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September 9, 2011
 1.With all the new food and manure waste we have been receiving at our organic recycling center, our newly made compost is the best ever! This is a great time of year to apply 1″-2″ of compost to your lawn and garden areas to alleviate compacted soil and rejuvenate tired gardens and lawns.
2.The garlic bulbs for fall will be in on the second week of September, just in time to plant in your fall gardens and around roses to help keep the bugs away naturally! We have 4 varieties of certfied organic garlic so that you can cater to all the full flavor range garlic offers. All varieties will be ready for harvest in July, or sooner if you choose to eat the young scapes.
3. Cover crops are used to fix nitrogen and enrich garden soil as well as preventing soil from erosion over the winter. Cover crops also help reduce weeds and attract beneficial insects. Some choices we now offer are: Red Clover, Rye & Vetch mix,& Field Peas/Oats mix. If you do not plant a fall crop, sow the cover crop mixed with 50% sand to 50% seed and rake lightly into upper crust of soil.
4. Chrysanthemum and asters will be ready to plant for fall color and we will have a large color variety for you to choose from.
5. From mid September to late October is your best time to plant grass seed in our region. A mix of tall fescue grass seed grows well here with its deep roots and durable dark green grass blades. If you need to spot seed, scratch or rough up the ground with a hard rake and spread and inch of compost in area and spread seed into the bare spot. Keep evenly moist until seed germinates, which is typically 2-3 weeks. Do not mow newly seeded areas for 8 weeks minimum because the mower will disturb fragile young grass roots.
6. Fall is the best time of year for planting all woody plants such as trees and shrubs, and also a good time to plant perennials. By planting now, you give your plants fall, winter and spring to establish roots before the next hot summer arrives.
7. To increase interest in your yard, select plants for fall color. Perennials such as Blue Star have blazing yellow fall color and animate your garden with wispy foliage. Most ornamental grasses add hues of reds, oranges, tans, purples and yellows that will light your fall garden in an array of textural interest. Shrubs such as Red and Black Chokeberry are regional natives and have a deeper red fall color than Burning Bush, with the added benefit of edible fruit for you and the birds. Trees like Oak not only attract the greatest diversity of butterflies and moths to your garden (which brings in the birds), but also offer incredible fall color late into the season.
8.In the retail center we are featuring a local organic hand made soap, some of which are made with strawberry seed, coffee grounds, lemon grass and rosemary that make this wonderful smelling soap an excellent gift for you and your friends and family!
9. In the garden center we once again offering a taste of the season with our own farm raised honey: light colored, mild flavored & delicious. Many of our friends use our local honey seasonally, to help reduce the affects of allergens spawning from local pollen. Our honey is harvested on our certified organic farm by bee keeper Bill Slater. He will be here to speak about bee keeping and honey production on 9/24/11 from 1-2pm. Bee sure to bee here early to get a seat, this one is always a poplar presentation!
10. We are now please to offer Biochar, an ancient organic gardening product used by farmers in the Amazon Rain Forest for centuries to promote sustainable agriculture. Simply mix Biochar into your vegetable, herb beds and container gardens at a rate a 10 pounds of Biochar per 1000 square feet. Dig into the upper 12″ of soil for best results. Some of the benefits include: better nutrient holding capacity, increased drought tolerance, higher crop yields, reduce pest challenges and improved soil aeration and drainage.
 Catch rain water from your roof to water your gardens. We also offer a quick connect system to hook your rain barrel conveniently to a downspout, which is easy to install, even for a novice. Our barrels will hold either, 55, 60 or 75 gallons of water. Your plants will love the chlorine and flourine free rain water.
ON SALE NOW – 30% OFF
 Fall is the best time to plant trees, and oaks are an exceptionally good choice with their incredible fall color, durability, ability to provide shade and attract the largest diversity of beneficial butterflies, moths and birds. Because oaks have extremely hard wood, they can be planted within
20 feet of your home to provide wind block and reduce your air conditioning needs in the summer. You will leave a legacy behind when you plant an oak tree, because they can live for hundreds of years, helping to add oxygen and removing Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere, lessening
the affects of global warming. Oaks are truly a Giving Tree.
ON SALE NOW – 35% OFF
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds organic winter squash, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 organic golden flesh potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2-3 cups organic milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a 2-quart baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, Cheddar, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Layer one-third of the squash, onion, potatoes, and fennel in the prepared baking dish. Dust with one-third of the flour mixture. Continue layering all 3 layers, finishing with the flour mixture. Pour the milk over all. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the vegetables are very tender and the gratin is golden brown. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Source: http://organictobe.org/
 Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz the low humming buzz of a bee as it flies past makes some people a little bit jumpy, but bees are our helpers in the garden. See, they visit flowers, gathering up nectar to make honey, but their fuzzy little bodies also pick up pollen (that yellowy dust that sticks to your nose when you sniff a flower). Bees carry the pollen from one flower to another, dropping some off, picking some up, gathering nectar and nutrients from the plants to take back to the hive. This process of moving pollen from flower to flower is called pollination, and its how lots of plants make fruit (that we love to eat, like apples and peaches and cherries, Oh My!) They make honey by spreading out the nectar allowing water to evaporate into the air, leaving the thicker, yummy substance we eat called honey!
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE honey. Bees do too, and that’s why they spend so much time making it. They eat honey all winter and then, in the spring, when things warm up again, the bees come back out to make more. But in the last few years, beekeepers (the people who go out and collect all that yummy honey) have noticed their bees are sick. Some are dying. And that’s no good for people like us (friends of the bee). If the bees die, we lose lots of the foods we love to eat, like watermelon, blueberry, and tomato, not to mention honey.
Do you want to help the bees? There are things you can do. Tell your family about the importance of bees and other pollinators (like hummingbirds and butterflies). Give native plants a try; the pawpaw fruit, American persimmon, grape, and lots of other treats are especially adapted to grow in North America. They are good for us, and lots of other critters (especially the bees!) Ask your parents or guardians to stop using pesticides. A pesticide tries to get rid of bad bugs in our garden, but sometimes it hurts the good bugs in our yard too (plus they smell icky and stay around for a loooooooong time).
Interested in learning more?!?
Join Marvin’s Organic Gardens on September 24th for an afternoon with the bees. Our beekeeper will be here to answer questions, followed by a viewing of the award-winning documentary Queen of the Sun. Check out the trailer here and join us on September 24th from 1-2 pm. Bee there or bee square!
Do you like bees? Tell us why on Marvin’s Organic Gardens Facebook page (with your parent’s permission, of course) and you could win tickets to the Cincinnati Nature Center!
June 17, 2011
 INGREDIENTS:
- 2 ripe avocados (peeled and pitted)
- 1 medium lime, juiced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 2 T chopped cilantro
- 1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 t kosher salt
- 1/2 t black pepper
- 1 T finely chopped jalapeño pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Place the avocados and lime in a medium bowl, and lightly mash with a fork. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 3 hours.
Nutrition:
Calories: 80, Total Fat: 9g, Sat Fat: 0g
, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 170mg
, Carbohydrates: 4g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 2g
Recipe from: www.thedailygreen.com
Overladened earth, most have agreed
Natural resources we’re soon to exceed
There is a truth we must concede
That throughout life we proceed
An unfulfilling torrent of greed
Over consumption it does breed
Forcing innocence to bleed
Let us collectively take heed
Together in servitude we can lead
Together accomplish a worthy deed
In love we can plant the seed
Global compassion we will feed
Suffering we can impede
As one we will succeed
By consuming only what we need
Our sisters and brothers will be freed
Peace on earth is our creed
A shift in consciousness must precede
Creating positive change indeed
Between the lines we must read
Open our hearts to their plead
Let us arise to the need
And together supersede
The fruitless rush of greed
Simple prosperity can be achieved
When we act as one global community
Written by: M. Wesley Duren
March 7, 2011
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 ounces chorizo, cut lengthwise & sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 cups turkey or chicken stock
- 8 potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled, root trimmed
- 1 bunch kale, trimmed & thinly sliced
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain the chorizo on paper towels and set aside.
In a heavy stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add turkey or chicken stock, potatoes and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes and garlic to a bowl; lightly mash with a fork. Return to the soup and bring to a simmer. Stir in kale, a handful at a time. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the kale is tender. Stir in the reserved chorizo and season with salt and pepper.
Recipe Source: www.thedailygreen.com.
March 4, 2011
 It has been a long, hard winter but as I am writing this Spring is just weeks away. This month we would like to change direction a little. When we are not able to get out and garden, we spend time investigating new products. So instead of a spotlight service, we are going to describe some exciting new products that are available or will be available soon.
• Biochar and home Biochar production kits:
The use of Biochar is another of those ancient techniques that we are re-visiting and re-discovering their usefulness.
• New styles of rain barrels and an easy-installation kit:
We have been successfully selling and installing rain barrels for a good while, but there are still some new innovations coming along. The best feature of the easy install kit is that it will eliminate the need to cut into your downspout. A hole is drilled and an adapter is inserted that will be plumbed directly into the barrel. It is a closed system, answering the concern that some folks have of exposed standing water. To over-winter, you simply remove the adapter and place the included cover over the drilled hole.
• Rhizomatous Tall Fescue:
This is a non-genetically engineered, completely natural Turf-Type Tall Fescue grass seed that will spread by rhizomes giving it the ability to fill in bare spots. This dense turf, with all of the good qualities of Tall Fescue, will help to eliminate weeds in the organic lawn.
• Bamboo fence panels:
We have a source for natural, long-lasting, earth-friendly and very attractive bamboo fence panels that can be applied in a variety of ways, indoors and out. What an ideal way to screen that eyesore next door from your peaceful garden.
• Permeable pavers:
This is certainly not new technology, but they are being continuously improved and becoming more widely available in more styles and colors.
• Solar-powered paver lighting:
No wiring, batteries, or charging required! There have been products on the market in the past, but nothing that was really viable. Now we can offer a durable, weatherproof unit that can be core-drilled into any paver surface or wall face. There is also a photoluminescent paver unit that glows at night from the solar energy absorbed through out the day. What an interesting, eco-friendly way to light a walkway, driveway border or pool apron.
• Living walls:
How would you like to add a living wall of herbs to your kitchen or a wall of mixed edibles and ornamentals to screen your patio? We are looking into a modular system, built with recycled materials, that has a built-in drip irrigation system. This is an exciting, space-saving, water conscious new product line. Stop in or call for more details.
 1. You may notice steam coming from your compost pile, that’s normal, no need to fret. This is the thermaphylic organisms busy at work eating your organic waste and converting it into high quality compost for you to use.
2. You can speed up the composting process by turning your compost pile with a shovel or pitch fork, even during the cold months of winter. Simply rotate the content in the lower part of your compost pile to the upper, and the upper should be mixed into the middle and lower area. The more thoroughly you mix the compost ingredients, the faster the organic waste will break down, and convert into ready-to-use “black gold”.
3. Just by comingling and mixing your compost ingredients, you will help to prevent nutrient leaching which might lead to water contamination of nearby storm drains, creeks and ponds. This reduction of nutrient leaching is caused from the influx of oxygen into your compost pile, which stimulates soil organism activity and locks your nutrients in the pile where your lawn and gardens will eventually benefit from them.
4. You can use you compost on both lawn and garden, even in the winter time. For garden areas, apply a 1″-2″ layer right over your beds, especially around your perennials, ornamental grasses, trees and shrubs. Then, mulch over the composted beds in the spring. Just make sure not to pile any more than 2″ directly against the trunk of trees or shrubs, as this may stifle your woodies. For the lawn, apply 1/2″ over the entire lawn, or lawn areas that seem damaged or weakend by last years drought. Though you may not see any benefit immediately, by getting an early jump on applying compst to your lawn and gardens, the compost will have a chance to work into the soil through the process of freeze/thaw, rain and snow, and will give you lawn and gardens a BIG jump come spring time.
5. Don’t be afraid to mix dog, chicken, hamster, horse or cow manure into you compost piles, as they are all excellent ingredients for compost. Just mix the manure at least 12″ into your compost pile to prevent odor, leaching or attracting other animals to your pile. The only manure not recommened to compost is cat manure because cat manure can have certan diseases like Toxoplasma gondii, that does not break down in the composting process, and can be passed on to other cats.
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