to the roots, and the crops make a great “green manure.”  The roots help hold soil in place during heavy rains, and in spring, you can cut the crops down or pull them out and add them right to your compost pile.

Avoid harsh chemicals like high-nitrogen lawn fertilizers or any chemical designed to kill nematodes and grubs.  They’ll also hurt earthworm populations.  For natural, healthy lawns, we’re partial to our Peace of Mind Premium Lawn Organic Fertilizer.  It works.

Mind Over Bug

Here at FoxFarm, we believe that your best weapon against pest infestation is your own brain.  Broad-spectrum bug sprays kill the good bugs along with the bad, and they don’t do anything for the health of your garden, either.  Instead, we recommend:

Plant a diverse mixture of flowers and shrubs, and be sure to include some plants that produce tiny clusters of flowers, like alyssum or Queen Anne’s lace.  They attract beneficial insects that will attack garden pests.

Fertilize and water your plants to keep them healthy. Pests tend to attack weak plants.

Know your bugs.  If you’re not sure what’s attacking your plants, try to put a specimen (including an example of the kind of plant damage you’re seeing) in a plastic bag and take it to the nursery for identification.  There’s probably a safe and easy remedy, but it’s important to know the type of insect first.

Pull up infested plants, or cut off infested areas, and put them in a plastic bag in the garbage.  Never add infested plants to your compost pile.

If you’re sure you’re dealing with a soft-bodied pest like aphid or whitefly, try our safe, natural insect spray, Don’t Bug Me.

Most important:  Tolerate a little insect damage.  Seriously.  Relax.

Coastal Gardens

There’s nothing more beautiful than a seaside garden wrapped in fog.  But coastal gardeners know that those cool, foggy days can lead to mildew and fungal diseases in the garden.  To keep your seaside garden healthy, we remind you to feed your plants.  Poor soil and salt air can stress plants, but a little extra food helps them thrive. 

For vegetables, conifers, and acid-loving plants, try our time release Marine Cuisine fertilizer, which is made with sea-based ingredients like fish meal for longer-lasting nutrition.

Flowering trees and shrubs and roses prefer our American Pride, which contains alfalfa meal and other ingredients to promote brilliant, long-lasting blooms.

And if you’re looking for a 100% organic option, try our Peace of Mind fertilizers.

Most importantly, choose plants that are adapted to your location. Here in coastal California, we find that heathers, junipers, phlomis, and euphorbia do well, as do ornamental grasses.  Mix in natives for a relaxed, natural look.

Savoring the Harvest

We are reaping the rewards of the season right now.  We eat all the fresh vegetables we can—they are powerhouses of nutrition—but we like to save some for winter, too. If you’re not into canning and preserving, try these ideas for storing food from the garden:

Berries:  Put unwashed berries (the fuzz keeps them fresh) on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Place them in the freezer until they’re frozen, then pop them in a plastic bag.  When you’re ready to use them, just rinse them in a colander and enjoy.

Tomatoes:  Drop tomatoes in boiling water for just a minute—long enough for the skin to separate from the fruit.  Pull them out with a slotted spoon and rub gently to remove the skin.  Drop them in a freezer bag and pull them out this winter for stews and sauces.

Peppers:  Roast whole peppers on the barbeque or over a gas burner until skins are charred.  Drop them in a paper bag and seal it tightly—the steam will loosen the skins.  Then rub them with a paper towel to remove most of the blackened skin, and freeze in plastic bags.

Apples, onions, potatoes, and winter squash:  All of these can be stored in a cool, dark place.  Wrap them in clean newsprint or dry rice straw, stack them gently in wooden crates or cardboard boxes, and store them in a root cellar or other cool, dark, well-ventilated place.  Check often for signs of mildew.  Most crops will keep until Thanksgiving and beyond.

Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, summer squash, and other “eat it now” produce:  If you’ve got more produce than you can use, consider donating your surplus to a local food bank.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are a real treat for the families they serve.