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SGH Herbs Sustainability Practices
Here are some of the ways Sage Garden Herbs makes our greenhouse activities easier on the environment, makes use of organic growing methods, and embraces sustainable business practices
Focus on Root Health
- We use a special root developer pot called an SQV for many of our young plants. The healthier the roots, the quicker plants will establish when customers get them home and transplant on.
- We start our seedlings and cuttings off with regular applications of Sea Magic Kelp, to promote strong roots.
Fertilizing
(OMRI refers to the Organic Materials Review Institute, a non-profit organization that independently evaluates products submitted for listing, using the guidelines of the US National Organics Standards. To learn more about OMRI, and see product listings, visit http://www.omri.org/)
- Sea Magic Kelp used on seedlings & cuttings - Kelp is much more than a fertilizer; it contains enzymes that have been shown to facilitate plant cell growth and reduce disease (you can think of Kelp as organic vitamins for your plants!).
- Combination of Total Nourish fertilizer (OMRI listed 2007) and a second 100% organic fertilizer applied weekly to all plants.
- Ocean Fish (OMRI listed) used on plants requiring extra nitrogen.
- No conventional chemical growth regulators have ever been used on plants propagated by Sage Garden Herbs (although some varieties we purchase from third-party propagators will have been treated with growth regulators, especially if propagated from tissue culture. The reason we choose these propagators is that they offer varieties not available by any other means).
Soil Mixes
- New for 2008! OMRI Listed Soil-Mix for all herbs and vegetable plants at SGH, with conversion to 100% use of OMRI listed Soil-Mix for 2009
- Trial of a new certified organic potting and seeding mix planned for summer 2008
- All larger pots will be amended with Sea Soil & Worm Castings (both OMRI listed) - excellent slow release of major and minor nutrients, also providing slow re-release of water (Worm Castings absorb up to 2.5 times their weight in water). We have been conducting tests of various soil blends, and see a dramatic difference in plant growth when these amendments are added to a regular peat mix.
Pest & Disease Management
- Repeat Ladybug releases
- White Fly controls using a highly effective beneficial insect
- Other beneficial insects on an experimental basis
- Beneficial nematodes released for fungus gnat control/prevention
- Encourage healthy spiders in the greenhouse (they eat pests)
- Vacuum leaf and soil debris on a regular basis - all perennials over wintered in the greenhouse are individually vacuumed to remove fallen leaf debris
- Forceful watering to knock down potential pests
- Disposal of disease afflicted plants
- Application of Neem Oil (used in many countries as a registered organic insecticide, but not currently approved for use as such in Canada - lots of great articles on the web about Neem Oil)
- Application of Safer's End-All, a registered and safe for use organic insecticide
Application of Safer's Defender for Powdery Mildew control
No conventional greenhouse pesticides have ever been applied at Sage Garden Herbs
Seeds and Cuttings
- Choosing certified organic seeds, where ever possible
- Buying cuttings from a certified organic propagator
- All varieties identified in our catalog by "OG" are grown from certified organic seeds or certified organic cuttings
We also propagate many thousands of cuttings in house - these are grown from our stock plants and gardens which have only ever know organic fertilizers and pest management
- No plants offered at Sage Garden Herbs are GMO
- SGH herbs offers many heirloom and heritage plant and seed varieties
Work with the Seasons
- We try to match our planting and propagation schedule to the seasons, so as to reduce the amount of energy required to grow various crops. We do much of our cutting propagation in the summer and fall when conditions are ideal and no extra heat is required to facilitate rooting; these plants are then wintered in a cool greenhouse space for the next spring season. This has the added benefit of having the plants be in-synch with the seasons when customers take them home. There is great value to our customers if they take home perennials wintered in our cool greenhouse and naturally harden-off for spring planting. Likewise, there is little value to customers if they take home a basil forced under artificial light in early spring, only to have it languish on their windowsill due to in sufficient daylight hours; therefore, annuals and vegetables are propagated as daylight hours can naturally sustain healthy growth. We provide general availability dates for varieties in our printed and PDF catalog, as well as our on-line live plant database.
Recycling
- SGH recycles all cardboard and paper products
- We purchase biodegradable cutlery and cups for our special events and workshop
- SGH *no longer uses plastic shopping bags, instead offering kraft paper bags that are easily recycled (*with the exception of bags we are recycling or fully biodegradable plastics)
- We blue-box recycle plastics as much as possible; there is currently no volume recycling option for greenhouse pots in Winnipeg, so we have been accumulating a fair collection of old pots (like so many gardeners do in their garage!). A facility is scheduled to start accepting volume plastic some time in the next year, at which time all plastic pots will be recycled. We hope to make a pot recycling option available to our customers once we know details of the new facility.
We actively seek alternatives to plastic for our production, which has proven to be no easy task! There are a variety of options - ranging from coco-coir to rice-husk fibre and even bamboo - but we of course need to find options that will not add to the cost of plants for our customers. We will be testing three options in 2008: a coir pot that is finally available at a reasonable price; a system called Elle Pot, which is essentially a thin paper membrane that holds everything together, and a really cool thing called Cow Pots - yes indeed, they are made out of well composted cow patties! We will be asking for customer feedback on these products, so be sure to let us know what you think!
Carbon Offests
- $1.00 from every membership will be donated to Planetair, a leading carbon offset not-for-profit in Canada. Funds are used to invest in sustainable/renewable energy projects. Our goal is to offset 40 tonnes of CO2 emissions, to help reduce the impact of operating furnaces to grow our plants. Visit http://planetair.ca if you want to learn more about this process, and why we feel this organization is deserving of our donations.
Fair Trade
- Many of the gift items we purchase are certified fair trade
- We focus on artisan producers, rather than mass production for our gift store selections
- We regularly challenge our suppliers of plastics and horticultural products on their commitment to domestic production, environmental responsibility, and fair trade practices - and let them know these are important aspects of our decision making process when it comes to time to order
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