We have the Mighty Mato in stock now!

Like superheroes, Mighty ‘Mato Grafted Tomatoes are stronger,faster, more able to fend off foes than regular tomato plants – and their harvests are bigger!

Mighty ‘Mato goes above and beyond the call of duty, defending against pests, diseases, temperature extremes, and poor soils while producing long, abundant harvests of tasty fruit!

Grafting joins the top part of one plant (the scion) to the root system of a separate plant (the rootstock). As their tissues heal, they fuse into one super plant that combines the rootstock’s vigor and disease resistance with the scion’s exceptional fruit quality. Non-GMO. The graft must stay above soil level, and prune lateral suckers for best fruiting.

Consider the benefits of Mighty 'Mato Grafted Tomatoes vs. non-grafted tomatoes:

• Extreme vigor means better growth and more fruits
• Increased disease resistance means healthier plants
• Tolerates environmental stress from temperature extremes and poor soils
• More abundant fruit production over a longer period
• Non-GMO

Organics We Love!!

Here is a list of some of our favorite products for organic gardening.

Natural Guard Soil Activator - Soil Activator is a safe, natural way to help break down grass clippings and thatch “turning them into” nutrients. Think of it as dethatching your lawn biologically, instead of using a machine. Removing thatch helps fertilizer and water to penetrate the soil and encourages a deeper root system. Our alkaline, clayey soil binds tightly to nutrients; Soil Activator helps the soil to “loosen its grip” on those nutrients so your lawn can absorb them. It also contains ingredients that help to increase the growth of beneficial micro-organisms, improving your soil every time you use it. We recommend using Soil Activator in addition to a fertilizer program for better nutrient uptake.

Bonide Japanese Beetle Killer – It does just that, kills Japanese beetles… and a number of other insects. It is safe to use on edibles they love such as raspberries, basil, grapes, asparagus, etc.

Bonide Orchard Spray – If you have fruit trees or bushes, and you want big, delicious, bug and spot-free fruit then you need this all natural, truly effective spray. Bonide Orchard Spray controls a wide range of disease AND insect pests and can be used up to the day before harvest!

Tomato & Blossom Set Spray – We know it sounds like science fiction, but this product really works! Use this natural plant hormone spray on the tips of branches to promote flowering and on emerging flowers and adjacent leaves to increase fruit development. Nearly every blossom will produce larger, meatier, almost seedless tomatoes, ripening up to 3 weeks earlier. It can also make bean, cucumber, pepper, melon, and strawberry plants produce fruit earlier. Give it a try!

Espoma Tomato-tone – Speaking of tomatoes, one of our most frequently asked question is how to grow the perfect tomato, and we always recommend Tomato-tone. It is a complex blend of premium 100% natural organics including beneficial microbes that improve your soil and increase the uptake of nutrients and calcium which (when accompanied by proper watering) will prevent blossom end rot. Its slow release formula won’t burn and won’t leach away like water soluble fertilizers.

Tomato & Vegetable 3 in 1 – We recommend every fruit and vegetable gardener out there stock this product in their shed. It does it all! It kills aphids, mites, caterpillars, and even earwigs. PLUS it controls diseases such as black spot, powdery mildew, brown rot, and the dreaded blight! And best of all, you can use this all natural product up until the day before harvest.

Thanks to the mild weather it seems like I can say: "It's that time of year, again!" The unfortunate downside of the lack of snow is the fact we all have to look out our dead, icky planting beds and lawn. Wouldn't a fresh application of mulch make it look sooooo much better? I think so too.

We will start delivering our Barn Premium Mulch in early to mid-April depending on the weather. Our premium bulk mulch is the highest quality mulch available and we only stock this tier because we believe it is the best for your beds and plants. Triple processed, all hardwood bark mulch. What does that mean exactly? Hardwood "bark" mulch is made from the bark that comes off of hardwood trees when they are taken to the sawmills. Hardwood mulch can be any mulch containing any kind of hardwood. All mulch is not the same. By choosing our hardwood bark mulch, you can be confident strange and unusual things have not been thrown into the mix. The nutrients in the hardwood bark is great for your plants. It offers water conservation by providing a solid barrier against moisture evaporation and minimizes weeds. It looks good and IS good for you!

Our premium bulk mulch is sold for $44.99/yard with a $45 delivery fee to our local towns. During Mulch Madness taking place through April 7th, mulch is $42.50/yard. Call us at 847-658-3883 to set up a delivery this spring!

Since the weather is good this is a great week to get outside and count your birds.  The 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count takes place this month across North America, and is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Once you realize what a great variety and quantity of birds you have frequenting your back yard, stop by The Barn and pick up the right feeders and bird feeders for your local birds.
Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed.
Here's all you do:
Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20, 2012. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations.

"When thousands of people all tell us what they're seeing, we can detect patterns in how birds are faring from year to year," said Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Although it's called the Great "Backyard" Bird Count, the count extends well beyond backyards. Lots of participants choose to head for national parks, nature centers, urban parks, nature trails, or nearby sanctuaries. For more information, including bird-ID tips, instructions, and past results, visit www.birdcount.org. The count also includes a photo contest and a prize drawing for participants who enter their bird checklists online.