News and Events @ Mary's Heirloom Seeds

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Mary's Heirloom Seeds 2104 Tyler Street Hollywood, FL 33020 (954) 364-8841 Welcome to the Mary's Heirloom Seeds Newsletter Mary's Heirloom Seeds is growing!  The addition of organic and natural soil amendments, Water Filtration System and several unique heirloom seed varieties are just the beginning. YG MARKET SPECIAL!!!! This weekend at the Yellow Green Farmer's Market we are celebrating their 3 year anniversary. Stop by Mary's Heirloom Seeds booth #110 for 10% OFF coupons to use at the market!!! Don't live in the area? Orders over $15 placed now through October 13th will include a FREE seed pack!  Mary's Workshops We are so pleased with the response from the Seed Starting Made Simple workshops.  It is very encouraging to have so many people interested in growing so we have 3 more events planned! Tuesday, October 15th @ 6:30pm  10 Ways to Avoid Chemicals in the Garden  -Build Healthy Soil for healthy plants and throw those chemicals away! Tuesday, October 29th @ 6:30pm  Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies (with recipes) -Health benefits of garden herbs and how to use them Thursday, November 7th @ 6:30pm  10 Ways to Avoid Chemicals in the Garden  -Build Healthy Soil for healthy plants and throw those chemicals away!  Growing Radish from Seed The German Giant is my favorite Radish.  It's not fancy or hard to grow and tastes great at any size.  The Radish may be a cool-weather crop but I continue to have success even in South Florida. Grow radishes in full sun or partial shade. Plant radishes in loose, well-drained soil. Remove soil lumps, rocks, and roots from radish planting beds. Obstructions can cause roots to grow malformed. Add organic matter to planting beds before sowing radishes. Radishes prefer a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.8. Sow radish seed ½ inch deep and 1 inch apart; thin successful seedlings from 1 to 4 inches apart in wide rows depending upon the variety. Continue Reading  Compost and Your Garden What is Compost? Compost is a natural soil amendment/garden fertilizer.  It can be made using kitchen scraps and yard "waste."  Not only does composting save money on expensive fertilizers, it keeps all of the organic "trash" from going into your garbage bins and out of the landfills.  Using compost improves soil structure, texture, aeration and increases the soils water-holding capacity. Warning: Everything I read about composting says not to use meat, dairy products or pet waste. Stay away from using lawn clipping if they are contaminated with weed killer or other harmful chemicals. Do you need to buy a fancy Compost Bin?  Nope!  I use a large "tuff-bin" with holes drilled in the bottom.  I've added kitchen scraps, yard clipping, shredded newspaper and then re-cover.  Every 4-5 days I turn the soil with a shovel to speed up decomposition.  Seaweed is a great activator and is high in nitrogen. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are produced naturally by the feeding of microorganisms and decomposing waste.  These are essential to a thriving veggie garden. Before you go, check out the PINK specials below.  It's October which means Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  New week I'll be sharing cancer-fighting veggies (like Broccoli Sprouts!) and herb varieties! Sincerely, Mary mary@marysheirloomseeds.com "While it is true that many people simply can't afford to pay more for food, either in money or time or both, many more of us can. After all, just in the last decade or two we've somehow found the time in the day to spend several hours on the internet and the money in the budget not only to pay for broadband service, but to cover a second phone bill and a new monthly bill for television, formerly free. For the majority of Americans, spending more for better food is less a matter of ability than priority."   Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto In This Issue Mary's Workshop Growing Radish Compost! "The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway."   Michael Pollan Natural and Organic, Non-GMO Soil Amendments PINK Seed Special For October we have several "PINK" varieties on sale. Seed Special Varieties expire October 15th Pink Oxheart Tomato French Breakfast Radish Giant Zinnia of California Butterfly Garden Wildflowers Orders $35 or more include Priority Mail Upgrade.  Orders place Monday-Friday ship within 24 hours, except for holidays. Minimum order $5.  Shipping is FREE. Offer Expires: October 15th, 2013