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About Town
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May is for more than just flowers!
Friday, May 6 - Sunday, May 8
This annual sale is one of our favorite spring events! Hosted at the MN State Fair Grandstand, its truly a wonderful way to spend Mother's Day weekend. Browse over 2,500 varieties of hard-to-find annuals, perennials and edibles.
Saturday, May 14, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Hosted by The Tiny Diner, this event is a fundraiser for the
Permaculture Research Institute Cold Climate. Come enjoy a tasty, wholesome breakfast of sausage, pancakes and coffee while browsing the community-curated selection of perennials to take home. Bring some spare perennials of your own if you'd like to donate!
Saturday, May 21, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Learn something new for your own growing space at St. Paul's newest public park and farm -
Frogtown Park & Farm
. Ask questions, try your hand at new skills, connect to resources and tour the latest park and farm developments! Between activities you can enjoy games, music, food, give-aways, or just relax on the sprawling 13 acres. This event is FREE and open to all.
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In the Field
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Know Soil. Know Life.
In preparation for May plantings, the HLG team has been out in the field revitalizing soils for the season ahead.
You may be familiar with this process. Typically, it involves applying a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and "flipping" soil to reduce compaction.
This year, we are beginning a trial with new materials and processes to see if we can add more value to your soil services. By replacing our chemical fertilizer with feather meal, we aim to create a better soil structure while providing adequate plant nutrition. Additionally, we will opt to "scratch" instead of "flip" the soils in order to preserve the vitality of soil life.
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| Feather meal is a safe, effective alternative to chemical fertilizers. |
Furthermore, we've forgone using chemical fertilizers in containers as well. Instead, we are custom-blending an organic fertilizer derived from plant and animal materials. This new blend will help us reduce nitrogen runoff and promote soil biology.
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Environmental Message
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Goats beat glyphosate!!!
Recently, Commissioners of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
voted to eliminate the use of glyphosate-based herbicides like roundup in neighborhood parks. This is a
HUGE and long overdue victory for our local ecology.
Aside from devastating ecosystem health and polluting our groundwater, glyphosate is believed to cause "insidious" long-term damage to humans exposed to the harsh chemical. The
mounting evidence of it's chronic toxicity suggests that we rethink our approach to managing invasive species in our landscapes.
The proposed solution? GOATS!
More efficient and cheaper than manual removal, goats can clear unwanted vegetation from hard-to-reach areas as they graze. Not to mention they eliminate the need for chemicals while also enriching the soil with their droppings. With careful corralling, the goats will eventually eradicate invasives like buckthorn, poison ivy and kudzu from Minneapolis parks.
For more information on the benefits of strategic goat grazing,
look here.
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Plant of the Month
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Pyrus - Pear Genus
It seems fitting that May is nationally recognized as Arbor Month. The flush of spring green is bringing life back to the forest canopies. To celebrate, we are honoring the fruit-bearing pear tree as Plant of the Month.
A relative of the apple, pear trees are managed in a very similar way. Though, pears tend to have less issues with insect pests and diseases. This, coupled with their tolerance for cold climates, makes them a great choice for MN gardeners looking to add abundance to their landscapes. Here are a few cultivars you can find at
GrowHaus.
Pyrus ussuriensis - Prairie Gem
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Known for it's blooms, Prairie Gem pears are more of an ornamental variety whose blankets of white flowers emerge early in spring. They can also set fruit if paired (peared?) with another pollinator type.
Pyrus sp. - Summercrisp
Summercrisp, as the name connotes, is an early-season pear whose fruit has the best taste while the flesh is still firm and crisp. Blooming early and having abundant pollen make this variety an excellent choice as a pollinizer for other pear cultivars.
Pyrus parker - Parker
Developed by the University of Minnesota, the Parker varietal is considered a fast grower who produces a fruit similar to that of a Bartlett. All factors considered, this is a great producer for our cold climate.
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In the News
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Watch Heidi on
Wednesday, May 11
Kare11 News @ 4pm
as she shares her knowledge on pollinator-friendly plants! Tune in to learn which native species will bring you the most buzz in your garden.
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| Did you know... |
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...goats can eat up to 8 pounds of vegetation per day?
Did you know...
...pears and roses are in the same botanical family? Apples too!
...that Roundup is manufactured by the same engineers who developed
Did you know...
...Arbor Day/Month is an internationally celebrated holiday? The date changes by region to acknowledge the most appropriate time to plant a tree.
...that we've started more than 35,000 annuals since opening the greenhouses at GrowHaus?!
 Did you know...
...planting trees in your yard can increase your property value and offer numerous ecosystem services to your home landscape?
Did you know...
...GrowHaus is capable of making 100
gallo
ns of compost tea per day? That's enough to cover 20 acres!
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As the landscape wakes up, we are setting roots!
Spring is always filled with excitement; the resurgence of life into our landscapes brings with it a flurry of color and activity. But this year, with a new Garden Centre to call home, we are experiencing a surge of spring energy like never before!
Beyond our regular spring routine, we've been busy starting annuals, pruning perennials, stocking shelves, repairing greenhouses and renovating a new retail space. It's taken many steps to get here, but we're incredibly proud of our team and all the stellar work they've done to make this dream a reality.
To memorialize our new beginnings, we are dedicating this eNewsletter to the people and plants of
GrowHaus!
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Construction Gallery
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A long time coming...
Since February, we've been revamping the Nursery and Garden Centre of
GrowHaus. Even with snow on the ground, we started breaking ground on this long-awaited project.
Cleaning out old inventory prior to renovation.
Our new workshop needed some TLC as well.
During the construction process, greenhouses became temporary storage buildings.
We removed the ceiling tile to reveal beautiful wooden rafters.
And then came the framing of our new walls!
Like any construction project, there were lots of moving parts.
Even when we felt overwhelmed, we kept our sense of humor.
While construction was finishing up, we kept ourselves busy getting our workshop organized just how we like it...
...prepping our production greenhouse...
...and filling it with annuals!
We quickly ran out of room and had to fill
other greenhouses.
The plants have been very happy in their new home.
Our office team is also very happy in their new workplace!
And our retail space keeps filling in more and more each day!
There is so much to see and learn at GrowHaus! We warmly invite you to pay us a visit and explore all that we have to offer. We're now open
Sunday through Friday from 9am-6pm and
Saturdays from 8am-6pm.
Grow Strong! Bloom On!
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