It starts with soil
Here are some helpful hints to start a flower or vegetable garden.
One of the most important considerations is soil type. If it's sandy, you'll need to build it up with organics such as manure or compost. If it is heavy with clay you need to incorporate lots of peat moss.
Most soils in New England would benefit from lime—either quick acting hydrated lime or the slower ground limestone. A pH tester would let you know where you stand. It may take a few years to get your soil to a good level, but be patient. It’s easier to water your garden when you get it to the right level. You don't want it to dry out too quickly or stay too moist!
Fertilizing
Fertilizing is important and it can be done organically or with many commercial products. I recommend either mulching your garden, which conserves moisture or doing a frequent light cultivation, which prevents weeds from getting established in your garden.
Gardening is a great hobby, which can give you a great sense of pride and accomplishment. If you’ve never had a garden, it’s important to decide first whether you want to create immediate color and impact or whether you are building a garden slowly throughout the years.
If you want immediate color, click here for a helpful guide to annuals or explore other options like container gardens, herb gardens, vegetable gardens, and cut flower gardens. You can also learn about including native plants in your garden!
We know soils; mulches, top-soils, humus and manures can be confusing. Here’s a breakdown of what each is. At Frerichs we only sell soil and mulches pre-bagged.
Organic Choice Potting Soil
For those who prefer to grow organically, this is a perfect choice for vegetables and all garden plants.
Miracle Gro Potting Soil
For use with container plants, this popular brand is available in many sizes.
Miracle Gro Garden Soil
This is a medium weight soil that is for use in garden beds.
Peat Moss
Peat moss is used to help with drainage.
Topsoil, Humus and manure, and Dehydrated manure
These are used as soil improvements.
Mulch
We offer 7 kinds of mulch in bags, including buckwheat and cocoa bean, for easy application. Mulch is used aesthetically, to keep weeds away, and to keep roots cool.
Fafard Potting Soil
This brand of potting soil is ideal for container plantings. It’s light soil-less mix of peat, vermiculite and composted bark. It drains very well and is not too heavy or dense and is what we use here at Frerichs.
Soils, Mulch, & more!
Learn more about what will work best for your garden! See what's in stock online and order head!