You can watch the segment  at the following link and if you have used either of these products you can write a review to share with customers.

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.M27031.desc.Happy-Gardener-Org-Sea-Results-Micronutrient-Foliar-Feed

QVC, the world’s largest home shopping network will begin selling The Happy Gardener’s organic gardening products this Friday, April 27, 2012 on the 3 pm EST Patio & Garden program. Annette Pelliccio, founder and eco-entrepreneur, is excited for the national exposure that her Ashland- based company and eco-friendly products will gain at the height of the gardening season.

“This opportunity to partner with such an amazing retail television network will allow us to reach so many more home and community gardeners than we could have ever done on our own,” says Pelliccio. “To be able to teach even a fraction of its 1.5 million viewers per hour about the benefits of choosing organic, eco-friendly practices is really going to make a big difference for the future health of our environment. It will also provide us with the ‘As Seen on TV’ status which will open many doors to grow our company.”

QVC lawn and garden purchasing team chose to feature The Happy Gardener’s two most popular products for their on-air debut. SeaResults Micronutrient Solution, a fast-growth organic plant food designed to optimize root development and bloom/crop production, and Organic Foliar Feed which develops healthy leaf growth while eliminating pests such as aphids and Japanese beetles. Pelliccio will demonstrate the products with QVC Host, Dan Wheeler.

The Happy Gardener provides gardeners with a complete line of organic gardening products that are safe to use around children, pets and wildlife. More details and contact information can be found on www.thehappygardener.info or contact at 804-798-9280 or email info@thehappygardener.info

“Our garden should be full of birdies.”

Now is the time to encourage birds to your garden. With the gardening weather finally here, they will appreciate the shelter, food and water you can provide. They will surely repay the favor throughout the summer by becoming your personal eco-garden pest control.
Along with bird houses, bird baths and feeders, the plants you select for your landscape can have a great effect on the number of insect-eating birds who call your garden “home.” I recommend contacting your local extension office for native plant varieties, but here are a few tips on choosing bird-friendly plants:

Plants for Habitat- A wide variety of plants provide nesting sites and protection from predators. Some of the most popular among birds are Wild Lilac, Wax Myrtle, Oaks, Elderberry, Sage, and Willow.

Plants for Nectar- Planted mostly for their value to hummingbirds, nectar-rich plants also attract a variety of insects, which are a food source for hummers as well as other bird species. Examples include Honeysuckle, Salvia, and Fuschia.

Plants for Fruit- Many species of birds depend on the fruit produced by plants for the bulk of their diet. Shrubs such as Wild Grape, Elderberry, Wax Myrtle, Currants and Gooseberries attract an amazing number of birds in their fruiting season.

Plants for Seeds- Plants such as Oaks, Sages and Bunchgrasses produce an abundance of seeds loved by your feathered friends.

THG offers eco-friendly birding products made from 100% recycled milk jugs, water and soda bottles. Click here to view or go to www.thehappygardener.info

“Making compost is smart & costs us no money.”

Why compost?
Composting is an easy, environmentally beneficial way to turn yard and kitchen wastes into a dark, crumbly, sweet-smelling soil amendment that will build your soil, increase garden production and do wonders for your landscaping. It is as easy as putting your recyclables out for pick up!
Composting will:

• Save you money by lowering garbage bills and replacing the need for commercial soil amendments.

• Increase production by improving the fertility and health of your soil.

• Save water by helping the soil hold moisture and reducing water runoff.

• Benefit the environment by recycling valuable organic resources and extending the lives of our landfills.

What is Compost?
Compost is the end product of a complex feeding pattern involving hundreds of different organisms, including bacteria, fungi, worms, and insects. What remains after these organisms break down organic materials is the rich, earthy substance your garden will love. Composting replicates nature’s natural system of breaking down materials which are slowly dismantled by the small organisms living in the soil. Eventually these plant parts disappear and humus keeps the soil light and fluffy. Humus is our goal when we start composting. By providing the right environment for the organisms in the compost pile, it is possible to produce excellent compost.

Click on the following link to watch a really cool animation of the composting process:

http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/composting/what_happens_in.html

What Goes in the Composter?
yard trimmings, garden debris, vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, algae, seaweed, lake moss, kitchen rinse water, cardboard, dryer lint, crushed eggshells, hair, newspaper, oak leaves, pine needles and cones. Did you know that the average household produces more than 200 pounds of kitchen waste every year?
What Doesn’t?
meat, fish, oily foods, milk products, pet manure, diseased or insect infested plants, weeds that have gone to seed, coal or charcoal ashes, lime, bones

The Happy Gardener’s founder, Annette Pelliccio, shares the benefits of composting in this 5 minute Youtube video intro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoLWCNYxTc0

Compost4Fun Virtual Game: this one’s fun for all ages!
Try maintaining your own virtual compost bin by exploring the house and garden, looking for potential household waste to compost. See if you can get onto the Compost4Fun scoreboard by getting the right balance of green and brown waste.

http://compost4fun.recyclenow.com

“Let’s grow and eat organic veggies!”

Buying organic produce can admittedly get pricey, so how about growing your own food instead of painstakingly manicuring that lawn for the umpteenth time? An estimated 40 million acres of  American states are covered in lawns, making turf grass the United States’ largest irrigated crop. All that for little more than ornamentation. It’s time to return to the use of gardens as food sources—you won’t find fresher, healthier, or cheaper eating anywhere else.

Growing your own organic produce allows families to get involved with a fun and purposeful activity while providing nutrient-rich meals. You can’t get more local than your own backyard!

Even if space and time is an issue, there are easy ways to ‘grow your own’ organic veggies, fruits & herbs in containers or with square foot gardening.

Some useful resource articles:

http://eco-gardeners.com/2009/05/suggested-fruits-veggies-herbs-for-containers/

http://eco-gardeners.com/2008/04/square-foot-gardening/

http://eco-gardeners.com/2008/02/small-space-veggie-gardening/

“Our home & garden should be phosphate-free.”

What is phosphorus and why are so many counties and states throughout the US regulating its availability in household and lawn/garden products?

Phosphates are found in most fertilizers (the “P” in the N-P-K plant food nutrient ratio), especially formulated for lawns, and are present in consumer products such as detergent, baking powder, toothpaste, cured meats, pharmaceuticals, and water softeners.  Within the past decade research is concluding that an excess in phosphorus is very damaging to our water and marine life.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified eutrophication (over-enrichment with nutrients) as the main threat to water quality. In most cases the nutrient of importance is phosphorus.

With the inclusion of phosphorous in our waterways, the decrease in oxygen severely inhibits the growth of many aquatic organisms, especially fish (e.g., recreational catch fish such as trout) and in extreme cases may lead to massive fish kills. Excessive input of phosphorus can change clear, oxygen-rich, healthy water into cloudy, oxygen-poor, foul smelling, toxic water. Therefore, control of the amount of phosphates entering surface waters from domestic and industrial waste discharges, natural runoff, and erosion is recommended to prevent eutrophication.

The Maine Extension Office reports that 90% of lawns tested in the past five years would not have been any greener with the addition of phosphorous. This means that our lawns and lawn care budgets can stay healthy without using phosphorous. When looking for a do-it-yourself or commercial lawn care program be sure to find one with 0% phosphorus, such as The Happy Gardener’s Lawn Feed n’ Weed and Lawn Conditioner.

Check the ingredient list when choosing garden & lawn fertilizers. Products that include animal manure will also contain high levels of phosphorous. Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture Sciences & Natural Resources reports that one of the major concerns associated with manure application is the buildup of phosphorous in the soil. This occurs because manure contains more phosphorous than the crops/vegetation require. Choose products that do not contain manures such as The Happy Gardener’s full line of organic, vegetarian plant foods, pest control, weed control and lawn care.

My children & I have come up with a fun song with 12 activities that you and your family can participate in to prepare for April 22nd. Each day we will highlight the activity of the day & post an interesting article explaining the eco-concept and activity. Enjoy!

The Twelve Days til Earth Day

by Annette Pelliccio, founder The Happy Gardener, & Angela & Christina

On the 12th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“It’s time to get our planet healthy.”

On the 11th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Our home & garden should be phosphate-free.”

On the 10th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“We want to grow & eat organic veggies!”

On the 9th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Making compost is smart & costs us no money.”

On the 8th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Our garden should be full of birdies.”

On the 7th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Soil should be safe for bug & worm families.”

On the 6th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Can we Plant a Row for the Hungry?”

On the 5th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Let’s….plant…a….tree!!!”

On the 4th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Its a day to cut down on electricity”

On the 3rd day til Earth Day my chidren said to me,

“Today we won’t eat meat or dairy.”

On the 2nd day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Let’s build a Backyard Habitat in our community”

On April 22nd Earth Day my children said to me,

“We are proud to be an eco-family!”

One strategy for ensuring seed germination success and increased rate is to soak the seeds in a seed germinating solution before planting in the soil. The Happy Gardener’s SeaResults Micronutrient Solution is a gentle yet highly effective organic plant food that can also be used for seed soaking. Formal tests performed at Stony Mountain Nursery proved that by soaking seeds in a diluted solution of SeaResults Micronutrient Solution for just fifteen minutes before planting will increase seed success and root growth.

Day 6 of SeaResults soaked seed vs no soak

This photo shows two Morning Glory flower seeds. One had been soaked in SeaResults Micronutrient Solution for fifteen minutes before planting. The other had not been soaked and was planted in soil as per seed package instructions. The seed soaked in SeaResults shows significant root and leaf growth on Day 6 in comparison with the Day 6 seed not soaked.

Soaking your seeds prior to planting is an easy and inexpensive way to provide your future garden plants with more success and healthier development.

So how does this disappearing winter affect the gardens of those of us living in areas including those 21 states that have had more than 300 record high January temperatures? In a nutshell, it will mean fewer nuts on our nut trees, less blossoms on our perennials, decreased flowers on our trees/shrubs, and not as much fruit on our fruit trees. This upcoming spring and summer will show signs of the winter stressed plants but most should acclimate okay.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the extremes yet that would cause a lot of long-term damage to trees and shrubs,” says George Good, professor in Cornell University’s Department of Horticulture. “Some flower buds will be killed. So we may see fewer blooms on flowering trees and shrubs this spring. ” This has commercial growers concerned as their harvests will be affected.

David Wolfe, scientist at the Department of Horticulture, is studying climate change and states that chances are good that we will continue seeing more warm winters, caused in part by increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere which is affecting agriculture, especially in the Northeast.

For more information, visit the Cornell University at

www.gardening.cornell.edu

Craving some winter flowers? Consider a few of these winter bloomers.

1. Indoor Forcing Bulbs:

• Amaryllis is a favorite holiday season bloomer with big, boldly colored flowers. These can be forced to bloom in time for holiday decorating or a little later during January and February.

• Paperwhites are absolutely the easiest thing to grow, no chilling required, and performing well even if planted in gravel and water.

See below for detailed instructions on how to plant and care for your Amaryllis and Paperwhite bulbs.

2. Houseplant Winter Bloomers:

• Clivia is a rewarding grower with bold orange or yellow blooms. It does best if given a cool, dry period in fall to prime for bloom.

• Christmas cactus is long lived and explodes in wonderful colors including white, fuschia and pink. They may require a short day treatment to set buds.

• Kalanchoe is often sold as a florist plant and can bloom annually.

• Begonia come in popular varieties with patterned foliage as well as sprays of typically soft pink blooms to gently brighten the darkest winter day.

• African Violets are a favorite flowering house plant. There are so many different types you can quickly amass a significant collection. They bloom prolifically on a window sill with indirect light. Serious growers use supplemental lights for peak performance and optimal health.

• Poinsettias are a holiday favorite. They can be easily found in a variety of colors such as white, pink and most popular red.

• Orchids bloom exquisitely throughout the winter. You can usually find prices lower on those that have stopped blooming. Bring them home, revitalize them with an organic feeding to watch them burst with blooms!

All indoor flowering plants thrive from a monthly organic feeding. Try our #1 selling SeaResults Micronutrient Solution with all of your indoor plants and enjoy an abundance of blooms.

3. Outdoor Container Plants Brought Indoors:

• Geraniums will provide a few blooms in winter, although not as heavily as during the summer outdoors since they are sun lovers.

• Impatiens come in double flower or rosebud varieties and will continue to flower once brought indoors. • Miniature Roses require an exceptionally bright window sill or supplemental lighting to bloom well but the extra attention and care are worth the trouble in blooms.

• Violas and pansies simply require a cool windowsill to help them stay compact and blooming indoors.