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HARDGOODS

	Black Gold.  Improve your soil and fertilize your plants with Great Brook Farm’s composted cow manure. Composted for over a year, and ready to use now. Bags of approximately 40 lb sold by volume, not weight. (Our volunteers will help you load bags into your car) $6/bag
	Compost Bins Made in MA from recycled soda bottles.  Bins are sturdy, lightweight and assemble without tools, 24 cubic ft capacity, adjustable to different widths.   A cone shaped aerator top and bottom speed up the composting and keeps out animals.    $65
	Neptune’s Harvest Hydrolyzed Fish Fertilizer          Organic fertilizer made in MA from fresh North Atlantic fish. Processed to retain vitamins, enzymes, hormones and micronutrients, low odor formula. Concentrate; use 1-2 T per gallon of water. 16oz concentrate        $11
	Fertilizer Tablets.  12-12-12  10 gram slow release tablets supply major nutrients needed by establishing plants for up to two years. Use 1 tablet at planting for all seedlings and transplants, 2 for plants 6” and larger, and 1 tablet per halfinch diameter for trees. 15 tablets/$5
	Kitchen Scrap Buckets   Put these on your kitchen counter to collect kitchen waste for your compost pile! Composting is easy and provides nutrients and soil conditioner for your garden. These buckets have a tight fitting lid and oval shape for easy scraping of dishes.                                          $11
	SkyJuice Rain Barrel                                                 Our 60 gallon rain barrels are made from refurbished food grade barrels and feature a removable lid, overflow outlet, and spigot for hose attachment. Your garden (no chlorine!) and wallet will thank you! $85
	Choice Perennial Raffle Tickets            5/$5 Purchase our raffle tickets (5/$5) for a chance to win an assortment of eight unusual perennials (not offered elsewhere in this brochure) for both sun and shade, in 3"-4" pots. One of our volunteers will draw the winner's name the day before the sale, and the winner will find their plants included with their order!

Fertilizers for the home gardener - what's N-P-K?

The success of most plants depends on the soil in which it is grown as well as the light situation, watering etc. Determining the general soil conditions is important when choosing plants for any situation. Simple soil tests can be performed with home test kits or through the University of Massachusetts Soil Testing Laboratory (visit their website by clicking on this link : "http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/").

pH, or the acidity of the soil is one of the most important and easy to change characteristics that the home gardener should address. Most Massachusetts soils are acidic and need the addition of ground limestone to decrease the acid level for best plant growth.

The three nutrients most needed by plants are: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). In general N is used for the top vegetative growth of plants and excess nitrogen can inhibit flowering and fruiting. P encourages root growth, flowering and fruiting. K is needed for general plant health and disease resistance.

Most fertilizers use a percentage of these three macronutrients (listed as ratios such as 10-20-10 or 5-5-5 to symbolize the amount of N-P-K included). 10-5-10 means that there is 10% nitrogen, 5% Phosphorous and 10% Potassium, all supplied in a form usable to plants. In a 100 pound bag, there would be 10 pounds each of N and K, 5 pounds of P and 75 pounds of filler. Choose a fertilizer that best encourages the part of the plant you wish to emphasize or use a balanced formula (10-10-10).

In addition to the macronutrients, all plants require small amounts of many micronutrients (such as calcium, magnesium, boron etc) so the addition of an organic fertilizer which includes those is most beneficial. Of course, homemade compost or composted manures such as our Black Gold usually supply many of the necessary nutrients for excellent plant growth, as well as benefiting the soil in structure and water holding capacity.

Much more detail is available at: "http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/" as well as information about how to have your soil tested to determine exactly which nutrients should be added and in what quantities.

For more information on Horticopia who generously provided some of the plant photos, visit http://www.horticopia.com

(Note: Clicking on the Horticopia link will leave this site)