Each year homeowners spend hundreds – and, in some cases many hundreds – of dollars on mulch for the landscape. When properly applied at the right time, mulch has its place. A thin layer of perhaps 1.5 to 2.5 inches of mulch can enhance the color of the landscape, aid in preventing weed germination, retain moisture in the soil, and moderate soil temperatures in the root zone of the plants being mulched. As mulch decomposes it also adds organic matter to the soil’s surface.

However, if applied to wet soils, or applied too deeply, when we receive the abundance of rainfall that’s been experienced throughout Fairfield County this spring, mulch can quickly become a detriment to plant health. Waterlogged mulch that retains too much moisture in the soil can be as problematic as poorly drained soils are to plant health.

Except for immediately after a rainfall, an ideal soil has approximately Continue reading We All Love Mulch . . . Take Care Not to Misuse It! →

Woolgrowers’ conveyor and wool sorting system was the only one of it’s kind when it was first utilized in 1995.

Join us at 3 p.m. on July 10th for the third stop on the 2018 “Local Foods” tour series when we visit Mid-States Wool Growers, the largest handler of raw wool in the U.S., located right here in Fairfield County! In business since 1918, this cooperative has 10,000 farmer members located across 23 states that handle and market 6 million pounds of raw wool annually.

The history of the Midstate Wool Growers is rich with producer involvement. From the beginning in 1918, where producers wanted a better price for their wool, right up to today when producers designed one of the most technologically advanced warehouses in the world, the organization’s driving force has always been to meet the needs of Continue reading Local Foods Farm Tour: Mid-States Woolgrowers →

Frequent rainfall this spring has allowed marestail to thrive everywhere including gravel driveways

Marestail . . . if you frequent farm stores you’ve heard people talking about how hard it is to kill. If you’ve been to a lawn and garden store, it’s the one they call, “that bushy leafed weed that Roundup doesn’t kill.” Yes, that’s correct, Roundup doesn’t kill it and it’s seemingly everywhere again this year.

Marestail has been plaguing farm fields and landscapes for the Continue reading Marestail: Roundup Won’t Kill It! →

“Rain makes grain” is an ages old saying you might hear any time two or more farmers are gathered and a mid-summer shower pops up. While that adage may be true, it’s also common knowledge that rain makes weeds!

This year’s frequent spring rains have created lots of very healthy, rapidly growing weeds in the landscape. Along with those weeds come calls from homeowners asking for ‘safe’ ways to control them. One product that is frequently asked about for control of landscape weeds is vinegar. A simple question regarding vinegar commonly evolves into a conversation about toxins, pesticides, the legality of its use, and exactly what ‘safer’ means.

Let’s begin by saying that vinegar does have some weed control properties, and presently there are three vinegar products labeled in Ohio. “Labeled” means they are legal for use to control weeds, but only one of the three in Ohio is labeled as an herbicide. For some it may be hard to imagine, but common household vinegar is not “labeled” or legal for use as an herbicide in Ohio.

Regardless, when we take a look at what happens when vinegar is applied to a weed, we realize the acetic acid in the vinegar ‘burns’ Continue reading Vinegar: Is it a “Safer” Herbicide? →