How does your garden grow?

It's still spring and I am still blogging about all things lawn and garden! Last year we used a lawn care service that regularly left signs posted in our yard that warned against letting children and pets near the grass for a few days after administration. Hmmmmm... I know these signs are created to make sure people are OVERLY careful but it still didn't sit well with me. 

Then when I thought about those same things being sprayed near our vegetable garden it really didn't sit well with me. I promised myself that "next year" we would move to an all-natural lawn care provider. 

I had asked around and was looking for someone new at the end of the winter when fate stepped in. During our last weekend of skiing - as John and I struggled to get skis, boots, poles, and helmets out of the trunk - a friendly man was kind enough to keep an eye on the girls as they stood beside the car on the sidewalk. I think he could tell we had our hands full. As you know, Emma is a girl of many words, so when I looked over at them I could tell she was holding her own just fine and her new friend was clearly getting a kick out of what she was saying. Once John and I had everything out of the car we said hello to "Martin". Ends up he is a father of three kids a little older than ours and a really nice guy. We chatted about our mutual love of Bromley Mountain and the state of Vermont in general. When Emma asked Martin where he lived she was shocked to hear that he too lived in Connecticut. (It's funny how kids just assume that no one except for their friends and neighbors lives in their home state.) Then John had the good sense to ask our new friend Martin Minogue what he did in CT. "I run a landscaping and organic lawn care business." he said. Really people, what are the chances? 

Martin Minogue who runs Organicare came by our house in CT the following week and the rest is history.

I am feeling really good about using their organic and pesticide-free products. It just makes me feel better than our service last year. Better about the bare feet that run through the grass regularly. Better about the vegetables that will grow in our soil this summer. And better about the water that runs off our property into the waterways when it rains. It's all good.

As Martin explains, they offer different programs to meet the needs of different customers - from a 100% organic program that never uses any pesticides to an environmentally responsible program that minimizes the use of pesticides as much as possible. He does this by utilizing an integrated pest management program which entails monitoring the lawn for weeds and insects and only treating where and when absolutely necessary. He sometimes even hand pulls all weeds if that is the most effective and safe thing to do. He says they think of using any pesticide, whether it be natural or chemical, like using an antibiotic as a doctor would prescribe, only when needed.

The guys who work from him couldn't be friendlier. They happily agreed to remove a few heavy stones and some big pieces of lumber that had been tucked behind the bushes when asked. Oh! Did I forget to mention that they don't just do lawns? They also purchased, delivered and put in our new mailbox. Awesome. 

And they ordered, delivered, and put up our new fence. Perfect.

At this point you might be realizing that we had put off re-doing quite a few things since moving in... They also leveled and re-laid our patio. No more tripping over uneven edges for my girls.

And the mulch? Don't even get me going on mulch. I have a creepy thing going on with dark mulch. I think I might wake up early tomorrow morning just to check and make sure it wasn't just a dream and that it is still there!?!

Organicare works as far North as Monroe, CT and as far South as the border of CT and Westchester. If you want to go organic - call Martin at 203-222-9656. I guarantee you will like him as much as Emma and I do. It was pretty cute when they were "reunited" in Connecticut. She was still shocked to see him in this state.

Mulched, weeded, and edged. A clean lawn makes a happy Sentimentalist!