Grow Gardens, Not Landfills

Grow gardens using organic & recycled material.

w/Linda McAndrews

This year on the island, it seemed like winter would never end. But, the nubs of daffodils that are poking up here and there tell us that spring is finally here! I’ve spent the winter months browsing through seed catalogs and gardening books. Maybe it’s the photos of lush tomatoes and baskets of crispy lettuce that have inspired me or perhaps it’s just a desire to know where my food comes from, but I’ve decided that this year I’ll try vegetable gardening again and grow my own organic food.  I’ve made attempts in the past with little success. I know I’ve been doing something wrong. My plants end up all leggy with shallow roots. I always felt bad for them when they just gave up and wilted away. I am a big supporter of eating locally grown food. You can’t get much more local than your own backyard so I am determined to try again. Eating something that grew from a little seed you planted and nurtured would be incredibly satisfying. I’m thinking ahead to August, picking a juicy tomato from the vine and knowing that it will be the best tomato I ever tasted!  

This time, I would ask an expert for help.

Here at Marine Home Center, Ian McGowan is our garden center guru. When I told Ian that I was planning a small vegetable garden, he said the most important thing that I must do to have any success is to prepare the soil. “Building up the soil is the single most important factor in successful growing.” says Ian, “ Especially here on Nantucket with our sandy soil. A deep, organically rich soil encourages the growth of healthy, extensive roots resulting in lush, productive growth above ground.”

Ian showed me a new line of organic gardening products we have here in the garden center called Ecoscraps®. It’s an unusual name and there is a great story behind it. He told me that this company was founded a couple of years ago by two young guys who saw millions of tons of food waste going to landfills and were inspired to search for solutions. They learned that instead of disposing of food waste and clogging landfills and gassing the air we breathe, they could collect it from retail stores and turn it into compost and other beneficial gardening products. Ecoscraps® soils are made from over 25 different fruits and veggies and boast extremely high levels of microbial activity coupled with manure-free organic matter. Their soils are 100% safe for pets and people and are an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers, and it helps to reduce the damage that rotting food in landfills has on the earth’s ecosystem. In fact, each bag of their Compost Mix reduces carbon emissions by the equivalent of not driving your car for 2 weeks! Sustainability is important to our little island. Good for your garden and good for the planet. I can’t wait to get started!