Your seedlings will win with Worm Power... and so could you!!!

If you're like many of our home garden customers, you're looking for ways to raise seedlings using sustainable products and methods. We - along with growers nationwide - have found improved germination and seedling vigor using certified organic Worm Power when starting seeds. The method is simple, the fertilizer is safe, and the results are impressive. We wanted to share this information about how to use Worm Power to give your seedlings a great start. This article originally appeared in the February issue of our email newsletter. If you’d like to subscribe to our e-newsletter, you can do so here.

And as part of her super-duper give-away week, garden blogger Genevieve Schmidt (www.NorthCoastGardening.com) will be awarding a variety of Worm Power products to four lucky winners who post comments about Worm Power on her blog! The Worm Power give away will start on April 13th – so check out her blog, make a comment, and you could be the winner!

Worm Power is a professional-grade, certified organic fertilizer made by millions of earthworms in a state-of-the-art facility in the Finger Lakes region of New York. It supplies plants with balanced nutrients, and it helps facilitate nutrient absorption through the action of its abundant beneficial microbes. In addition, university laboratory tests using cucumber seeds show Worm Power to be effective in suppressing the soil pathogen that causes damping off. The rich, black, crumbly earthworm compost is odorless and safe to use around kids and pets. Although we didn't doubt the professional growers and gardeners who reported increased germination and plant vigor when starting seeds with Worm Power, we decided to test it for ourselves. We chose untreated Scarlet Red tomato seed, and we planted two trials. The trial on the left was planted into standard seed starting mix, while the trial on the right was sown into the same seed starting mix, blended with 10% Worm Power. The seeds started with Worm Power show markedly greener leaves, thicker stems, and faster leaf development.

Our trial with salad greens showed similar, impressive results.

Starting seeds with Worm Power is easy. First, choose a natural seed starting mix (without fungicide), and measure approximately the amount you'll need for your seeding flats or pots. Then, blend Worm Power evenly into the seed starting mix at a rate of 10% for vegetables, or 5% for flowers. At those rates, a 1 Lb Bag of Worm Power makes 2.5 Gallons of seed starting mix for vegetables, or 5 Gallons for flowers. A little goes a long way!

Water as you normally would, keeping seeds and seedlings moist but not wet. Supply bottom heat and plenty of light, and watch your plants take off! Every 2-4 weeks, continue your organic fertility program with liquid Worm Power Shower or by top dressing with granular Worm Power. Check out our Worm Power Starter Kit for all you'll need to give your seeds a powerful, natural start this spring.

For more Worm Power information, including application rates, university research, videos, news features, and gardener testimonials, visit our newly-launched Worm Power Home Garden page, or click the Worm Power tab on our Facebook page.

A trend or a lifestyle?

It is quite difficult to have a day pass in our lives without bumping into something organic. The “green culture” surrounds us on a daily basis from food consumables to recyclables to social habits and practices. Although the hula-hoop was in and out of our lives years back, this direction towards organic lifestyles is here to stay.

A few weeks ago, we surveyed our home garden newsletter subscribers to find out what types of products they might be interested in going forward. Much to my surprise was the fact that over 60% of the 2500 responses are organic gardeners. I would never have guessed that.

The general public is much more aware and better educated about the quality of the food that they put on the family table. The public is also keenly aware of lifestyle logistics that make the earth a better place to live. That’s a good thing…saving Mother Earth!