via fromhousetohome.com Spring is finally here! Which means warmer weather, longer days and gardening. Gardening can be a fun way to get out of the house and get into the sun! With so many different types of flowers, bushes and trees to choose from, how can you know which ones are right for you and your garden? Here are a few helpful tips on choosing the right plants for you! 1. Decide on Color Scheme
2. Vary Shape, Size and Texture
3. Where is the Sun?
4. Consider the Size of the Plants PurchasedDo you know one of the common problems with gardening and planting flowers? Getting plants that are too big! It's really easy to look at the current size of a plant in a pot and plan accordingly to that! But did you know that plants actually grow bigger once they are in the ground? You don't want to crowd the plants because then you're going to have do extra work of moving them around later. Just make sure when you are purchasing the plants, you know how big they will be once full grown. 5. SoilThis is an easy one! We all know that plants need some type of nutrients to help them grow. Soil is a main factor! With soil being such an important factor, two great soils are intelli-soil and soft soil. Our intelli-soil is great for house plants, hanging pots and even outside plants! It's specially formulated growing mix to help your plants grow and great looking plants with little maintainance. It's also enriched with wool pellets to help through whole growing season! Soft soil which is another great option it is packed with nutrients and it's great for raised garden beds! Don't forget your wool pellets! Wool pellets help your gardens by holding up to 20% their weight in water so it reduces the amount of time spent watering, they also wick away water to help reduce overwatering and they increase porosity for optimal root growth! Intelli-Soil potting mix
$12.99
Intelli-soil is a premium potting mix that is made from Coir, Terra Zest, and Wool Pellets. Intelli-soil is light and fluffy and will hold 40% more moisture while maintaining good drainage for strong root development. Plants in Intelli-soil have gone up to 7 days before signs of wilt. Intelli-soil comes in 1CF bags. Soft Soil
$38.00
A perfect blend of our screened topsoil and our premium compost. This is a great product for raised bed gardens!
Price is per cubic yard (about a pickup load), and will cover about 162 sqft 2 inches deep. Wool Pellets
$9.99
Wool Pellets are 100% Raw Wool from sheep, that adds nutrition to your plants. Wool Pellets are a 9-0-2 grade fertilizer. Wool Pellets will help hold water helping to reduce watering by 25% while still keeping the porosity in your soils. An 8 oz bag will cover about 15 square feet and is enough for at least 6 gallons of soil if used as directed.
There are definitely more tips and tricks when it comes to picking flowers for your garden and these just a few! Always remember that it's your garden, so you do what you want! Make it your own, add your style, interests anything! Show us pictures of your gardens in the comments below!
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Have you ever wondered how or why wool pellets are such a good idea? Especially when it comes to gardening and use in your yards? There are many reason as to why wool pellets are a good investment! It is an all Natural, 100% organic, single ingredient fertilizer. Which means it is either made of one singe ingredient or a combination of three others. Ours is a perfect balance of three nutrients, it contains 9% nitrogen, 1% phosphorus and 2% potassium. All together, those ingredients help with overall plant strength, flower and fruit development, root growth and water balance.
 These plants had not been watered in 8 days when this picture was taken 7-26-16. I am so happy, because now we can go on vacation without all my plants dying. Karen Wilde Utah Do you know where wool pellets come from? They come from our sheep (and other farmers sheep) every spring! Its that time of year again! Once the sheep is sheered, the main fleece from the sheep is sold to make clothes! Then the belly wool and "tags", wool from the back end of the sheep, is used to make the wool pellets. Exciting right? I love knowing where my products come from!
There are many reasons as to why wool pellets are a good investment for your gardens and these are just a few! Wool pellets are also made from 100% raw waste wool from U.S farmers! Who doesn't love locally grown products? I know I do! Here is are a couple of products that would work great with wool pellets! Check them out! via Dennis Patton Special to the Star via Wild Valley Farms  via Adele Wilcoxen Let's get started with the basics of gardening. Soil or potting mix. We've all been there trying to decide what soil to use in our yards, gardens or plants. But have you noticed there are many of different types of soil? It can become overwhelming and frustrating! Well I'm here to break it down for you and address the real issue of gardening. Soil vs Potting Mix. SOIL via landscapeforlife.org  Let's get the first question out of the way. What exactly is soil? Soil is a mixture of sand, silt and organic matter that supports plant growth. Soil is not dirt. Plants grow in soil. There is a couple different options when it comes to choosing which soil is right for your needs! Top SoilThe first options is topsoil. Some topsoil brands have a mixture of a natural layer that has formed at the surface from rock, decomposition, wind and water movement. Or what you already have in your yards. Here at Wild Valley Farms we have a topsoil is that from farm ground and has been screened to create a premium consistent product that does not have any rock or other debris. Head over to our products page and check out our Topsoil! Enriched TopsoilOk, here is the second option, enriched topsoil. Enriched topsoil is a mixture of topsoil and organic matter or compost. The organic matter in enriched topsoil helps improve the quality of the soil for better plant growth. Ours is called "SoftSoil". Our soft soil is perfect for your raised garden beds or anywhere you need a ton of packed nutrients! Gardens will thrive on the range of nutrients needed to maintain root health and give you that beautiful garden full of fruits and vegetables. Now that we have broken down the difference between the two, how do you know which one to buy and when? If you are just looking to fill maybe some holes or spots in your yard, topsoil is your go to. If you are wanting to help your fruits grow and get all those pack nutrients, use enriched topsoil or Soft Soil. Potting MixNow we are onto the other side of gardening. When and why to use potting mix. Potting mix is used in container gardening, such as your big potter plants or the tiny seedling plants in your homes. The best quality potting mixes don't contain soil (dirt). We call it soil because that is what we grow plants in. Our intelli-soil is a special formulated growing mix that is ready to use in your raised garden beds, hanging baskets and outside pots! Who doesn't love a good ready to use mix? I know I do! Here are a couple cool facts about our intelli-soil!
By: Jacoba Hopkins  Gardening can be super fun! But it can also be pretty expensive. If you're like me then you're always looking for an inexpensive way to bring your garden to life. I'll let you in on a few gardening hacks that may help you out. These hacks are great because they include many things that you probably already have around your home. They're cost effective and will definitely be a conversation starter! 1. Use Eggshells as Seedling Pots via squakfox  What gardener doesn't want cute healthy seedling plants in their home. Well, here is a simple and easy gardening hack that can be found in your fridge. Eggshells! Who would've thought? The eggshells are rich in calcium which helps promote plant growth. Here is all you need to do. Start by making a pinhole in the top of the egg. Use a knife to cut off the top 1/3 of the eggshell and drain the yoke. (You can also use cracked egg shells but make sure there is enough shell to create a container you can fill with some of our intelli-soil.) Throw in a little soil, plant the seeds, give them a little love and water, and walla! There you have a cute little seedling! (Here's helpful tip: Don't through away the carton just yet, use it as a base to store and transport the plants without dropping them! ) 2. Use a Citrus Peel via My Roman Apartment  You may think I'm crazy now, but just bare with me. Spring is a great time because everything is coming back into bloom. This next hack uses a citrus peel as a pot. Citrus peels are full of nutrients and can be used as an easy and inexpensive decorative pot item. Just simply take half of your citrus peel and fill it with Intelli-soil! 3. Foam Peanuts to fill heavy pots via The Family Handy Man  We all love big, heavy planting pots, but moving them is a whole different story. Usually I want to move them when my husband is at work and he can't help me. Here's a helpful hack just for that. Grab your pot and fill the bottom third of it with foam peanuts. The foam peanuts remove a lot of the weight and also increase drainage! Cover the foam peanuts with landscape fabric and fill the remaining space in the pot with intelligent-soil. This next step is super easy. Just grab your seeds and start planting away! Remember to check out these cute planter pots that Wild Valley Farms has to offer! 4. Coffee filters via popsugar  If you're like me and you're tired of the mess that your decorative planting pots leave behind, this hack is for you. Simply place a coffee filter in the bottom of your tiny planting pot before adding Intelli-soil. Your little coffee filter will help to prevent soil from seeping out the bottom of your pot while watering. Fill your pot with Intelli-soli and as your little plant grows, it will be thankful for that coffee filter.
 Spring, isn’t it an exciting time? Spring usually means warmer weather is just around the corner. This also means melting snow and the uncovering of your yards and gardens. Some of the many things that makes spring great is flowers blooming, fresh tilled dirt in garden beds, and a new breath of life for grass in the yard. This is the opportunity to bring color and life to your gardens and flower beds. There are many types of spring flowers. Here are some flowers you might consider when planning your garden this year; Pansy, bloodroot, snowdrop anemone, lilac, daffodil and my favorite tulips. When I think of tulips, I picture myself walking through fields full of them in the countryside of Holland. However, tulips originated from the Ottoman Empire, also known as present day Turkey. Tulips were actually imported into Holland in the sixteenth century by a man named Carolus Clusius. He wrote one of the first major books about tulips in 1952 which helped make these flowers so popular. They became so popular that his garden was raided and had bulbs stolen from it on a regular basis! Did you know that tulips are one of the best flowers to plant in the spring? They can be used in a variety of settings, formal naturalistic, or causal. Either way there is a tulip for everyone, from a diminutive four inch tall to a beautiful multi-foot-high blossom.  Here are some helpful tips on how to get your garden ready for the spring! 1. Inspect Raised Garden Beds We all know that winter can be harsh on our plants. From the freezing cold temperatures to the heavy snow fall we seem to get a lot of! Before you do anything, check for damage. It can become really easy to be ready to jumpstart your garden and then realize that you have bowed or split wood on the frames. 2. Check your Garden Tools Did you consider to look at your tools? There's a 50/50 chance you have everything you need. This may save you time in the long run when trying to prepare your garden for this year! A good wipe down of all your tools is always a good idea and will help them preform to their high function! Here's a helpful hint, if the wooden handles are starting to split or have cracks, you can wipe them down with boiled linseed oil! Which increases its resistance to warping and cracking. Cool right? 3. Turn Compost Now that we have the basics done, time to move into actually getting you garden ready! Now its time to get the soil ready. Here at Wild valley farms we have three different kinds of soils to choose from! There's our Intelli-soil which is a special formulated growing mix that is ready to use in your house plants, hanging baskets and outside pots! The second product is SoftSoil, SoftSoil is a special blend of premium topsoil and our Terra Zest, it's perfect for raised bed gardens. It's a two for one type of deal! Lastly we have good old Top Soil. Which has been screened to create a premium consistent product that has no rocks or other debris. Soft Soil
$38.00
A perfect blend of our screened topsoil and our premium compost. This is a great product for raised bed gardens!
Price is per cubic yard (about a pickup load), and will cover about 162 sqft 2 inches deep. Intelli-Soil potting mix
$12.99
Intelli-soil is a premium potting mix that is made from Coir, Terra Zest, and Wool Pellets. Intelli-soil is light and fluffy and will hold 40% more moisture while maintaining good drainage for strong root development. Plants in Intelli-soil have gone up to 7 days before signs of wilt. Intelli-soil comes in 1CF bags. 4. Top Dress Garden Beds Now that we've got the garden beds looking great, clean tools and your favorite compost/soil. Now its time to prep for putting those beautiful flowers in them! It's time to add the manure. There are two different types that Wild Valley Farms offers; Steer and Horse. Here's the breakdown of the two. Steer manure is used for a variety of lawn and garden needs. It helps improve the soil quality and health. Horse manure is well aged and broken down to provide a great natural fertilizer, it contains sawdust bedding to help loosen clay soils. We recommend top dressing with our Terra Zest which is a high quality compost. 5. Divide Perennials We are finally on to the fun part, adding the flowers! Go to your local store and pick up some of your favorite seedlings. Or if your neighbor has some flowers/seeds that you like, ask them to see if you could use them or maybe trade some of what you bought for what they have! It's a very cost efficient way to add and give! Remember no to use any plant if they show signs of disease or discoloration. You wouldn't want to bring it to your new garden!  6. Weed and Mulch! Lets get rid of those pesky weeds! Nothing ruins your day and garden like weeds! Remove young, sprouting weeds first and then add a layer of cardboard or landscape fabric onto the bare ground. Next, add about three to four inches of mulch. That is a sufficient amount to discourage any new weeds. Finally, plant your gardens tightly with your favorite perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs to try and crowd out the weeds. Want to add a little bit of color to your garden? We offer five different colors of mulch to help add that little extra you might be wanting! Colored Mulches
$36.00
Our premium colored mulch is made from kiln dried wood which is why it holds it's color for 2 years before fading. Price is per cubic yard(a yard is about a pickup load), and will cover about 162 sqft 2 inches deep.
Choose which Color you want by checking the small color box, then you can choose your Quantity. Quantity is by the yard. Delivery is only available in Utah and Western Wyoming. Add in the comments when your prefered delivery time would be and we will call to finalize. 7. Prune
Now that you've done all the work, it's time to keep it all under control. Remove any dead branches from the shrubs, pull any weeds that might pop up. Also thin and shape the hedges, they need to look nice as well! Hopefully these tips will help you feel a little less overwhelmed with getting your lawn and garden ready for the coming warm months! By Cindy Cloninger
One of the best things about gardening is transforming a space into something of beauty. Planning, nurturing, working, and cultivating such a space not only awakens life to thrive in the small garden space but also inspires life within us.
In recent years, gardeners old and young have been combining crafting and gardening into a space to create fun and whimsical fairy worlds. These small spaces exist among your already established flowerbeds, nestled under a tree, or can be created in pots and boxes of their own. They can be created on scales large and small and crafted by your or have many store-bought elements added. They can blend in seamlessly with your landscape becoming almost hidden in plain sight or burst with color.
These are such fun and unique little projects that require ingenuity and imagination and cultivate a love of growing things, rather than the mundane task of weeding kids often associate with gardening.
Here are some fun and unique ways you can create your very own fairy garden with your kids, grand-kids, or just for your own enjoyment to be enjoyed in and outdoors. 
Get Your Imagination Flowing
Creating a world where tiny little people, animals, and fairies can live and love is a great way to set your kids imaginations running. Try inspiring them with a trip to the library to check out a few great books and movies to watch.
Here are just a few to get you started:
Bridge to Terabithia, Tinkerbell, Epic, The Borrowers, Smurfs, Indian in the cupboard, Night at the Museum, Tumbelina, The secret world of Arrietty, Horton Hears a Who, The Littles, Peter Pan, Gnomeo & Juliet, and Strawberry Shortcake.
Next, brainstorm what they (the fairies) might need or enjoy in their world. Drawing out some of those things is a fun exercise in creativity. Check out Pinterest board, Fairy Gardening for some great ideas and do-it-yourself crafts (she even has fairy bicycles). ImgSave.me has tons of photos for you to browse through. My Fairy Gardens website is a store to behold with hundreds of themed items to get you thinking. But don’t get daunted by thinking of the cost as we’ll show you many great low-cost and even recycling options.
Plan Out Your Tiny World
The next step is planning and preparation. Decide where and what your fairy world will live in. Map out some of the plants and structural elements you want to include, both the natural and crafted. There are options to fit every skill, time, and imagination. From the tiniest teacup to an expansive garden box. These elements don’t have to be expensive. They can come from your own yard and garden, a nature walk, your local nursery, or craft and dollar stores.
CONTAINERS
A fairy garden can be a tiny part of your existing flowerbeds. Pick a location under a tree or near a rock outcropping or stump.
You may also choose to create something new in a unique or fun container or box. A hollowed out stump, painted pale, teacup, or an old wooden box is fun options. Yard sale finds can be great choices too. A fishbowl, old birdbath, empty cake pans, and baskets make great fairy gardens.
This video has some fun ideas.
SOIL
Choosing a nutrient-rich soil like our Terra Zest is a perfect environment for your succulents and tiny plants to thrive. Because it is all natural and chemical free, Terra Zest is safe for little hand to play in. To help with watering and slow release, all natural fertilizing, be sure to mix in a bag of Wool Pellets.
Wool Pellets
$9.99
Wool Pellets are 100% Raw Wool from sheep, that adds nutrition to your plants. Wool Pellets are a 9-0-2 grade fertilizer. Wool Pellets will help hold water helping to reduce watering by 25% while still keeping the porosity in your soils. An 8 oz bag will cover about 15 square feet and is enough for at least 6 gallons of soil if used as directed.
Nutri Wool Pot
$11.99
Nutri Wool Pots are a 2.5 Quart fabric pot that are made in the USA. Nutri Wool pots will help air prune roots, and will hold water better than any other fabric pot. Are 100% bio-degradable and will help feed plants when pots are placed in the soil.
Terra Zest
$35.00
Terra Zest for your garden, flower beds, or anywhere you want to improve your soil and retain moisture. Try planting your tomatoes straight into Terra Zest, you will love the results! Price is per cubic yard(a yard is about a pickup load), and will cover about 162 sqft 2 inches deep. Read more about Terra Zest and how to use it in your garden and flowerbeds:Terra Zest Premium Organic and All Natural Compost - Wild Valley Farms Product Highlight 
PLANT CHOICES
When selecting plants, be sure to note the mature sizes so they won’t overcrowd and dwarf your little world. You can, however, plant larger growing ones in a container for one season and then transplant them as they out grow your fairy garden. Succulents are the most popular plants to add in and near your fairy garden. Some great choices are hens and chicks and sedum. Don't forget about adding in some great herbs like creeping thyme. Ferns, moss, miniature petunias and daisies, along with many varieties of ground cover, and strawberries can make a unique and fun little world for your fairies.
Check out this how-to video to make a one season only fairy garden
ELEMENTS THAT MAKE IT MAGICAL
To make your fairy garden stand out and be completely different from your normal garden, you will need to add elements that make it feel like it’s a world of its own
NATURAL ELEMENTS
Pieces that are naturally found in nature look beautiful in fairy gardens. You can leave them in their rustic state, or craft them into something else entirely. A few examples are a birdhouse, twig latter, twig door, sand and pebble pathways, furniture from twigs and painted rocks, moss covered dwellings, driftwood and decaying tiny logs, water features, log slices, moss pathways, seashells, gourds, and coral.
STORE BOUGHT AND HANDMADE ELEMENTS
Bring everyday living to life with touches of home. The ideas are endless, from rivers, paths, waterfalls, to every type of home, swing, work and leisure items around. Really use your imagination here. Some elements you can add, buy, or make are: fake flowers, popsicle stick bench, mini bird bath with small terra cotta pots or teacups and saucers, handmade tent/ tee-pee, colored rock pathway, fake birds, night lighthouses made from water bottles, hot glue gun waterfall, fairies, river, and mushrooms just to name a few.
The dollhouse aisle at our local craft store will have endless choices right down to miniature gardening tools. 
Check out these other fun gardening things to do with your kids this summer.
Cindy CloningerVirtual Assistant, blog manager, email & social media marketing assistant, web development. I enjoy hiking, fresh fruits & veggies, planting flowers, and cooking great meals. But I love being a wife and mother the most. When I'm not doing all of those, I love to read and try new things. Despite the forecast, live like it's spring. By Cindy Cloninger  You’ve reaped the benefits of wool in clothing, blankets, and now gardening with Wool Pellets and Nutri Wool Pots. But have you ever wondered what goes into shearing herd of sheep? Spring is a busy time on a ranch, and it’s no different for the Wilde family on their ranch in Croydon, Utah. Working on a ranch that has been in the family for over 6 generations, in a valley nestled among the rocky mountains brings early mornings, hard work, beautiful views, and family togetherness.  The Wilde family ranch has been in operation for six generations. With over 2800 sheep, the shearing process involves planning, and lots of people. Traditionally, shearing a herd of this size would take weeks and be near impossible to do alone. For one individual to shear one sheep requires about 20 minutes. For the Wilde herd, that’s roughly 240 hours. But modern practices are able to reduce time drastically. Professional shearers can shear one sheep in 5 minutes.
  Sheep have evolved over the years because of human behavior of removing their wool. Primitive sheep like Bighorns in the West still shed most of their wool every year. And domestic sheep, the ones raised primarily for their meat, will do some shedding. But for the majority of sheep, there is continual wool growth.  Wool just keeps growing and growing if humans don’t cut it off. In New Zealand in 2004 a rancher happened upon a sheep that was barely recognizable. It was estimated that, Shrek (as he was named), was believed to have escaped shearing for 6 years by hiding in caves at shearing time. When Shrek was eventually sheared, the wool cut weighed over 60 lbs! There was enough wool to produce 20 men’s suits.  Today, most modern ranchers hire traveling teams of shearers. This team starts out in California in early Jan and slowly makes it way eastward across the United States, ranch by ranch, ending the shearing season in June. Each day having sheared 200 sheep, one team of professional shearers can easily end the season having sheared over 20,000 sheep. WOW!
During the winter, our herd grazes in Southern Utah about 50 miles west of Delta. In one day near the end of April they are loaded onto 10 semi trucks and brought back to Croydon. We plan for them to come in a little early, usually 1-2 days before shearing.  
  With the sheep in place and the hired teams brought in, shearing is ready to start. The herd is then separated out for the shearing by wool quality and breed. With the exception of poultry, it is believed that there are more breeds of sheep than any other livestock species! Divided into categories for meat, wool/hair type, and face color. The most common types are fine wool, long wool, medium meat wool sheep, carpet wool (the coarsest wool), hair sheep, fat-tailed, short or rat-tailed, prolific breeds, and primitive breeds. The Rambouillet is the most common breed of sheep in the U.S. Besides being known for their high-quality wool, they are known for their longevity and strong flocking instinct.
Our ranch has 2 breeds of sheep, Columbia and Suffolk. The Columbia is one of the first breeds developed in the United States in nearby Laramie, Wyoming and refined in Idaho.. Columbia sheep were developed by the United States Department of Agriculture as a true breeding type to replace cross breeding on the range. In 1912, rams of the long wool breeds were crossed with high quality Rambouillet ewes to produce large ewes yielding more pounds of wool and more pounds of lamb. Columbia sheep are bred for the softness of the wool and classified as a medium wool. They are large, white faced and have heavy white fleece that grows all over.
Suffolk are black faced and bred mainly for meat with coarser wool. If you’ve been to the county fair, this is the breed that are shown by adults and children in FFA shows.  The sheep are taken into the shearing containers where these expert shearers begin their work. The annual shearing most often occurs in a shearing shed, a facility especially designed to process hundreds. Some ranches shear more than 3,001 sheep per day in these facilities with professional shearers. Some professional shearers can shear a sheep in less than 2 minutes. The world record is 37.9 seconds!! Once freed from their wooly winter coats, the sheep are then released to graze in the green mountain pastures from May to November.  During shearing, the fleece is removed in one piece. High-quality fleeces are skirted. Skirting is when the undesirable parts of the fleece are removed from the rest of the fleece. Undesirables include bellies, top knots, and tags. The soft, high quality wool is taken and loaded onto trucks where they are taken to wool markets and companies bid on the wool. These end up in sweaters, blankets, suits, and all sorts of textiles and uses for consumers.
Waste wool, that has traditionally been unsellable still has it’s uses. The Albert Wilde took this waste wool and created, WOOL PELLETS. Wool Pellets are made from this less desirable fleece and are the perfect aid to your garden soil. What he discovered creates an entirely all natural, organic and recyclable addition that boosts plant growth of all kinds.  The natural occurring property of wool carries a natural fertilizing value of 9-0-2 NPK. Their wooly nature holds up to 20x their weight in water, reducing watering times without causing rot. The microscopic make up of wool is like a tiny barbed wire for common garden pests like slugs and snails. Created in easy to mix pellets they release slowly over time giving just the right amount of nutrients while allowing much needed room for oxygen and root growth. Wool Pellets
$9.99
Wool Pellets are 100% Raw Wool from sheep, that adds nutrition to your plants. Wool Pellets are a 9-0-2 grade fertilizer. Wool Pellets will help hold water helping to reduce watering by 25% while still keeping the porosity in your soils. An 8 oz bag will cover about 15 square feet and is enough for at least 6 gallons of soil if used as directed.
With sheep aiding in the creation of wool pellets for your garden, flower beds and gardens bursting with strong and robust blooms are a natural part of Springtime. Nothing says spring like freshly shorn sheep and what comes after…..lambing.  Cindy CloningerVirtual Assistant, blog manager, email & social media marketing assistant, web development. I enjoy hiking, fresh fruits & veggies, planting flowers, and cooking great meals. But I love being a wife and mother the most. When I'm not doing all of those, I love to read and try new things. Despite the forecast, live like it's spring. By Cindy Cloninger  Premium all natural and organic compost is an essential part to creating a great garden. Learn all about Wild Valley Farms, Terra Zest in this article.  Since the creation of the earth, decomposition has been in play. Rock, trees, leaves, grasses, foods, and all types of organic matter have been broken down over time to create the soils that surround us. Because the minerals, bedrock, climate, moisture, and plants vary depending on geographical location, soil content and make up varies too. Ideally, you want to create a soil that helps retain moisture and has adequate aeration. Ideal soil is dark and has the full range of organic nutrients that release slowly over time. Soil like this allows for deep root growth and ideal environment for your plants. If your soil doesn’t look like this, or you are combatting hard and compacted soil. Terra Zest is the solution you have been looking for. Terra Zest compost blend is the solution for softening your soil. What is Terra Zest?Our premium organic and all natural Terra Zest is a special blend of manure, sawdust, and hygroscopic fiber (wool). There are two main components that make up any compost. 'Greens', or table scraps and yard waste, and 'Browns', or manures. The main difference in any compost is feedstock or the materials that you start with. You need "Greens" and "Browns" or Nitrogen and Carbon. There are many different sources of "Greens" or Nitrogen and using the best sources yield the best results. The quality of materials used are a key component in the making of a great compost.
 Terra Zest is screened to remove and debris, then carefully tested to make a uniform product. Terra Zest will help your soil retain moisture and works as a slow release fertilizer that lasts all year long, (unlike chemical fertilizers that only last for a few weeks), and it won’t burn your lawn or plants. This premium compost blend is safe for use around children or pets immediately after use. Wild Valley Farms is committed to delivering all natural, organic, and safe products to our customers. Special care is taken in every stage of development to ensure you receive a nutrient dense, long lasting, and uniform compost soil. We also make a special Golf Course blend that helps green up grasses faster and helps keep high traffic areas softer.  What are the Benefits of Wild Valley Farm Terra Zest compost blend?
We not only sell Terra Zest in bulk and deliver in Northern Utah, we also offer installation so the back breaking labor is done for you. You can also find it at many garden retailers in the US and Canada. 
 
Cindy CloningerVirtual Assistant, blog manager, email & social media marketing assistant, web development. I enjoy hiking, fresh fruits & veggies, planting flowers, and cooking great meals. But I love being a wife and mother the most. When I'm not doing all of those, I love to read and try new things. Despite the forecast, live like it's spring.
By Cindy Cloninger
The best varieties of heirloom seeds and plants to put in your garden and flowerbeds.
A resurgence in heirloom varieties of flowers and vegetables provide a unique opportunity to add a bit of nostalgia and family connection to your garden and flowerbeds.
Smells Like Nostalgia
Have you ever gone somewhere and smelled something and instantly you were transported to another place and time? So many of our memories are tied to smells. Actually, researchers have discovered that smells travel through the nose, cranial nerve through the olfactory bulb to help the brain process smells. The olfactory bulb and amygdala are both part of the limbic system, the emotional center of the brain. This close relationship between the olfactory and the amygdala is one of the reason odors cause a spark of nostalgia.
Dr. Ken Heilman, James E. Rooks Jr. Distinguished Professor Neurology and Health Psychology at the University of Florida and a member of AAN says,
Smells do bring back memories, smell goes into the emotional parts of the brain and the memory parts, whereas words go into thinking parts of the brain.
Whether it’s pumpkin pie, freshly baked bread, or your mother’s perfume, smell can invite sweet memories into our lives is pleasant. This got me thinking about all the things I have loved about my childhood home and sharing a backyard with my grandparents who enjoyed 4 acres of crops, blooms, and orchards.
Terra Zest
$35.00
Terra Zest for your garden, flower beds, or anywhere you want to improve your soil and retain moisture. Try planting your tomatoes straight into Terra Zest, you will love the results! Price is per cubic yard(a yard is about a pickup load), and will cover about 162 sqft 2 inches deep. Read more about Terra Zest and how to use it in your garden and flowerbeds:Terra Zest Premium Organic and All Natural Compost - Wild Valley Farms Product Highlight Colored Mulches
$36.00
Our premium colored mulch is made from kiln dried wood which is why it holds it's color for 2 years before fading. Price is per cubic yard(a yard is about a pickup load), and will cover about 162 sqft 2 inches deep.
Choose which Color you want by checking the small color box, then you can choose your Quantity. Quantity is by the yard. Delivery is only available in Utah and Western Wyoming. Add in the comments when your prefered delivery time would be and we will call to finalize. Wool Pellets
$9.99
Wool Pellets are 100% Raw Wool from sheep, that adds nutrition to your plants. Wool Pellets are a 9-0-2 grade fertilizer. Wool Pellets will help hold water helping to reduce watering by 25% while still keeping the porosity in your soils. An 8 oz bag will cover about 15 square feet and is enough for at least 6 gallons of soil if used as directed.
Plant a Memory
Like me, many of you may have fond memories of making your way up the walkway of your grandparents' homes and all of the vibrant colors and smells that invited you into their hearts and homes. Join by remembrances of lessons taught by your grandfather as he pruned trees and bushes or taught tips for a good harvest in his overalls. I loved being in my grandparents garden and all of the yummy smells that are such a part of my childhood. Delicious raspberries, peaches, and lilacs. So much of what I have in my flowerbeds and garden have been influenced by generations past.
If every time you get your hands in the dirt or smell those long forgotten scents, memories come flooding back, you may enjoy planting a memory garden. 
Gardening in the Past
There is much we can learn from generations that have gone before about gardening.
I have been inspired by the wartime efforts of citizens in both WWI and WWII. In March 1917, just weeks after the US entered WWI, the National War Garden Commission encouraged Americans to contribute to the war effort by planting, harvesting and donating from their gardens. During WWI a huge food crisis had emerged with Europe's crops turning into battlefields. The burden of feeding millions fell to the United States. 
Promoting "sow the seeds of victory" to housewives and become "soldiers of the soil" to school children, 3 million new garden plots were planted in 1917 alone, and more than 5.2 million were cultivated in 1918 Victory gardens.
Victory gardens were again promoted in WWII with the loss of laborers to fight in the war. Nearly 20 million Americans answered the call.The US Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 20 million victory gardens were planted. Fruit and vegetables harvested in these home and community plots were estimated to be 9-10 million tons, an amount equal to all commercial production of fresh vegetables. It's amazing what a few people working together in small ways can do!!
Times Change
In the US alone, there are many varieties of flowers and crops that have gone out of fashion and have all but gone extinct. The reason for this may lie, in part, to the way our suburban lifestyles have changed through the decades.
1920's
During the 1920’s most homes didn’t have fences, but walkways and separation between houses were lined with perennials. Popular choices included, Canterbury bells, irises, foxgloves, phlox, pyrethrum, coreopsis, hollyhocks, roses, columbine, delphinium, poppies, and carnations and annuals, such as California poppies, cosmos, petunias, snapdragons, verbena, bachelor’s buttons, Centaurea (sweet sultan), strawflowers, marigolds, Drummond phlox, asters, etc. Shrubs were boxwood, holly, yews, and abelia.
1930's
In the 1930’s the Great Depression stifled many flowerbeds, but large rose gardens were still popular along with hostas, lilacs, and hydrangeas.
Many in this era had their own compost piles to provide nutrient-rich soil for optimal growth and production. Today, this practice is less common. You can still get those same organic benefits and reap the same harvest because we’ve taken the time-consuming process and done it for you. Soft Soil, Wild Valley Farm’s premium blend of topsoil and premium is ready and easily available to add to your garden.
1950's
With the booming economic and suburban growth in the 1950’s, consumerism made its mark. Boxed hedges, gnomes & flamingos dotted landscapes, while garden flowers were over-sized, vibrant and colorful, for instance, large tea roses like Garden Party roses, Tiffany roses, and Chrysler Imperial roses were popular choices.
Giant Zinnias were another popular choice for fence lines. This video shows how to grow them and a few other heirloom varieties.
1970's
In the 1970’s Homeowners sought to do more with the land they had. As a result, vegetable and herb gardens, along with shrubs and trees that produced fruits became commonplace in home landscapes.
While adding smell, beauty, and eye-catching design, that may not have been all that dictated some of the choices of flowers and plants in Grandpa’s garden. Many in generations past understood some of the unique relationships held between plants. Often, plants can mutually benefit each other through pest repellent or environmental factors. This is known as companion planting. Learn more in our article Companion Planting for the 8 Most Popular Plants in Your Garden.
Time spent in our gardens and yard space can pay off in bountiful crops and hearty harvests. To ensure that end, focusing on the condition of the soil they are planted in is essential. Gardens love our wool pellets, providing porosity for optimal and deep root growth while keeping away fatal crop pest like slugs and snail. Read more about wool pellets and the natural release fertilizer they release in 6 Reasons You Should Be Using Wool Pellets in Your Garden Soil.
Heirloom Seeds And Plants
Have you already planted a memory garden or at least a few blooms into your flowerbeds? If so you are joining a movement that has been growing to bring back and keep from extinction many plant varieties. This resurgence has created an industry of heirloom seeds and plants. If you are wondering where you can get your hands on some of these older and less common varieties, we suggest Heritage Flower Farm and Select Seeds. There are also many seed swapping groups that are worth looking into.
Plant in a container
Give your favorite flowers a place of prominence by planting them in a Nutri wool pot. Different from most potting containers, Nutri Wool Pots are made of natural materials, that protect your plants from overheating and better insulate them from extreme temperatures.
Wool Pellets
$9.99
Wool Pellets are 100% Raw Wool from sheep, that adds nutrition to your plants. Wool Pellets are a 9-0-2 grade fertilizer. Wool Pellets will help hold water helping to reduce watering by 25% while still keeping the porosity in your soils. An 8 oz bag will cover about 15 square feet and is enough for at least 6 gallons of soil if used as directed.
 Nutri Wool Pots are available for purchase at www.wildvalleyfarms.com
We already know the benefits that wool can provide as it breaks down over time releasing the perfect amount of nutrients to your tender plants and the barrier to pests like slugs and snails. Now you can have the added convenience of planting directly in these colorful Nutri Wool Pots. They look beautiful on any porch or balcony and because of their dense fibers, they hold the water making them the perfect container for your blooms and crops.
An added benefit of the completely organic pots is the biodegradable factor. These little beauties can be planted directly in the soil when you are ready for making a more permanent home for the plants that grace the steps of your porch. The bright colored pots and beautiful smells from your flowers will bring sweet memories each time you step onto your porch. Read about other great container plants in 15 Plants to Grow in a Nutri Wool Pot or Container.
Flowers from my grandparents and even great-grandparents that I have planted in my own garden are violas or Johnny jump ups, irises, and buttercups. Each time I see or smell I am intrinsically tied to a time in the past and surrounded by sweet memories of those I love.
What flowers or plants bring back memories to you? We’d love to hear from you!
Cindy CloningerVirtual Assistant, blog manager, email & social media marketing assistant, web development. I enjoy hiking, fresh fruits & veggies, planting flowers, cooking great meals. But I love being a wife and mother the most. When I'm not doing all of those, I love to read and try new things. No matter the forecast, live like it's spring.
By Cindy Cloninger
Like all good friends, 'vegetable friends' help each other out. Did you know that onions & leeks repel carrot flies? Or that lettuce tenderizes summer radishes? Knowing which plants benefit the other is a secret to successful gardening. And who doesn't love hanging out with a good friend?
There are lots of combinations of plants that grow really well together and have beneficial components for one another. We’ve narrowed this overwhelming and sometimes confusing process down for you. We've compiled a list of the most common crops, with the most beneficial plants to put together to take the guesswork out of companion planting and guarantee you’ll reap the benefits. 
What is companion planting?
While you may not have tried it, companion planting is all around us. The most common practice today comes from industrial farming where it is a common practice to plant vetch or legumes in the fall after harvest. Native Americans used this practice but called it, Three Sisters, planting corn, beans, and squash together.
So why go to all the trouble to plant next to each other or in the same space? The main benefits of companion planting are to provide mutually beneficial outcomes in soil nutrients, erosion control, weed control, deterring or attracting insects, and providing shade. 
Tomato
Carrots
Lettuce
Peas
Cucumber
Our last three have been planted together for hundreds of years so we’ve kept them together.
Squash, Beans, & Corn
Flowers
Adding if flowers around the borders of your garden and in between can attract pollinators, insects that will eat those that are a nuisance, and add beauty and color to the overall appearance of your garden beds.
Watch this great little video to learn why marigolds, buckwheat, lavender, daisies, and hollyhocks are great in your garden. And what some of the best flowers you haven’t even thought of to plant in your garden are. What are your favorite garden combinations?
Recap the best vegetable friends with this quick slideshow:Cindy CloningerVirtual Assistant, blog manager, email & social media marketing assistant, web development. I enjoy hiking, fresh fruits & veggies, planting flowers, cooking great meals. But I love being a wife and mother the most. When I'm not doing all of those, I love to read and try new things. No matter the forecast, live like it's spring. |
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