Starting in May, the fine folks from Fresh Start Produce Company will be vending the finest fresh produce at Fort Collins Nursery. From peppers, corn, and arugula to blueberries, lemons, and artichokes, you will find a wonderful array of delicious fruits and vegetables for sale.

Fresh Start’s produce comes from all over the place. While most of it comes from farms all around Colorado, some of it comes from the great US of A. The gentlemen who run Fresh Start previously worked for a family run produce distribution company from Denver, and much of their produce is supplied by the same farms that support their family’s business.  They provide both conventional as well as organic produce. They source food from farms statewide, so if there is something specific you are looking for, please let them know!

Fresh Start will be here on Tuesdays and Fridays through the month of May, and will add Saturdays and Sundays beginning in early summer. They accept cash and credit cards.

For more photographs, check out our photo album on facebook!

You'll find me here, smiling and listening

By Jesse Eastman, Owner & General Manager

I recently had the opportunity to meet the general manager of a local independent retail store, and this person made a curious revelation. When I mentioned that I’ve been to their store several times and had not seen her, she told me that she likes to hang in the back and keep a low profile. I was shocked. Is this not one of the cardinal sins of small business?

In the world of small independent business, a company will invariably be a reflection of its leadership. I love gardening, and I love helping people become better gardeners. If our customers aren’t able to grow as plant lovers, our business will whither on the vine. A leader’s job is to set the standard for the staff, and I like to think I set a pretty high standard. I love getting to know my customers, their interests, their horticultural trials and tribulations, and I learn a great deal by engaging them in conversation. In fact, I would say that my direct interactions with customers are more responsible for my business decisions than any single other factor.

At Fort Collins Nursery, we take pride in being northern Colorado’s plant experts. It is by listening to our customers and responding to their needs that we lay claim to to the title “expert.” Anyone can read a gardening book, take a plant identification class, or balance a ledger. What sets us apart from other garden centers is the effort we make to truly know and understand our customers. This is an effort that begins at the top and is reinforced throughout the entire company. My father ran this business for over 35 years and has over 35 years of stories from customers that made this company what it is today. That is why you will find me here, smiling and listening, and learning from you what makes a garden center great!

It’s spring and all that is green and plant-like is cranking right along. Soil temperatures are rising, and I am very excited about my garden.

Soaker hose is a snap to install and is gentle on tiny seeds like carrots

The garden is a series of raised beds. I used pallet collars (available for $16.99 ea., or as a complete kit w/soil for $99.99) as bed frames. These frames are ready-to-use garden beds, measuring 30”x48”x7.5”. They require absolutely no assembly, although I did opt to line the bed frames with some sheets of plastic to keep the moist soil from decomposing the untreated pine. ½” sch. 40 PVC pipe makes up hoops for row covers to provide a light protection from cold nighttime temperatures. These row covers make a nice compliment to the water filled protective Season Extenders.

I used ProMix BX soil in several beds, and EKO Organic Outdoor Planting Mix in the rest. While the EKO product was more cost effective and works great for started plants, small seeds like lettuce did not germinate well. On the other hand, seeds had no trouble at all getting started in the much lighter and finer ProMix BX.

The irrigation system uses ¼” soaker hose. It is looped through each bed so that the water it releases can soak evenly throughout each bed. A battery operated automatic timer runs. Once the seedlings reach 2” tall, all the will receive a covering of mini bark to prevent weeds and reduce evaporation.

Basil, thyme, cilantro, and marigold surround a pair of tomato plants

I choose my plants based on what I eat the most. I make a lot of salads and stir fry, and I love to grill, so tomatoes, peppers, corn, lettuce, carrots and herbs are bountiful. I made sure to utilize all the available space in each bed. In one bed, I surrounded the tomatoes with carrots. In another, I have planted lemon thyme, cilantro and basil around the tomatoes. I have devoted two beds to peppers, mostly hot. I find that I don’t eat as many mild peppers, so I chose to buy my bells and use my space for spicy!

In several beds I am going to use the “Three Sisters” method of planting. This is a Native American method that uses corn, beans, and squash in a mutually beneficial combination. The corn grows tall, giving the beans a pole on which to grow. The beans fix nitrogen in the soil, which helps feed nitrogen-hungry corn. The squash covers the ground with its gigantic prickly leaves, acting as mulch as well as preventing many predators from approaching the beans and corn. Additionally, the grouping provides a complete nutritional combo – corn for carbohydrates, beans for protein, and squash for a huge variety of vitamins.

Other beds include leaf crop beds that will be used for successive plantings, providing yummy lettuce, spinach, arugula, cress, and kohlrabi all season long. Peas will grow up the fence, and broccoli and brussel sprouts will benefit from the afternoon shade the pea vines provide.

Row covers & Season Extenders allow for a great jump start!

Finally, marigolds, crocosmia, nasturtium, and sweet peas round out the garden. Providing a welcome splash of color, these plants are also useful. Marigolds repel many pests. Nasturtiums have brightly colored flowers that are edible, adding a sharp bite to any salad. All in all, I am looking forward to a bountiful and beautiful garden this year!

May 19, 2012:
10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. – Fairy Gardening
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. – Dinosaur Gardening

June 23, 2012:
10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Fairy Gardening
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: Outdoor Fairy Gardening

July 21, 2012:
10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Fairy Gardening

Fairy Gardening: Bring home a little magic and whimsy with your own fairy garden! Learn how to create and care for these miniature wonders.

Dinosaur Gardening: Fun for boys and girls of all eras! Use succulents and stones to create a prehistoric paradise.

Outdoor Fairy Gardening: Take your Fairy Gardening skills outside into your own yard! Discover which plants are suited for outdoor use and get creative ideas about using gifts from nature that can be incorporated into your Fairy Garden. Go ahead; make your neighbors jealous of your little slice of magic!
(This class does not include  container, soil, or gravel.)

The following plants are included in the recall.

Herbs:

• ITEM # 17497: 2.5” HERB (3201H)
• ITEM # 17499: 4” HERB POWER FLOWER
• ITEM # 23594: 3.5” HERB PREMIUM (1801H)
• ITEM # 35636: 3.5” HERB HERBERT’S HERBS
• ITEM # 29798: BAY LAUREL, #1
• ITEM # 24775: 4.5” HERB DEEP

Vegetables:

• ITEM # 17423: 4PACK (RED) (1804)        Tomatoes and/or peppers only
• ITEM # 17489: 2.5” VEGETABLE (3201V)     Tomatoes and/or peppers only
• ITEM # 25707: 3.5” HERB HERBERT’S VEGETABLE       Tomatoes and/or peppers only

Fruits:

• Any citrus, including oranges, limes, lemons, kumquats, grapefruits, and tangerines.
• ITEM # 38121: AVOCADO, 10” TREE
• ITEM # 39602: FICUS, #1 ASST. FIG

It was discovered that these plants may have come into contact with an insecticide whose use is not approved for edible plants, vegetables, or fruits. Although this insecticide was applied at extremely low levels, we feel it is our responsibility to inform you of this issue. We take chemical safety and your health very seriously, and want to make sure we are taking every step necessary to prevent accidental exposure to any unsafe chemical, regardless of how small that risk might be.

We will replace any qualifying plants purchased during the time period stated above free of charge until June 1, 2012. Replacements are subject to availability. In the event we are unable to replace a recalled plant, a store credit will be issued for the amount paid. Recalled plants must be presented between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm Monday through Friday. We are unable to process recalls on Saturday and Sunday.

Please call us with any questions you may have regarding this recall. We regret the error and pledge to continue exercising safe and responsible business practices to keep our community safe and healthy.

These easily installed beds are made from re-purposed pallet collars. What’s a pallet collar? Glad you asked. A pallet collar is a wooden frame with hinges at all four corners. It is designed to fit snugly atop a European pallet (30″x48″) so that loose materials can be shipped on a pallet. Once they have served their purpose, however, they become yet another piece of detritus in an ever-growing waste stream. We have found that these pallet collars are the perfect size for a raised garden bed, and after extensive research and development, have put together a fantastic kit that makes garden bed construction quick, easy, and affordable.

As you can see above, these beds are the perfect height for a raised bed, and they don’t look half bad, either! As you might expect from those highly efficient industrial types, these are made from a very inexpensive wood, my guess is pine. Therefore, they may be prone to rotting after only a season or two of use. However, the plastic liner included in the kit should extend that lifespan significantly.

If you want to see these beds in action, just stop by the nursery and check out our display garden. We are using our beds to grow pumpkins and sunflowers in anticipation of our annual Pumpkin and Sunflower contest, but you can use yours to grow just about anything your heart desires. So, if you’re looking for an economical alternative to cedar raised beds and want to do your part to reduce  landfill waste, give these beds a try. You’ll be glad you did!

There are plenty of annuals and perennials that blanket the ground in color throughout spring and summer. Shrubs, too, put on petal-laden shows that explode into view throughout the year. But nearly all blooming trees do their dance during spring.

You don’t find crabapples flowering in July. Plums and cherries don’t blossom in August. No, nearly all trees, from dwarfish ornamentals to towering skyscrapers put it all out there at nearly the same time, filling our skies with color and fragrance like nothing else can. What a wonderful way to say goodbye to winter and welcome spring!

As the snow melts off our flowerbeds, we begin to dream of planting our favorite bedding plants. It is well known that Jack Frost can visit our area well into mid-May and can damage tender plants. So what is a gardener to do? We recommend you plant frost-hardy bedding plants such as hardy annuals and perennials. Select plants that have been cold frame-grown or those that have been hardened-off. They will tolerate frosty mornings better than those that are greenhouse-tender.

Frost-hardy bedding plants include all perennials and many annuals. Those annuals that can withstand 20 degrees or so include pansies, snapdragons, dianthus, alyssum, dusty miller, viola, flowering cabbage and kale. Keep in mind that flowers may be a bit ragged after such cold but the plants should come through fine. Annuals able to tolerate a light frost include varieties of petunia, nicotiana, calendula, Victoria sage, and verbena canadensis. There are half-hardy annuals which tolerate cold temperatures but not direct frost. Select from the upright verbenas, asters, ageratum, gazania, geraniums, and lobelia.

One measure of inexpensive protection is to keep frost cloth or row cover material handy to cover up beds during really chilly periods or when harsh winds start to blow. All these frost-hardy annuals and perennials can be used in containers set out on decks and patios to brighten up our outdoor living areas. We invite you to come out to the nursery to see the huge selection of hardy plants waiting to be planted for an exceptional early burst of color in your garden.

• Peas
• Beans
• Corn

We also have bulk Sweet Pea annual seeds that will seed themselves and give you lovely fragrant climbing blooms, year after year.

If you have limited space, no yard at all, or an interest in sprouting your own food year round, we have a wonderful option for you! We carry bulk ORGANIC seeds for sprouting in the following varieties:

• Alfalfa
• Red Clover
• Mung Beans

Sprouts are so easy to do yourself and are a healthy & delicious addition to salads and sandwiches. All of our bulk seed is sold by the ounce. Stop by today and we will get you started!

Check out this informative video on sprouting seeds yourself!