Page 18 - Griffin Gazette Issue 2 - 2020

Early signs of ready to plant

vegetable packs, especially
cool weather types like
cauliflower, broccoli, and
lettuce are quickly finding

their way into the
shopping cart.

THE STIMULUS PLAN the beautiful package or tag image and think of
nothing else.
Early signs of ready to plant vegetable packs,
especially cool weather types like cauliflower, Make recommendations for soil additives that
broccoli, and lettuce are quickly finding their way are not too heavy or too light in weight. Warn
into the shopping cart. consumers of heavyweight additives as they will
slow down the root development needed to get
One of the keys to successful gardening is to get
plants into the ground and off to a great start by established. Common lightweight potting soils
developing a healthy root system. You can grow that contain perlite will help to keep soil loose
a garden just about anywhere providing you have to allow greater root fibers to stretch as they
soil, sunshine, heat, and water. The variable for lengthen. The traditional heavyweight composted
quality and success falls on these two words, cow manure that we sold years ago has been
root system. replaced by a lighter, and sometimes spreadable,
When planting your seeds and transplants, extra new generation of premium manures. These
care should come in the way you prepare the powerhouse manures have unique ingredients
existing soil to allow a root system to thrive and like crushed and composted ocean-based shells
expand in order to take up the needed nutrients added from oysters, crab, or lobster to increase
to develop foliage, fruit, or flower. This might be calcium uptake in vegetables, especially tomatoes.
a surprise, but newcomers to gardening rarely Check out the product label to familiarize yourself
think about the soil at all. They are blinded by with what’s in the bag. Besides typical ingredients

18 | GRIFFIN GAZETTE 2020