1. What is in it?
Here is a list of our composts and soil amendments.
Topsoil
Screened Topsoil
Forest Loam
A blend of Sand, Silt, Mulch & Topsoil
Gard-N-Grow
Aged Sawdust & Composted Manure
Topsoil Plus
50% Topsoil, Aged Sawdust & Composted Manure (AKA Gard-N-Grow)
Chet's Mix
Aged Sawdust, Old Fine Bark, Composted Manure & Pumice
Super Chet's Mix
25% Topsoil, Aged Sawdust, Old Fine Bark, Composted Manure & Pumice (AKA: Chet's Mix)
Compost
Leaves, Grass Clippings, Prunings, Brush & Fruit
(Also available with manure)
Compost Plus
Manure Compost & Forest Loam (topsoil, sand, silt, mulch blend)
Compost Plus with Pumice
Manure Compost, Pumice & Forest Loam (topsoil, sand, silt, mulch blend)
Cascade Nursery Mix
Deco Bark, Aged Sawdust and Pumice
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2. I have heard that there are some plants that work well together and some that don't. Is there a chart that I can use?
A: Wikipedia has a great list that also details which insects are good & bad and which plants attract or repel them. See List of companion plants
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3. What zone are we in here in Southern Oregon?
A: Zone 7B Pacific Northwest (according to the National Gardening Association)
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4. I remember a time when your business was called Hilton Fuel. What did you sell then and do you still sell that product?
A: We sold, and still sell, hog fuel (the ground up remains of pallets, construction scrap and other wood waste). Our emphasis has changed over the years so that we now offer an extensive line of landscaping and garden products and supplies.
(note: hog fuel does not go into any of our garden soil blends.)
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5. I consider myself an organic gardener. What products do you sell that support organic gardening?
A: A very wide variety of products, including OMRI Listed Compost, Worm Castings, CoCo Fibers, Perlite, Kelp Meal, Feather Meal and Mycorrhizae. We also have a large sellection of products from Bonide that are for organic gardening.
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6. What is pH?
A: pH is a measure of acidity and is expressed in a range from 0 to 14, with 0 being most acidic, 14 most basic, and 7 neutral.
Examples of plant pH preferences includes:
pH 4.5-5.0 Blueberry, Bilberry, Heather, Cranberry, Orchid, Azalea, for blue Hydrangea (less acidic for pink) , Sweet Gum, Pin Oak.[citation needed]
pH 5.0 - 5.5 Parsley, Potato, Heather, Conifers, Pine, Sweet Potato, Maize, Millet, Oars, Tye, Radish, Ferns, Iris, Orchids, Rhododendron, Camellia, Daphne and Boronia.
pH 5.5 - 6.0 Bean, Brussels Sprouts, Carrot, Choko, Endive, Kohl Rabi, Peanuts, Rhubarb, Soyabean, Crimson Clover, Aster, Begonia, Canna, Daffodil, Jonquil, Larkspur, Petunia, Primrose, Violet and most bulbs.
pH 6.0 - 6.5 Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Egg Plant, Pea, Sweet Corn, Pumpkin, Squash, Tomato, Turnip, Red Clover, Sweet Clover, White Clover, Candytuft, Gladiolus, Iceland Poppy, Pansy, Rose, Snapdragon, Viola, Wallflower, Zinnea and Strawberry.
pH 6.5 - 7.0 Asparagus, Beet, Celery, Lettuce, Melons, Onion, Parsnip, Spinach, Lucerne, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Stock, Sweet Pea and Tulip.
pH 7.1 - 8.0 Lilac, brassica
Source: Wikipedia
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7. How do I measure the pH of my soil?
A: With a pH meter, which we carry.
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8. How do I change the pH of my soil?
A: By adding either a lime product to increase the pH, or a sulphate/nitrate/phosphate compound, or compost to decrease pH. Our OMRI Listed Organic Compost is a great way to lower pH.
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9. What pH does my garden plant need?
A: Here is a chart of common garden plants and the recommended pH range for them:
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Basil
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5.5-6.5
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Beans
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6.0-7.5
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Blueberry
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5.0-6.0
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Broccoli
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6.0-7.0
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Carrots
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5.5-7.0
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Corn
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5.5-7.5
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Cucumbers
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5.5-7.0
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Garlic
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5.5-7.5
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Hops
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6.0-7.5
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Kale
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6.0-7.5
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Lettuce
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6.0-7.0
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Melons
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5.5-6.5
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Onions
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6.0-7.0
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Peas
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6.0-7.5
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Peppers
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5.5-7.0
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Potatoes
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4.5-6.0
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Pumpkins
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5.5-7.5
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Rhubarb
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5.5-7.0
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Spinach
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6.0-7.5
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Squash
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6.5-7.5
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Strawberries
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5.0-7.5
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Tomatoes
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5.5-7.5
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10. I have a question regarding the health of my plant (it isn't looking well or is growing poorly, or I have a concern), where can I find an answer?
A: We can answer many questions about plant health. For those question that we do not have a ready answer for we find that garden forums, such as GardenWeb, to be a good resource.
(note: if you bring in a sample of a "sick" plant please put it in a sealed zip lock bag so that it does not expose our plants)
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11. What are mycorrhizae?
A: Mycorrhiza create a mutualistic (beneficial) association between a fungus (myco) and the roots (rhiza) of plants. Dig up a shovel full of soil in any forest and you'll see tiny white tendrils; those are the mycorrhizae. Without them, breakdown of organic material would slow, so they serve several purposes. And yes, we sell them.
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12. What do the three number on packages of fertilizer mean?
A: When you see numbers like 21-2-14 on a package of fertilizer they are referring to the N-P-K ratio. N-P-K stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium (or Potash). So the numbers are ratios of these three essential plant growth elements, in this case, 21% Nitrogen, 2% Phosphorous, and 14% Potassium.
You may have noticed that the numbers (percentages) do not add up to 100; that is because there is filler in the mix which helps apply the fertilizer evenly.
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13. Why do the N-P-K numbers matter?
A: Nitrogen is essential to plant growth by enabling them to produce more chlorophyll; Phosphorous aids in root development, flowering and bloom size; and Potassium helps guard against disease, drought and cold weather (and it helps with root development photosynthesis).
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14. How much time will I need to spend setting up and maintaining an organic garden?
A: Usually about the same amount as if you used other methods. A better way to measure your return on time invested is that year after year your garden will produce healthier, more nutritious vegetables, fruit and herbs. The actual amount of time that you will invest is proportional to your previous gardening experience, the size of your garden, and the state your garden is in when you start. Smaller gardens, those of fewer than 100 square feet, may require as little as several weekends in the Spring to get started and a few hours per week to maintain. We have a customer with a 3,000 square foot organic garden that he and his wife created from scratch. They feed several families with what they harvest; all of it organic. They will tell you that regardless of the time spent that it has been worth every minute.
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15. What are the benefits of compost?
A: The benefits of using compost include soil fertility enhancement, nutrient cycling, water retention, disease suppression and improved root growth.
More here.
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16. What are the benefits of compost tea?
A: Compost Tea is a soil and foliar inoculant with beneficial microbial organisms that serve a range of purposes.
More here
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17. What are the benefits of Mycorrhizae?
A: Mycorrhizae form a mutualistic relationship with the roots of most plant species.
More here
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18. How much (gravel or compost or bark) can my (light pickup, heavy duty pickup, or large dually) haul per load?
A: Gravels typically weigh around 2400 pounds per cubic yard; composts and soil mixes around 1000 lbs./cu. yd.; and bark 600 - 700 lbs./cu. yd.
With those weights in mind, here is a chart giving you a general idea of how much you can haul:
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Pickup type
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Light
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Heavy
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Dually
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Rock
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½ - 1 yd.
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1 - 2 yds.
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2 - 3 yrd.
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Compost
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2 yds.
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3 yds.
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3 yds.
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Bark
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3 yds.
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3 yds.
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3 yds.
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16. When can I plant seed crops in my garden?
A: Here in Southern Oregon, seed crops such as lettuce, kale, corn, beans and herbs can usually be safely planted around the beginning of May. The other, and better, way to tell when it is OK to plant seed crops is when your soil temperature has reached a steady 60 degrees.
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