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Business & Tech

For the Garden Shares Top 10 Garden, Yard Products

The first of two columns will focus on five great products.

My customers are sometimes surprised to hear how often I use the products I sell in my own gardens at home. However, once I educate them on what I use and why I use it they become as product crazy as I am! 

Here’s the thing—even when you start out with top quality plants and grass you have to work to keep it in tip top shape. And that’s where products come in. The product section at my store is extensive, but of course I have my favorites. 

Over the next two weeks I will fill you in on my top 10 choices. Here are the first five…

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  1.  Osmocote—This is a time release fertilizer that I put on EVERY single thing I grow. When I plant my flower beds at home I put a sprinkle of this in every hole I dig. It will last for 4 months and you can feel fine about using other fertilizers along with it. 
  2. Miracle Grow—You’ve heard the countless commercials aired about this product, and I’m also a believer. Use this every 7-14 days.  One scoop added to a gallon of water is all you need. Often customers visit in midsummer complaining that the leaves of their plants have yellowed a bit. A few shots of this product and their plants are usually back on track. It comes as an all purpose plant food and also in a blend specifically made for vegetable gardens.
  3. Dr. Earth Fertilizer—This is an organic fertilizer. As the company says, “It was designed for today’s gardeners who care not only for the environment in their own backyard, but also for that of the entire planet.”  This product follows the every other month maintenance schedule. As a retailer, I had a hard time finding an organic fertilizer that would do what it should. I’m quite happy with the Dr. Earth line.
  4. Color Me Pink/Color Me Blue—These fertilizers are specifically made for Hydrangeas. Did you know that you can control the color of your Hydrangeas between pink and blue? It’s all based on the pH of the soil and these products make it really easy to color your blooms. All you have to do is pick your desired color and grab the corresponding jar of fertilizer. (Yes, even the jars of fertilizer are color coded!) It takes the pH guesswork out of the color game and allows the user to greatly simplify the process. 
  5. Bobbex—There are few things in gardening that are more frustrating than when rabbits, deer and other animals eat the plants you’ve spent so much time caring for. There are multiple products available that are designed to repel these pesky critters, but this is the one I like best. Once I’m done planting I mist this over the flower beds. It’s so simple and it works. I sell the starter squirt bottles and also the refill jugs. I like that I can save my customers a little bit of money this way!

Next week I will fill you in on my remaining five picks. These products will cover weed control and insect treatment. 

Happy Planting!

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