10 Fun Facts

FROST CAN MAKE VEGETABLES SWEETER! When cool season vegetables come into contact with frost, they naturally react to the cold and produce EXTRA SUGARS which can make some of the more BITTER tasting vegetables taste rather SWEET. So start planting your cool season veggies now. What do you like to plant in early spring? ​

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During the 1600s, tulips were so valuable in Holland that their bulbs were worth more than gold. The craze was called tulip mania, or tulipomania, and caused the crash of the Dutch economy. Tulips can continue to grow as much as an inch per day after being cut.

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There are more microorganisms in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth. It's aliiiiive! OK, in all seriousness, that fact might make you itchy, but microbes are important for keeping your soil full of nutrients. WATCH FOR OUR UPCOMING GARDENING BLOG ABOUT JUST THAT.

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A compost pile should reach an inside temperature between 140-160 degrees fahrenheit and this temperature should be maintain for at least three weeks. This cooks out 99.9% of any seeds and kills all pathogens. The whole compost process should take 6 months or more.

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The white lily, the symbol of the resurrection, is the special Easter flower. But did you know that only the white and tiger lilies are known by their beautiful smell. Other species of lily are odorless. The Lily is a perennial plant which means that it can survive more than two years in the wild. The Lily flower consists of 6 tepals (fused sepals and petals). It can survive for days in a vase and even longer if you remove the pollen from the flower. 

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Did you know the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970? Yep, Earth Day originated in the US but became recognized worldwide by 1990. On Earth Day 2009, Disney released a documentary film called Earth that followed the migration paths of four animal families. (I LOVE the Earth films, dont you?) Every year on April 22, men, women, and children collect garbage, plant trees, clean up coral reefs, show movies, sign petitions, and plan for a better future for our planet. What do you plan to do? 

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Buy Wool Pellets

Did you know that Arbor Day has been around for 145 years?!?!? It has. Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska on April 10th, 1872. On that first Arbor Day there were approximately 1 million trees planted. 1 MILLION TREES!!! In 1872!! When J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day back in 1872, his idea was simple—set aside a special day for tree planting. Trees help improve out lives in so many ways. Make plans to plant some in your area. Visit the www.arborday.org for tips and resources and don't forget to head on over to www.wildvalleyfarms to get nutrient packed soil and wool pellets to give your trees the aid they need. Trees love our wool pellets. Trees need lots of water in the early stages, wool pellets hold 10x their water and give the porosity roots need to grow.

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Did you know that the first full week in May is INTERNATIONAL COMPOST AWARENESS WEEK?!?! The GOAL of this education initiative is to RAISE the AWARENESS of the public regarding the BENEFITS of using COMPOST to improve or maintain high quality soil, to grow healthy plants, reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides, improve water quality and protect the environment. The program includes a poster contest, programs at schools and activities and events promoted through governments, public municipalities and local businesses. CLICK on the LINK to see how you can get involved. http://compostfoundation.org/icaw

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Mother’s Day sees around one quarter of all flowers purchased throughout the year falling on this holiday. Some of the most popular Mother’s Day flowers include lilies, orchards, tulips, roses, irises and callas. Although pink is a traditional color favorite for Mother’s Day flowers, brighter, bolder color combinations are becoming the trend. Popular plants for Mother’s Day include hydrangea, azaleas, chrysanthemums and blooming kalanchoe plants. Are you planning to give flowers this Mother's Day? WOOL PELLETS are perfect for potted containers and lower the amount of times you need to water. 

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The daffodil’s name is from the Old English, affo dyle, or “that which cometh early,” because it is one of the earliest blooming flowers. The Romans believed the sap from these flowers had special healing powers.