Why Buy from Local Independent Stores?
There are many well-documented benefits to our communities and to each of us when we shop at local, independently owned businesses. We realize it is not always possible to buy what you need locally or from independents and so we merely ask you to Think Local FIRST!

Top Ten reasons to Think Local--Buy Local--Be Local

Buy Local--Support yourself:
Studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms--continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community. Locally-owned businesses generate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the community and our tax base.) Shopping at neighborhood and independent retailers not only supports small business owners but also preserves jobs and supports the local economy. For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 goes back to the community in the form of taxes, salaries, charitable contributions and more. When shopping at a national chain, that amount drops down to $43.

Support community groups:
Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.

Keep our community unique:
Where we shop, where we eat and have fun--all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.

Reduce environmental impact:
Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.

Create more jobs:
Small local businesses are the largest employers nationally and in our communities, providing the most jobs to residents.

Get better service:
Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.

Invest in community:
Local businesses are owned by people who live in your community, and are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the future of your community.

Put your taxes to good use:
Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.

Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy:
A marketplace of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based NOT on a national sales plan but on the interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.

Encourage local prosperity:
In an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!

Start cold crop vegetables such as broccoli, broccoli raab, cauliflower,carrots, endive, arugula, collards, swiss chard, turnips to name a few! Try to start them indoors six to eight weeks before you plan to transplant them outdoors. Stop in and check out our seed racks and seed starting kits.

"Long Island Grown" Flowers from CJ Van Bourgondien sold at Van Bourgondien Nursery

Planting pansies, ranunculus & primroses is a fabulous way to brighten up your flower pots and your garden at the end of winter. They are some of the earliest flowering plants in spring. Pansies are one of our favorite flowers because of their cheerful faces and the large variety of colors that they come in. The pansy, a relative of the viola, is named from the French word pensée, which means thought. It was probably named that because the pansy looks like it has a face. When a bouquet of pansies is given to you, it means, "I'm thinking of you." Happy Gardening! ;o)

If you have ever wondered how to get some of the same great flavors you find in top restaurants, consider planting the secret weapon that fine cooks employ--a chef's garden. Get the most out of your garden by adding not only beauty but an endless bounty of flavor as well!

A good chef's garden incorporates the attributes of every location in the garden to produce a variety of flavorful food. Start with a boring fence line. Instead of flowering vines, consider attaching a few trellises and planting a variety of different table grapes.

To block out the neighbor's windows and create privacy, plant fruit trees. You can harvest apricots and cherries in June; nectarines, peaches, plums and pluots in July and August; and apples, pears and persimmons in September and October.

Semi-shaded areas are a great place to plant berries. If you have the room to allow them to roam, consider planting blackberries, boysenberries, and raspberries. Are you looking for something a little more formal? Consider blueberries.

Save the sunniest location for your vegetable garden. Remember to plant "fruit" and "root" vegetables for summer. Plant "leaf" and "flower" vegetables in winter. Don't forget to add a little color with tasty nasturtiums--and save some space for a crop of strawberries, artichokes, and horseradish. Are you short on space? No problem. Herbs do wonderfully in containers--and no chef should be without them. You'd perhaps be surprised how many vegetables can also be grown in containers. And don't forget dwarf fruit trees!

The key to creating a great chef's garden is to look at every available location in your garden with the eyes of a chef. The possibilities are endless and the rewards are delicious. Are you getting hungry, now? Then don't delay, start planning your chef's garden today.

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One of the true pleasures home gardeners can experience is growing their own fruit. And with a little planning, it's possible to have an extended harvest season. Even gardens that are short on space can have an extended harvest if the proper planting techniques are used.

The key to an extended or year-round harvest is understanding the ripening times of fruit trees. With deciduous fruit trees, you can start with early varieties of apricots that ripen as early as mid-May, followed by a crop of cherries in June. The summer months bring nectarines, peaches, plums and pluots in from mid-June through August. After that, apples, pears and persimmons ripen in September and October. Figs will bear fruit from early summer to late fall.

If you are short on space, consider planting more than one variety in the same hole. Just make sure to plant trees with similar growing habits. Apples, cherries and pears tend to be the fastest and highest growers. Most deciduous fruit trees will produce a great-tasting crop of fruit as long as they receive at least 5-6 hours of sunlight during the growing season.

The final secret to getting great tasting fruit is to wait until the fruit has ripened completely on the tree. This allows the sugar content to be at its highest level. The problem with most store-bought fruit is that it is harvested long before it is ripe so it will stand up to the rigors of shipping. The fruit never develops the same intense flavor on a shelf as it does on the tree.

Now is a great time to plan your home fruit orchard. If you have any questions, our staff of fruit tree experts will be happy to help you plan your fruit tree garden!

We Carry Garden Elements Organic Fertilizers!

The Lenten rose--helleborus (also known as Christmas rose)--is one of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow. It has the ability to bloom in the colder months of the year when other plants are sleeping, making it the star of any late winter/early spring garden.

This sturdy little evergreen plant originally hails from southern Europe and parts of western Asia. It grows 12-18" high and wide, with shiny, blue-green, leathery leaves and finely-toothed edges. It produces flowers from as early as late fall in warmer regions all the way to late spring in colder climates.

The Lenten rose gets its name from its flowers, that tend to be the most prolific around the period of Lent. Each plant produces many flower stalks that bear a single 2 to 4 inch single or double bloom. Thanks to an increase in hybridizing, the flower colors range from slate grey, near-black, deep purple and plum, through rich red and pinks, to yellow, white and green.

The outer surface of the sepals is often green-tinged, and as the flower ages it usually becomes greener inside and out, with individual flowers often remaining on the plant for a month or more. The inner surface of each sepal may be marked with veins, or dotted or blotched with pink, red or purple. Some even have a "picotee" effect.

Nearly every garden has a spot for hellebores, and the plants will thrive in many different environments. They are excellent for bringing color to garden borders, under deciduous trees, or between other shrubs. They can handle shady locations, but perform best if given morning sun. They are stout little plants and once established, become reasonably drought-tolerant.

Lenten roses like rich, well-draining soil. Treat them just like any acid-loving plant and amend the soil with peat moss or an acid planting mix. Remove any old, tattered foliage each spring after blooming and feed them with an acid fertilizer. Then sit back and wait for them to put on another show of color the next year.

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If you haven't already done so, make sure to protect your fruit trees from pests and disease by applying a dormant spray to them. Most fruit trees should be sprayed at least twice--once in January when they are fully dormant and once again at bud swell.

It's helpful to combine a dormant oil spray with a fungicide at the same time so you only have to spray once. This important spraying will help prevent fungus diseases such as dead bud and peach-leaf curl, in addition to knocking out any overwintering insects or insect eggs.

Since different varieties of fruit trees bloom at different times, it's important to make sure you apply your spray at the proper time for maximum effectiveness. Our staff of garden experts will be happy to guide and advise you with all your spray applications.

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We sell Master Nursery Horticultural Year Round Spray Oil and other Master Nursery pest prevention products.

If you haven't yet, start planning your vegetable garden now. You need time to properly prepare the beds, as planting times are approaching. If you plant a garden, you'll get to enjoy the harvest!

To provide adequate light, place your vegetable garden site where it will enjoy full sun for the majority of the day. Without sunlight, your plants will succumb to disease and fail to flower, and you won't get a crop.

One of the most important steps in gardening is preparing the soil. Turn the soil to a depth of 7 or 8 inches, at minimum. If you did not plow or spade the garden site in the fall, turn the soil in spring as soon as it is dry enough to work. A good test to determine if the soil can be worked is to mold a handful of soil into a ball. If the ball is not sticky but crumbles readily when pressed with your thumb, the soil is in good condition.

Get a smooth, level surface by raking as soon as possible after turning, making the soil as fine as you can. This step helps to firm the soil, break up clods and leave a smooth surface for seeding. Soil left in rough condition for several days after turning in the spring may dry out and form hard clods, making it much more difficult to prepare a good seedbed. Regularly rake the soil to keep down weeds and to prepare a smooth, clod-free planting bed.

Vegetables need deep, fertile soil. Sandy or decomposed granite loam is best. If you don't have great soil, don't despair! There are soil amendments that will allow you to enjoy great veggies as well. After the soil has been turned and firmed up, spread compost and fertilizer onto the bed, mixing it in well. You can prepare a small garden plot for planting by using a spade, shovel, or spading fork to mix in the amendments; use a small tractor or rototiller for a larger garden. Raised garden beds allow for relatively easy soil preparation for planting once they are constructed. They also have an added benefit of allowing for good drainage.

In addition to good soil, vegetables need adequate drainage. If your soil is rock hard or drainage is nil, planting in raised beds that are filled with top soil mixed with a good quality compost allow for good drainage. If roots are a problem, plant in large containers with paving stones underneath.

Finally, decide on a watering system. The furrow method is good, especially with heavy soils, but it wastes water. Overhead sprinkling can work, but in highly humid areas excess moisture on leaves, cool temperatures, and a moist atmosphere may encourage fungus growth. The best way for modern gardeners to water vegetables is with a drip system. Most vegetables need the equivalent of an inch of rain per week for healthy growth. Drip systems use 40-60 percent less water by putting water where roots are. It can seem like a lot of work, but the increased harvest is well worth the effort!

Lay out crops in your vegetable garden to make the best use of sunlight. A good rule of thumb is to plant tall crops to the north and short crops to the south, and arrange your rows from north to south so the sun goes from side to side across them. If you really want to grow vegetables but do not get full sun, try lettuce, potatoes, asparagus, and herbs. Tomatoes will bear a crop with just four or five hours of midday sun in a warm, sheltered location, especially if it also provides reflected heat.

A wide range of vegetables can be grown in our area: corn, green beans, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, carrots, radishes, beets, chard, and turnips. As the temperatures increase, you can even plant heat-loving vegetables like peppers, lima beans, melons, pumpkins, eggplant, and okra.

Conventional row spacing is 36 to 40 inches apart, but spacing depends on a number of factors: equipment, garden size, and vegetables being grown. Rows for vigorously vining vegetables like watermelons, cantaloupes, pumpkins, and winter squash are usually 6 to 8 feet apart.

Bumpercrop is the soil amendment to use in Vegetable Gardens and all Flower Beds. We carry Garden Elements Starter Fertilizer. We also carry Garden Elements Tomato & Vegetable Food.

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 am on Sunday, March 11, 2012, so be sure to set your clocks forward one hour! Your clocks should be set from 2:00 a.m. local standard time, to 3:00 a.m. local daylight time.

We remember to change our clocks by the phrase "Spring forward, fall back." As spring begins soon, why not embrace this season of renewal, and replace the batteries in all of your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. This simple act will reassure the safety of your family; properly working detectors save thousands of lives each year.