Author: Ed Brookmyer

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Lowdown on Natural, Organic, and Synthetic Garden Products

As gardeners, we all want lush and healthy gardens that bloom with life. But with so many gardening products available, it can be challenging to decide which ones are the best for our gardens. Should we go for natural, organic, or synthetic garden products? Let’s explore these options and learn more about each type of gardening product.

Natural Garden Products

Natural garden products are derived from nature and are minimally processed. They include items like bone meal, blood meal, and manure. These products are rich in nutrients, but they release these nutrients slowly. As a result, they’re less likely to burn your plants.

One of the most popular natural garden products is garlic, which is known to repel pests like mosquitoes, gnats, beetles, and moths. The Just Scentsational Garlic Scentry is a natural and safe way to keep pests away from your garden. It’s easy to use, and the garlic scent keeps pests away for up to 4 weeks.

Organic Garden Products

Organic garden products are made from natural materials and are processed without synthetic chemicals. They include products like compost, seaweed, and fish emulsion. Organic garden products are rich in nutrients and promote healthy soil, which is essential for healthy plants.

One popular organic garden product is the Just Scentsational Trident’s Pride Fish Fertilizer. Made from hydrolyzed fish, this fertilizer is rich in nitrogen and other essential nutrients that plants need to thrive. It’s easy to use and can be used on a variety of plants, including vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.

Synthetic Garden Products

Synthetic garden products are chemically engineered to provide plants with specific nutrients. They’re often less expensive than natural and organic garden products and are readily available. Synthetic fertilizers release nutrients quickly, but they can also burn plants if not used correctly.

One synthetic garden product that’s gaining popularity is the Just Scentsational Sunshine Harvest Fertilizer. This fertilizer is specially formulated to provide plants with the right balance of nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It’s easy to use and promotes healthy growth and blooming in all types of plants.

Conclusion

In summary, natural, organic, and synthetic garden products all have their pros and cons. Natural garden products are slow-release and safe for the environment, but they can be more expensive. Organic garden products are also slow-release and promote healthy soil, but they can be more challenging to find. Synthetic garden products are readily available and release nutrients quickly, but they can be harmful to the environment if not used correctly.

Regardless of which type of garden product you choose, it’s essential to follow the instructions carefully and use them in moderation. Using too much of any garden product can harm your plants and the environment. By using the right garden products, you can promote healthy growth and blooming in your garden while protecting the environment.

So, the next time you’re in the market for garden products, consider natural, organic, and synthetic options and choose the ones that suit your needs best. Happy gardening!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

5 Tips to Prepare Your Soil for a New Growing Season

As the winter months fade away and spring takes over, it’s time to start preparing your soil for a new growing season. The success of your garden or farm depends largely on the health of your soil, which means it’s essential to take the time to get it right before planting.

Here are five tips to help you prepare your soil for a new growing season:

1. Test Your Soil

Before planting, it’s essential to test your soil to determine its nutrient content and pH levels. You can buy a soil testing kit from a local garden center or send a sample to a soil testing lab. Knowing your soil’s nutrient content and pH levels can help you determine the right soil amendments to add.

2. Add Needed Soil Enhancers

Trident’s Pride liquid fish is a nutrient-rich soil amendment that can improve soil structure and fertility. You can purchase from an online reseller or directly from our website. Spray over your soil and work it in with a garden fork or tiller.

3. Use Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers like bone meal, blood meal, and fish emulsion can provide your plants with the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy. These fertilizers are slow-release, which means they provide a steady source of nutrients over time. Follow the instructions on the label for application rates.

4. Mulch Your Soil

Mulching your soil can help retain moisture and prevent weeds from growing. Spread a layer of mulch over your soil, leaving a few inches of space around your plants. You can use organic materials like straw, leaves, or grass clippings as mulch.

5. Rotate Your Crops

Crop rotation is an essential part of soil preparation. Growing the same crop in the same spot year after year can deplete the soil of nutrients and increase the risk of pests and diseases. Instead, rotate your crops each year, planting different crops in different spots.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your soil is healthy and fertile, providing the perfect environment for your plants to grow and thrive. A little extra effort now can lead to a bountiful harvest later.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Trident’s Pride: A Sustainable Liquid Fertilizer with Chitosan for Revolutionary Agriculture

Trident’s Pride is a revolutionary product in the world of agriculture. This liquid fertilizer contains chitosan, a natural biopolymer derived from the shells of crustaceans like shrimp, crab, and lobster. Chitosan is known for its many beneficial properties, making it a popular choice in agriculture as a natural biocontrol agent to protect plants from fungal diseases and as a growth enhancer to improve yield and plant health.

Trident’s Pride is an easy-to-use fertilizer that can be applied directly to the soil or as a foliar spray. It is designed to promote strong root development, increase nutrient uptake, and improve plant resistance to environmental stress. It is also biodegradable and environmentally friendly, making it a sustainable choice for growers who are concerned about their environmental impact.

One of the key benefits of Trident’s Pride is its ability to improve the quality and yield of crops. By providing the necessary nutrients and enhancing plant growth, Trident’s Pride can help farmers and gardeners achieve higher yields and healthier plants. This, in turn, can lead to greater profits for farmers and a more sustainable food supply for everyone.

Another advantage of Trident’s Pride is its ability to promote soil health. Chitosan has been shown to stimulate beneficial soil microbes, which can help to improve soil structure, nutrient availability, and overall soil health. This can lead to healthier plants and improved yields over time, making Trident’s Pride an excellent choice for sustainable farming practices.

Overall, Trident’s Pride with chitosan is a powerful tool for farmers and gardeners looking to improve the health and productivity of their crops. By providing essential nutrients, improving soil health, and enhancing plant growth, Trident’s Pride can help to improve yields and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture. With its natural and sustainable composition, it is a smart and eco-friendly choice for anyone looking to promote healthy and sustainable agriculture.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Best Ice Melt for Asphalt — The Spruce

Bare Ground Mag Plus Liquid Deicer - 5 Gallon

Bareground was featured in an article for The Spruce about the best ice melt for the winter season.

You can see the full article here: https://www.thespruce.com/best-ice-melts-5104806

Here is what they had to say:

“Bare Ground Liquid de-icer is effective for keeping snow and ice from sticking to asphalt surfaces such as some driveways—up to 10 days, according to the manufacturer. Applying this to bare ground before snow falls may stop up to 2 inches of snow from accumulating. Its effective low-temperature limit is listed as minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit.

This liquid product comes in a bag with a resealable pour nozzle. But you apply it by spraying, requiring a separate, dedicated sprayer (not included). You can use any standard sprayer, but we recommend using a separate hose from the one that you use with your plants. Expect the 5-gallon package to cover around 5,000 square feet (slightly larger than a basketball court). 

We have not noted any special danger to pets, although any ice melt can be harmful if ingested or licked off paws. You can also use it, as directed, around plants, although you should try not to spray directly on vegetation. It is also biodegradable. You can consult the UL Safety Data Sheet5 for more information.”

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Ryan Cook Sets a New World Record!

Most varieties of Giant fruits and vegetables grown: world record in Jumping Branch, West Virginia

Bare Ground has been a sponsor of Ryan Cook throughout this whole growing season and he achieved some great results with our fish enhancers and fertilizers.

See the original article here: https://www.worldrecordacademy.org/2022/09/most-varieties-of-giant-fruits-and-vegetables-grown-world-record-in-jumping-branch-west-virginia-422390

Jumping Branch, West Virginia, United States–Ryan Cook, a local Giant Grower from Summers county, West Virginia, in only his second year, has grown 36 different giant fruits and vegetables in his garden, thus setting the world record for the Most varieties of giant fruits and vegetables grown in a single season, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

The record was verified/measured by the Mountain State Giant growers club and giant growers witnesses as well as things taken to GPC competition.

The list is long and has some very unusual fruits/vegetables in it. The list includes

  1. Pumpkin
  2. Field pumpkins
  3. Long gourd
  4. Butternut
  5. Heavy carrot
  6. Long carrot
  7. Beet
  8. Rutabaga
  9. Kohlrabi
  10. Cabbage
  11. Red cabbage
  12. Heavy chili
  13. Tomatoes
  14. Parsnip
  15. Marrow
  16. Sunflowers tall
  17. Corn tallest
  18. Eggplant
  19. Turnips
  20. Sunflower stalk
  21. Rhubarb leaf
  22. Sunflowers head
  23. Watermelon
  24. Green squash
  25. Cauliflower
  26. Cantaloupe
  27. Cushaw
  28. giant cucumber
  29. long cucumber
  30. long bean
  31. broad bean
  32. longest ear of corn
  33. longest banana squash
  34. long pepper
  35. most heads on a single sunflower
  36. giant Swiss chard leaf

While some of his giants grown didn’t get to their full potential he says just growing that many types of giants is a feat in and of itself!!

“The time,effort, planning, prepping and strategizing is only a small portion of it as you battle the weather which this year was horrible as we fought monsoon like rain, flooding, weeks with little to no sun, extreme heat then unseasonably cold days and nights and back to heat or rain.”

“There was no consistency to this year in our area not to mention fighting mice, chipmunks, moles, bugs of all sorts and the constant disease pressure because of the weather all a combination for crop failure yet still was able to pull out several state records despite all the odds stacked against me!! God has surely blessed our efforts!!”

“So while some didn’t get big enough to compete from having to fight to keep the plants alive all season we still done well and learned a lot in the process!!

“We are hoping to have everything picked by October 8th 2022 and patches tilled and cover crop sowed prepping for next season where we will attempt to add to the list of giants grown in a single year!!”

“I hold the most state records in West Virginia and I’m looking to extend that record some more this season and next year I hope to obtain several more!! The goal is to hold the most state records in the US at one time!!”

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Follow Along — Our Mission to Grow

9th State Record!

Ryan broke his 9th state record for the length of an ear of corn measuring 21 1/2 inches long.

Long Gourd State Record

Ryan set the longest gourd state record of 104 3/4″

Largest Eggplant State Record

Ryan set his 5th state record for the largest eggplant weighing 4 lbs 7.2 oz.

Outside Summer Update #9

Outside Summer Update #8

Outside Summer Update #7

default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default

Outside Summer Update #6

Outside Summer Update #5

Outside Summer Update #4

default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default
default

Outside Summer Update #3

Outside Summer Update #2

First Outside Summer Update for 2022

First Summer Update for 2022

Week 11

Ryan took first place in the winter growing competition with his cucumber which weighed 4.75lbs (4lbs 12oz.) and 3rd place with his sunflower at 73” tall.

Week 10

Green, peppers
Giant beetroot, giant carrots, giant swede, giant turnips
Three varieties of Bok choy, others greens not up yet
Giant cucumbers
Giant cucumbers
Giant beans
Giant beans
Giant corn
Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kennebec potatoes, eggplant

Week 9

Giant beetroots
Giant root crops ready for outdoor growing soon as it warms up
Pepper plants just starting to bloom
Greens, melons, cilantro
Giant cucumber
Giant cucumber
Giant cucumber
Giant cucumber
Giant beans
Giant beans
Giant beans
Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kennebec potatoes, egg plant, giant corn, banana pepper plant, asparagus
Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kennebec potatoes, egg plant, giant corn, banana pepper plant, asparagus
Giant sunflower
Young pepper plants, young giant root crops, and producing mini bell pepper plant and black pearl pepper

Week 8

Week 7

Week 6

Week 5

Week 4

Week 3

Hi, I’m Ryan Cook!

I’ve started a veteran’s group called A Skill to Heal because I know that veterans need to have a mission every day with the help and support from friends and family to reach their ultimate goal of finding joy and peace while
facing a host of everyday challenges. As a veteran, I understand the things that can hinder us. Firstly, the cost of finding a hobby and the cost of a start-up when you do finally find a hobby. The second issue is the “gimmick” offers
from those people and businesses that try to target veterans as an easy mark. Well, rest assured this is NOT a gimmick. This is my way of giving back.

I’ve found that growing giant plants for food, fun, or competition creates an appealing brotherhood much like the military. Veterans are challenged by other veterans and other growers to be the best that they can be and
accomplish the end goal of growing great plants. One fantastic thing is that you can grow just about anywhere. You can grow indoors during the winter or in a greenhouse. You can grow in the summer in your backyard or on a
porch, patio, or balcony. Whatever your living situation, we can assure you that growing is possible. We have created a special You Tube channel called Heavenly Hills Homestead where you can learn all the growing techniques to
help you grow giant fruits and vegetables successfully just like I did! There can even be big rewards in it for the
successful grower.

So, please sign on and join our group, have fun, relax, learn and be totally amazed at the award winners you can grow when you put your all into it!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Genesis of an Idea

Eldo and Julie bought a house in mid-Tennessee and invited me to visit over the summer of ‘76. It was a sharp right off Hwy 70 outside of Nashville over a small bridge and then miles on a dirt road. It turned out that they had to run a water line up the side of a steep wooded hill so that this old fixer-upper would have water. I told Eldo that I was ready to work for Julie’s fried chicken dinner. He stopped to caution me that we both had to put on a pair of pantyhose before we ventured out on that overgrown hillside. After 3 hours of clambering up and down the hill and laying in the dirt, we finished the task. It’s when we went inside to change that I realized that the pantyhose acted as a barrier against those nasty ticks that dotted the outside of the leggings. That lesson has stayed with me all these years later. Each time I hear about the myriad of tick and mosquito-borne diseases that we have to deal with…Lyme disease, West Nile virus, EEE, I think of Eldo’s great pantyhose trick! Finally, I’ve designed something based on his clever solution that improves protection and helps us take back the woods!

Learn More
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Our Mission to Grow

Hi, I’m Ryan Cook!

I’ve started a veteran’s group called A Skill to Heal because I know that veterans need to have a mission every day with the help and support from friends and family to reach their ultimate goal of finding joy and peace while
facing a host of everyday challenges. As a veteran, I understand the things that can hinder us. Firstly, the cost of finding a hobby and the cost of a start-up when you do finally find a hobby. The second issue is the “gimmick” offers
from those people and businesses that try to target veterans as an easy mark. Well, rest assured this is NOT a gimmick. This is my way of giving back.

I’ve found that growing giant plants for food, fun, or competition creates an appealing brotherhood much like the military. Veterans are challenged by other veterans and other growers to be the best that they can be and
accomplish the end goal of growing great plants. One fantastic thing is that you can grow just about anywhere. You can grow indoors during the winter or in a greenhouse. You can grow in the summer in your backyard or on a
porch, patio, or balcony. Whatever your living situation, we can assure you that growing is possible. We have created a special You Tube channel called Heavenly Hills Homestead where you can learn all the growing techniques to
help you grow giant fruits and vegetables successfully just like I did! There can even be big rewards in it for the
successful grower.

So, please sign on and join our group, have fun, relax, learn and be totally amazed at the award winners you can grow when you put your all into it!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Unbelievable Award Winning Squash

It doesn’t always happen that a joyous customer makes contact to let you know that they’ve grown a world’s record squash using your Trident’s Pride liquid fish soil enhancer. But here is the living proof…squash soup anyone??

Message:
Hello my name is Ryan and this was my first year growing giant pumpkins, watermelons, tomatoes etc etc. I grew the New World Record Butternut at 83lbs 1oz and I used your product to help achieve that! I have pictures if you’re interested in seeing it that I can email you! Thank you for a good product at an affordable price!!