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Posted by admin to Blogging, lifestyle, nurseryperson on 2008-03-25, 06:05:26

I was asked today, does this blog help my business? I don’t know. It has morphed far beyond what I might have originally envisioned. We have a web page that we like to think of as our virtual store front. This is where you go to sign up for our e-news, learn about plants, or [...]

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Posted by admin to The Foothills, independent, lifestyle, retail on 2008-02-18, 18:45:23

I am interested in Don mentioning in the last post that bare root sales are strong this year for his nursery, and that Dave Wilson Nursery, the wholesale supplier for much of the fruit trees we retail nurseries in nor. Cal. sell, is showing an upswing in sales. Also Melinda, who works at a well established nursery, also sells a lot of bare root.

We are located at 2000′ elevation compared to Dons or Melinda’s locations which are close to sea level. That means we are about three weeks behind in the march toward spring. That may mean are in for an up-tick in bare root sales as we get closer to what most people associate with planting time.

Having been in business for only four years at our current site, we may be getting a false impression of bare root sales potential. I do know that fewer garden centers are carrying bare root. On a trip today Monica and I visited Bushnell’s Nursery in Granite Bay, High Hand Nursery in Newcastle, and The Flower Mill Nursery in Loomis. None had bare root for sale! High Hand doesn’t sell fruit trees, The Flower Mill was selling fruit trees in pots planted last year, and Bushnell’s had a few fruit trees in fiber pots, none bare root. This may explain why people drive to Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis!

I suppose its like anything. The amount of enthusiasm we put into a venture the more we get out of it. I don’t intend on giving up on fruit tree sales as they do sell well for us in spring as potted plants. Being that we are a mountain nursery its harder for people to get enthused about gardening as early as the folks in the valley, where today the quince and flowering plums we’re blooming.

Thanks Melinda for finding my blog “excellent”! Knowing that people actually read what I write is quite a thrill.

 

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Posted by admin to independent, lifestyle, retail on 2008-02-17, 08:28:47

We had a great weekend with weather in the high 60’s and clear skies. People are starting to come in and check things out. Surprisingly shrubs and trees we’re high on the list for people, while the bare root fruit trees just sit there. I think that bare root is a dying aspect of our business. I wish it wasn’t so, but people just don’t seem to understand the concept of bare root. It seem most people are more interested in buying fruit trees in the spring and that means they are containerized. We potted up half of our bare root right off this year. Maybe next year we will pot up even more. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself though as we often have a last minute rush to buy the bare root in early spring, by which time they have started to leaf out.

People are interested in fruit tree gardening. They just don’t want to deal with it in the winter, so it’s up to us to make sure we have the fruit trees when they want them, in spring. I think thats the hardest part for us in the business, changing our habits to coincide with the customers new habits. I think interest in gardening is there, its just not following the patterns of the past. We can sit around until we are blue in the face shouting the praises of lower prices and better selection of bare root, but it doesn’t make a difference if people just don’t understand bare root.

I think the death of bare root came about when we started to see fruit trees packaged in plastic bags at the chain stores. You can pick up the tree, take it home and deal with it in a couple of days. If you buy true bare root you have to “heal the roots in” right away. “Heal it in”, whats that? Besides we have to pull them out of the bin for you, while the packaged trees can be picked up self-service by the customer. It’s clear that bare root season for us is a declining season, as far as sales.

As a customer do you know about, or care about bare root? As a retailer do you find bare roots sales declining or growing? If they are growing, what are you doing? Are you selling more container grown fruit trees as opposed to bare root? I am not sure the decline in bare root sales for us is a bad thing, as long as we can make it up with the trees we have “canned up” for spring sales.

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Posted by admin to independent, lifestyle, retail on 2008-02-10, 08:21:42

While we haven’t gone completely organic, but over 90% of our fertilizers our. My largest organic line is E.B. Stone Organics. All the fertilizer in the picture are organic. What I like about these fertilizers, besides being organic is the addition of Humic Acids and soil microbes including mycorrhizal fungi. We have been recommending mycorrhizal fungi be added to the soil for years. These fungi are part of the web of life in the soil that is often missing from soil that has been disturbed, (digging, tilling, grading).

Our best seller in the organic line is Sure Start. In an attempt to keep it simple, in the beginning we always recommend the addition of Sure Start at planting time with supplemental feedings with the All-Purpose. The E.B. Stone line also has specialty foods like Azalea-Camellia food or Tomato and Vegetable food which are also popular. The Tomato Vegetable food is great for those trying organic food gardening. We like the Fish Emulsion too, since it also has Kelp Meal added which seems to make a difference.

You’ll see that we do not carry any Miracle-Gro. We decided a while ago to stay away from the easily identifiable products sold by the chain stores. The other reason is Miracle-gro in our area seems to cause tomatoes to grow, but delay the blooming and fruiting. This is quite common as we have lots of customers who come in early summer complaining about the lack of fruiting. “Sure the plants grow great , but…” Nine time out of ten they are feeding with nitrogen rich Miracle-gro. We switch them to our organic Tomato and vegetable food which solves that problem. I love it since it shows that we are different with ideas that work.

I would imagine that there are some customers who choose not to buy the organics based on price or lack of name recognition. After a couple of years of carrying the organics most now know what we offer and either jump on the organic bandwagon or still head to the box for what they know. I will say however that being known as the place to find organics is a great thing. If you have been thinking about switching some of your fertilizer lines to organic I don’t think you will be sorry. Its hard at first when you get the confused look some people get when you tell them you don’t have Miracle-gro. Nothing like seeing someone leave without purchasing, but it takes time to get the word out. Once the word is out those looking for that lifestyle choice will find you and others will learn why organic fertilizers are actually better than synthetics.

 

 

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Posted by admin to Controversy, lifestyle on 2008-02-06, 13:33:12

Make of this what you will, but scientists in New Zealand and Japan have created a “tear free” onion. Yes, its weird, and reminds me just how quickly the world is changing.

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Posted by admin to Blogging, lifestyle on 2008-01-30, 15:58:55

From the comments I received at the last post it would appear that we are all ready for the idea that vegetable and fruit growing will be on the rise. Genie mentioned that the resurgence in vegetable gardening may be partly because we “have the Food Network to thank for some of this. People are learning how to cook better, and therefore want better ingredients, and a lot of that is because they’re being exposed to cooking in a way they hadn’t ever before.” I think Genie is correct. I have always found the Food Network a source of interesting programming and have spent time watching Emeril, Bobby Flay, and the rest. I think however that the real action is on the Internet. Lets face it, we are a voyeuristic society and find it fun to see what our neighbors are up to. That’s why I think its more fun to see what Genie or Melinda have cooked up. People want to be a part of a community, and its a lot easier to be a part of a food bloggers community than Bobby Flays.

I noticed that Melinda is involved in a “dark days of winter” food challenge. Here are the rules, “eat 90% local for every meal, an average of 50% from the garden. If we can’t get something local, we’ll purchase bulk and organic from a local supplier. Coffee, tea, spices and sugar will be organic, sustainable harvested and fair trade whenever possible. (There are some exceptions for traveling when we do.)” What I take away from this is her enthusiasm for the challenge. Its not a drag to do these things, but fun!It’s a challenge and its fun to see if you can do it. Gardening and eating local can be fun? Who would have guessed.

Here is why I think this stuff will lead to a growth in vegetable and fruit gardening. We’re talking about it! People are talking and sharing. Its so much easier to comment at a garden/food blog than at HGTV. Sure they accept e-mail but do you really think Emeril is going to write back? Community is built by a back and forth between community members. That back and forth is easily facilitated by blogging. This acts as a magnet for other people who feel the same way. Its starting to happen. Like Top Veg said “It is interesting to see how everything is coming together - to bring the increased interest in gardening. It is certainly happening in the UK.” It’s happening here, too.

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Posted by admin to backyards, lifestyle on 2008-01-28, 07:47:03

What with the concern over the younger generations seeming lack of interest in gardening this prediction would seem out of the blue, but I think vegetable and fruit gardening is going to become quite fashionable over the upcoming years. Vegetable gardening would seem the obvious area of interest in gardening for most people, including the younger generations. It’s will just take the right series of circumstances for it to go viral.

The interest in organic food would seem to indicate that organic is likely to go mainstream, if it hasn’t already. The next step from buying organic would be growing organic. In the not so distant future it will be a source of pride to have a dinner party with organically grown food from the garden. What with the interest in eating local food, you can’t get any more local than that. “Those delicious squash we’re organically grown, BY ME!”

So you have two big trends that will work toward the resurgence of vegetable gardening, the organic movement and the “buy and eat local” movement. There is another movement, the “slow food movement”, which advocates eating our meals slower and savoring the flavors of the food and enjoying the company of friends. Its more about the process than the end result, food in our stomachs. In addition to the slow food movement there is the whole eating healthier movement which means eating more fruit and vegetables. As people realize that home grown tastes better they will have more reason to grow their own since you can extract he greatest flavor from home grown.

There is also the self-sufficiency idea of vegetable gardening which is quite empowering once experienced. “I can grow my own food” is a big draw for many people who feel they have lost the ability to fend for themselves. It empowers. I am not talking survivalist thinking but more like someone that installs solar panels so they don’t feel be-holden to the utilities. Its liberating.

From the interest in growing vegetables will flow an interest in gardening in general. Once people realize that they can change the world by growing their own food they will gain an interest in landscaping the yard. They will find that by planting this or growing that they can impact peoples emotions. It will become fashionable to have areas in the garden that are designed to affect how we feel and react. Meditation areas, inspiration areas, energy areas, calming areas, play areas, romantic areas, etc.

I feel we are on the verge of a whole new renaissance in growing our own food. Not just for survival, but for the aesthetic, social and physiological benefits that growing our own food organically brings. When it’s all said and done, it will be the outstanding flavor and pride that comes with growing your own that will really get people on the bandwagon. Until you have tasted the difference between a home grown tomato and store bought one you wont understand.

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Posted by admin to The Big Boys, lifestyle, retail on 2008-01-25, 15:57:49

This is interesting yet not un-expected. Langeveld Bulb Co has filed for bankruptcy protection. Check out this quote, “many insiders are speculating that the closing is mostly the result of declining sales of bulbs, which are less popular with younger consumers, who want instant results in the garden.”

Yep, it’s those dang generation X and Y folks that are to blame. It appears that these two generational demographics are almost entirely responsible for the decline in our industry. It’s becoming fashionable for closing businesses to blame the younger generation. After all the older generations still support the garden industry, NOT!

I have noticed a decline in interest in bulbs for a number of years and it’s not just the younger generation. It’s also “Baby Boomers” who have other things to do with their time. It also explains the decline in bare root sales that I have been noticing over the years. Both bulbs and bare root are available in the winter when lots of folks just don’t get out in the garden anymore. Hey, if they want bulbs or fruit trees they figure we should have them in spring when they are doing their shopping.

I think the industry is so caught up in trying to appeal to Gen X and Y they are missing the big picture. Generation X and Y want to garden just as much or little as the other generations. They are the up and coming home owners who with a patch of ground want to see what they can grow on it. Most of the boomer generation is just as fickle with its gardening and would just as soon be skiing or traveling to warmer climates.

I think we need to quit trying to appeal to particular generations. Try instead appealing to people who are interested in gardening regardless of age. What with Urban Outfitters entering the gardening market we are all standing around just waiting to see the magic that they posses with these younger generations. It’s like we have to completely rethink gardening to appeal to these people. I like what the comments at the end of this post said. Don said this, “I read a lot of analysis about what “Gen X” and “Gen Y” wants, and I find a lot of it pretty patronizing.” I think a lot of generation X and Y think it’s a bit patronizing.

When all is said and done I think the decline in bulb sales is a result of all generations having a lot more that they can do with their time. It’s the big companies that have the most to loose since so much of their sales depend on a larger percentage of each generation buying their products. Let Home Depot, Hines Nurseries, and Scotts’ worry about this stuff. They pay people to worry. The smaller nursery can fine tune its message to gardeners of all ages. I only need 10% of each generation to find gardening interesting and jump in. Yes, it’s good to be small.

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Posted by admin to backyards, lifestyle on 2008-01-16, 09:32:34

So consumer spending on pesticide is going to grow by 4.8% to 1.7 billion by 2011. At first blush this sounds like we are going backward when it comes to sustainability. What the study doesn’t seem to reflect, or I couldn’t find is what type of pesticides we are talking about. I would assume this includes all pesticides including organic and synthetic. I would like to know if organics are a big portion of this increase or are we talking about more Scotts synthetic products for the lawn? My guess it is probably a combination of the two types.

Billy Goodnick over at Garden Wise Guy has figured out the secret! If you want to increase your web site traffic nothing like a little sex to help. He says his post “Have they no shame?Erotica on the streets of Santa Barbara.” increased traffic five times! As soon as I read the headline I made a beeline over to his site since Monica and I had just returned from that fair city. I thought maybe Billy had been snooping around the motel or something. No, it was a case or “hort-erotica” concerning a fig and a Canary Island date palm that have “embraced” right on the streets for everyone to see.

Billy as well as the rest of us that have blogging for a little while know that if you put a sexy title on a post its bound to get more traffic. I like it! Gardening is all about being sexy. Just about everything we do in the garden is about helping our plants in their reproductive urges. We wouldn’t be eating if it wasn’t for the birds and the bees and the plants frolicking in the garden. Somewhere along the line, I would guess Victorian times, gardening became something of a prudish pursuit in the eyes of many. We may not feel sexy while digging in the ground, or pulling weeds but thats our own fault. It’s perception. I say bring back the sexy allure of gardening and watch interest grow.

You might think I am being tongue and check about this subject but I believe the secret to getting more people involved in gardening is through sex appeal. We are already hearing about how good gardening is for weight control and overall health but what about its mental benefits, which would naturally include ours and the gardens sex lives. Nothing like the sound of buzzing bees and tomato plants with big, plump, juicy fruit to set the scene. We’re talking about more than just the visual cues that some plants might give, but the more subtle sexuality of the garden. The fragrance of a freshly cut musk melon enjoyed in the garden, while the sound of buzzing bees and bird calls fill the air. The feel of the warm sun on our bodies (naked or not), and the knowledge that growing our own delicious healthful fruit will only make us feel better about our selves, but the world too. Now that’s sexy!

P.S. I think the sexier gardening is the less likely you are to use synthetic pesticides. Synthetic pesticides are about the end result, while organic and natural products are more about the “process”, and the end result. I use all natural products in the garden. The garden and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Posted by admin to lifestyle on 2008-01-15, 10:30:38

This might be old news to you but I found this interesting. George Harrison, the quiet Beetle said this about the music business in the late 1990’s. “I’m really quite simple. I don’t want to be in the business full time because I’m a gardener. I plant flowers and watch them grow. I don’t go out to clubs and partying. I stay at home and watch the river flow.”

Here was a man who had all the money and fame a person could possibly want, and he would still rather be known as a “gardener”. Interesting.