Author: Joanna Dansby

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The kids are going to be out of school soon if they aren’t already.  Let’s get your yard ready so that all you must do is get out there and play in it!

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The Lawn

Your grass is going to grow quite a bit during rainy season.  You can help get it ready with aeration and fertilization.

There are a few ways to aerate your lawn; there are machines that you can rent that run much like a lawn mower, there are special attachments for your shoes if you want to include a little cardio with your aeration and, for some yards it might make sense to just use a pitch fork and make your holes. Your goal is to get a few inches down into the soil so that water and nutrients can make their way down to the roots of your lawn.

Next, get all the thatch cleaned up so it doesn’t clog up your newly punched holes. Lay down some slow release fertilizer (check out Landscapergain or Gardengain!) and let the summer rain and heat do the rest.  Be prepared to mow more frequently as these conditions are perfect for growth.

TIP:  It’s important to protect the health of your grass when you mow.  Most cultivars stay stress free at 3-4 inches tall.  Set your mower to the appropriate height to maintain that length.  Cutting the grass shorter than that may stress out the roots which will leave your lawn looking brown and tired.

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The Landscape

This is also a great time to prune your trees and shrubs; and for those of us in hurricane prone areas, this is always recommended to prevent missiles in a storm! Semiannual pruning promotes growth and health. Look for the dead and bug or disease damaged limbs and branches and clear them off.

TIP: If you have any concerns about trimming too much or the healthiest way to trim your special trees or bushes check in with your local Extension office and share your concerns, they have horticulturists standing by to help because they love your garden as much as they love their own!

The Pests

While you are pruning, be on the lookout for pests that might try to make a summertime snack out of your favorite plants.  You can remove large bugs by hand and use a garden hose to spray back some smaller clusters.

TIP: Check out the link below for all-natural pest help!

http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/garden-pests/

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Relax, It’s Time to Play!

Now that the hard stuff is done, put your beautiful lawn to use with these fun ideas:

1) Start a garden with the kids get some things in the ground that you can enjoy in the fall

Squashes, Corn, Melons, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, and Peppers are just some of the veggies that love the hot summer air

2) Build a bird bath

3) Pull out that kiddie pool and build a sandbox.  Let those little monsters get super dirty.  Go on your know you want to make a mud pie with them!

4) Get those kiddos to play tag, you got that grass looking good, now play in it!

Check out the websites below for some great ideas on how easy it is to get started on some of these ideas:

https://www.housebeautiful.com/room-decorating/outdoor-ideas/g853/outdoor-room-design-ideas/

https://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/choosing-which-vegetables-to-grow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTIuh1SonQA

https://activeforlife.com/transform-the-game-of-tag/

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It’s that time of year, the air is a little crisper, the days are shorter, and you can almost smell the pumpkin pies and balsam everywhere you go! It’s hard not to get excited when those familiar signs appear. But, for some of us it means stress is right around the corner. I was one of those folks for a long time. Today I want to share some of my story in hopes that you, dear reader, may feel a little happier to see the signs and little less frazzled.

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My story began in my early twenties. I was a new wife and mother and thousands of miles from home. My mother was an AMAZING hostess and I wanted to be as great as she was. My husband was a enlisted man in the Army and I thought, I’ll treat all these young, unattached men living in the barracks, no family and far from home, to a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I’d helped my mother so many times I was certain I wouldn’t have any trouble. I’ll spare the details, but, let’s just say that my certainty was soon replaced with reality. And though those young men didn’t have a much better option, I don’t think they were prepared to wait until way past bedtime to eat some dry turkey and lumpy gravy!

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Now, I’ll confess that I have improved my hostess skills a bit over the years, but not a single party comes together for me without days (or weeks) of anxiety. Or I should say “used to” come together”. Over the years I have had to accept that perfection isn’t for humans and if someone loves you they won’t mind if your potatoes are a little bumpy and you may not make the best housekeeper and cook and Mom and do your job all at the same time!

My message is this: It is all about how you look at it at, and who you spend your time with. The first thing you can do to help alleviate your stress is remember that your loved ones appreciate everything you do, and will love you even if you only serve 3 side dishes instead of 5. And for goodness sake ask them to help whenever you can. It’s so much fun to share the work and the special time together. Lastly, give yourself a fighting chance. Start each day or week with a list, delegate what you can and wake up each day forgiving yourself if you didn’t get it ALL done yesterday, and being grateful you have this new day to keep plugging away at it. Get outside, take a walk, the weather is gorgeous, breath in the fresh air and clear your mind. Eat right (when you aren’t at a party, wink wink) and get plenty of sleep. You can’t take care if anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself.

Until next time, take care!

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It is Pumpkin Month! No, really! Just ask all the folks at their favorite coffee shop… ”PSL, anyone?”  If we’re being honest, I am guilty too. Who doesn’t love the smell of Pumpkin treats and drinks?  It means the holidays are here and all the goodness that comes with them.

But do you know how these delectable orange gourds came to be? Pumpkins originated in the early Americas. Historians located seeds of similar plants in Mexico dating all the way back to 5,500 B.C.! Love for pumpkins has bloomed, and they are now grown on 6 of the 7 continents!

What about those Fall traditions? I won’t make it through November without a slice of pumpkin pie! Colonists are believed to be the original pumpkin pie bakers – the top of the pumpkin was cut off, seeds removed, and then milk, spices and honey were poured into the gourd. They were baked in smoldering embers from dying fires.

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We can’t forget Halloween, either. The first Jack-O-Lanterns were made not with pumpkins, but with turnips and potatoes!  The Jack-O-Lantern was used to scare off bad spirits in Ireland during the Celtic Holiday Samhain (the festival of the dead or Summer’s end).  When the Irish settled in America they discovered the pumpkin and that is when it became a Halloween tradition.

Not only are they good for scaring off evil spirits, they are good for your health too.  Serving for serving Pumpkins have more fiber than Kale, and more potassium than bananas!  Pumpkins are a great source of Vitamin A and B and they are lower in fat and calories than sweet potatoes.

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Now that you have all these fun facts, I am sure you want to grow some yourself!  Save your seeds.  You can begin planting in April or May after the last frost, and up until Mid June. They grow a little faster in warmer climates so if you are down south you can plant them as late as July to make the Halloween rush! They take somewhere between 90-120 days to grow. Once the seeds have germinated select a few of the best sprouts and thin the rest out. They need plenty of room to grow, so give each plant a minimum of 20 square feet to stretch out.  We recommend a quick draining soil and our Grow & Gain 10-10-5 liquid for weekly feedings.  Pumpkins are heavy feeders so you want keep them fed for optimum growth!

I hope this encourages you to start your own pumpkin patch next year, happy planting!

Take Care!

Joanna

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It’s been a great summer so far! Today I want to speak to all of you who might be worried about the condition of your back yard. Here at BGI we are continually looking for ways to help our customers get more out of their gardens and by extension their outdoor spaces. So much so that we started caring for our neighbors lawns here in our hometown, Cape Coral, Florida.  BGI Services Division was developed because not everyone wants to grow a garden, but almost everyone wants a yard they can be proud of without having to spend all year working on it!

It will take take a little time getting there, but if you stick with it I promise it will be worth it! The most important step in your lawn care journey will be a soil test.  As we have discussed in previous posts, whether it’s your plants or your grass, plant health starts with healthy soil.

 

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Why is a soil test so important?   PH levels determine which nutrients can be utilized by your plants or grass and a soil test will tell you what your PH is. Some nutrients cannot be utilized at higher levels and some cannot be utilized at lower levels, meaning your plants won’t get all they need just some. Don’t worry if you PH isn’t a perfect 6.0-6.5, there are solutions for low or high PH levels.

Once you know what you are working with you should have your yard aerated. ( We recommend twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring.) This will loosen the thatch that builds up and prevents water and nutrients from getting down into your soil.

The next items are about your lawn care, you will find a consensus on these tips everywhere you look. These common mistakes put your lawn in recovery mode and make it very hard for your lawn to thrive.

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1. Don’t mow your grass too short, each grass type varies a little bit, but most like to be somewhere between 3 and 4 inches tall. If the grass is very tall only remove 1/3 of the height at a time so the grass has time to recover from the trauma.
2. Don’t overwater. Summer is known for rain, most lawns won’t need more than 1 inch per week.. We shared a story recently about communities that post the weekly rainfall for their residents. These communities used less municipal water because they could see that their yards already received the water required for good health.
3. Don’t forget to fertilize! This one is important, but not for the reason that you might think. A lot of homeowners rely on companies who use poison to eliminate weeds and pests. Wait What? YES if it t ends in “–icide”, it has one job, killing something. These kinds of treatments are harmful to the environment, and dangerous for your children and pets. The most important thing to know is that if your lawn is healthy and stress-free you won’t have weeds or pests to kill.

It may take a year to get your yard your in perfect shape, but once you get there a little maintenance, some careful cutting and conservative watering will keep you in the GREEN for years to come!

Until next time!

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In my role as GM I share in the successes and failures of my co-workers daily.  I see each challenge as an “opportunity” to grow.  I spread joy by seeing the gift in the smallest achievements and helping our employees to do the same.  I have the incredible fortune to help create beauty every day. I can’t think of a better way to participate in the world around us. I work every day to find new ways to make this a reality for all of our current and potential customers. Ultimately a beautiful flower or a delicious meal from your garden made bigger brighter or healthier by one of our products is how we spread joy. I wake excited every day to go to work so a customer can go to their back yard gain peace by connecting with nature, or a gardener can pick luscious fruits and vegetables to nourish their family.

It is with deepest appreciation and honor that I thank each and every one of you for your faith in our products and our mission. My wish for you all is that you forget yesterday, as it already in the past. Don’t worry about tomorrow, it hasn’t happened yet. Show your GRATITUDE for today, you received a precious gift.

Take Care!

Joanna

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