The Garden Master Blog

WHERE DO I GET MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND FIND INFORMATION?

Admin@TheGardenMaster.com (The Garden Master) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:37:05 GMT

For Bucket Garden Gardening Information:

"The Bucket Garden" and FAQ pages at The Garden Master Website.

The Garden Master Facebook Page in "Notes"

The Garden Master Newsletter subscription

For The Garden Master Garden Clinic, Project and Event Times and Locations

The Garden Master Blog

The Garden Master Facebook Page on the "Event" Calendars

Where Do I RSVP For The Garden Master Garden Clinics, Projects and Events?

ONLY AT The Garden Master Facebook Page on the Event Calendars. YOU MUST RSVP!!

Where Do I Ask Questions?

Always ask questions through this e-mail only at INFO@TheBucketGardens.com and/or

The Garden Master Blog

DO NOT SEND QUESTIONS BY REPLY TO NEWSLETTERS, AUTO REPLIES OR ANY OTHER E-MAIL ADDRESS!!!

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Do Chemicals Leach From The Grow Bags Into The Soil And Plants?

Admin@TheGardenMaster.com (The Garden Master) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:30:55 GMT

No, this should not be a concern with the leaching of chemicals from the plastic bags into the soil and the plants for a few reasons. The recent media frenzy regarding plastics is primarily regarding Lexan or Plastic # 7. The safe plastics are HDPE or plastic #2, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or plastic #4 and polypropylene (PP) or plastic #5.

Our bags are made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or plastic #4 and are bound with a UV inhibitor.

Chemical leaching is caused by the continued use or in other words the physical movement, abuse and use of the plastic container which causes small cracks in the material thus releasing the chemical called Bisphenol A, which is the chemical of concern. Once the bags are set they do not move. There is no wear and tear due to continued use and there is no Bisphenol A in our bag material.

In over forty years of organic farming wherein plant tissue, sap, water and soil testing is done by independent labs, in addition to our own in-house lab, have we ever had tests results indicating any toxicity. If we had we would have isolated the root cause and eliminated it. We would never jeopardize our end use customer or our market with Safeway, Frys or Basha’s.

The Garden Master's Discount Point Program With Opportunities and Rules

Admin@TheGardenMaster.com (The Garden Master) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:23:05 GMT

Certain actions you take involving The Garden Master Website, Garden Master Blog, Garden Master Newsletter, Garden Master FaceBook Page, Garden Master at Twitter, Farm Ville and Farm Town will earn you discount points that you may accumulate and use to reduce the cost of your orders. It works like this:

One Time Points Earned

Subscribe to The Garden Master Newsletter. 5 points

Subscribe to The Garden Master Blog & post a comment. 5 points

Subscribe to The Garden Master FaceBook Page and Like it & post a comment 5 points

Join a Garden Master Group on The Garden Master FaceBook Page. Points As Stated

Subscribe to Twitter to Follow The Garden Master and post a comment. 5 points

You will receive 3 points for every one of your FaceBook friends, that is not currently a Garden Master FaceBook friend, you send to The Garden Master FaceBook Page who subscribes to the Garden Master FaceBook Page and likes it and lists your name in their required post!

All of the offers and rules that apply to FaceBook here also Apply to Google +.

Your post must include the phrase, ”I earned 5 discount points for my Bucket Garden by subscribing to The Garden Master ________”. In the blank use the name of the media you subscribed to, for example: Newsletter or Blog or FaceBook Page or FaceBook Page (name) Group or Twitter.

Points Earned Anytime With No Limit

RSVP & Attend a Garden Master FaceBook Page Group Event. Points As Stated

Look for points hidden in The Garden Master Newsletter. Points As Stated

Look for points hidden in The Garden Master’s post on any social forum. Points As Stated

Become The Garden Master’s neighbor on Farm Ville and Like it. 3 points

Help on The Garden Master’s Farm at Farm Ville. 1 point

Look for points hidden on message signs on The Garden Master’s Farm at Farm Ville

Points As Stated

Become The Garden Master’s neighbor on Farm Town and Like it. 3 points

Your post must include the phrase, ”I found # discount points for my Bucket Garden in/on __________”. In the blank write where you found the points, for example: The Garden Master Newsletter or The Garden Master Blog or The Garden Master FaceBook Page or The Garden Master FaceBook Page (name) Group or The Garden Master on Twitter.

The Rules

1. When you find discount points you must post each occurrence individually on your FaceBook Wall stating how many points you found and where you found them, in order to receive credit for them.

2. Each point represents a 1% discount. For Example: 15 points = 15% discount.

3. The maximum number of points that can be use in any single transaction is 15.

4. The maximum number of total points that can be used in any given month is 25.

5. You will be issued coupon numbers in increments of 10 & 15 points as you earn them.

6. The points in some cases will be posted with undisclosed time limits and then removed and unavailable.

7. Different coupons from different discount programs may or may not be allowed to be used together. If there are restrictions they will be stated with the discount offer.

8. Points offered in dated material like the newsletter and the Group events expire at the end of that term or event. For example: Points offered in a weekly newsletter would expire in one week. Points offered in an Event would expire at the ending time listed for that event.

9. Discount points do not apply to shipping.

10. Points cannot be transferred, traded or sold from one person or entity to another.

11. The Garden Master reserves the right to change or discontinue this program in part or in its entirety at any time and without notice.

There are many more opportunities coming that will allow you to earn discount points in this program for your garden!

Why Sand As The Growing Medium?

Admin@TheGardenMaster.com (The Garden Master) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 18:51:14 GMT

Why the sand for the growing medium? This question is asked daily. Then there is; you can’t grow in sand, it is impossible! Well here is the why.

Bedding sand in the correct composition is of course indigenous and provides us with a perfect and sterile foundation for building the most perfect and inexpensive root medium that exists. It has the perfect moisture holding capacity, the perfect oxygen exchange ratio, the perfect temperature buffering properties, the perfect regenerative soil health properties and we can build it into sandy loam, the perfect soil. This process takes from 12 to 18 months and some times sooner depending on the gardener’s skill level going in. In the first 12 to 18 months through the Garden Master’s Growing System Process, we will develop a level of 25% to 30% organic matter. There is no mechanical turning of the soil outside of the normal process of planting and harvesting. On the microbial level it is a whole different story.

We discussed why we start with a special blend of sand, or bedding sand as we call it, now we will discuss the How! There are a few confused souls that for some reason seem to believe that there is a foundational difference between the Garden Master’s Growing System root medium and dirt! Now we know that the word dirt in the realm of soil science is of course slang for soil, but let’s take a look at this myth. What is soil? Soil is the sum total of clay, sand, organic matter, water and air. A typical soil sample would test out at 45% minerals, 25% water, 25% air and 5% organic matter. It is the percentage of each that varies widely and that is most important. The Garden Master’s Growing System starts with a mix, as dry material, that is 10% to 15% clay and 85% to 90% sand that is made up of approximately 8 aggregate sizes or you could say screen sizes. When installed in the growing bags, watered and made ready for planting the mix becomes, by volume, 60% mineral, 15% water, 15% air and 0% organic matter. Within six months under the Garden Master’s management the soil mix becomes, by mix, 15% clay, 55% sand and 30% organic matter, and by volume, 35% minerals, 25% water, 25% air & 15% organic matter. In addition, the water that is present in the soil is highly oxygenated due to the irrigation system design and placement. So, what do we now have? Not just dirt, but perfect dirt or technically speaking, sandy loam! The perfect root medium!

How do we increase the organic matter from 0% to 30% by volume in six months? We let Mother Nature go to work by enhancing her work environment. Except for root crops nothing is ever pulled out of the soil. When the crop has reached the end of it’s usefully production it is cut off just below the soil line leaving the entire root system in place to decompose with the help of the super charged microbes. All plant tops removed from the garden are cut up into 2 inch or less pieces and placed in the Garden Master Power Composter, which is turned twice each day. In 12 to 14 days you have mature compost that you then add as a top dressing to your soil in each bag and/or as a seed cover on your secondary plantings. No digging other than what is required for planting transplants. Through the natural process of transplanting, harvesting of root crops, top dressing and microbial action you have built the perfect soil! You call what you are putting your hands in dirt! You don’t know what real dirt is until you put your fingers in the dirt of a mature Bucket Garden! And the smell…..ohhhh now that’s sweet and fertile!

We will come back later and discuss what makes a perfect microbe environment for live fertile soil. What is that sweet soil smell? That smell is the indication of the presence of a specific microbe family and boy is it important!