Orchard Supplies

Show off your appreciation for holistic gardening/agriculture and Silver Creek Nursery with this bandana! The pattern by Bentley Schieckoff features a variety of the fruits we grow, and our wonderful helpers including bees, worms, and birds! 

The bandanas were made in Canada and are a blend of 55% hemp and 45% organic cotton.

We've got hats! You can keep the sun out of your eyes and show off your love for 
Silver Creek Nursery with these nifty baseball caps!

This hat is made from 100% organic cotton.

Phosphorous is one of the most important nutrients required by plants, aiding in root growth among other aspects of plant development! Soft rock phosphate, aka colloidal phosphate, comes from clay collected from basins of former hard phosphate mining operations. The clay nature of this product means it does not leach out of the soil due to water, allowing it to better stay in place and remain accessible to plants. 

Application Rates:

• About 1 cup per tree dusted into backfill soil when planting. One bag has around 5 cups (2kg).
• Light Applications: Apply 3.2kg per 1,000 square feet, ¼ cup per plant, or 0.45kg per 20 foot row of vegetables. 
• Normal Applications: Apply 5.5kg per 1,000 square feet, 1/3 cup per plant, or 1kg per 20 foot row.
  

Working with Nature to Build Soil Health

Healthy soil means thriving plants. Yet untangling the soil food web and optimizing your soil health is beyond most gardeners, many of whom lack an in-depth knowledge of the soil ecosystem.

Soil Science for Gardeners is an accessible, science-based guide to understanding soil fertility and, in particular, the rhizosphere – the thin layer of liquid and soil surrounding plant roots, so vital to plant health.

Robert Pavlis, a gardener for over four decades, debunks common soil myths, explores the rhizosphere, and provides a personalized soil fertility improvement program in this three-part popular science guidebook. Coverage includes:

• Soil biology and chemistry and how plants and soil interact
• Common soil health problems, including analyzing soil's fertility and plant nutrients
• The creation of a personalized plan for improving your soil fertility, including setting priorities and goals in a cost-effective, realistic time frame.
• Creating the optimal conditions for nature to do the heavy lifting of building soil fertility

Written for the home gardener, market gardener, and micro-farmer, Soil Science for Gardeners is packed with information to help you grow thriving plants.

Publisher: New Society Publishers
Pub. Date: 2020-04-07
ISBN: 9780865719309
Format: Paperback - 224 pages
Size: 6" x 9" (w x h)

Internationally-respected peace and environment activist Satish Kumar has been gently setting the agenda for change for over 50 years. As 350.org founder Bill McKibben says, "There is no one on the planet better-equipped to make you think and rethink how you're living and how you might change." 

The age of sustainability is grounded on the knowledge that we ourselves are very much part of nature; that what we do to nature we in fact do to ourselves; and that the earth has a soul, which we share. Drawing on the example of Rabindranath Tagore, Kumar advocates living with awareness that our personal choices have political and poetic resonance. In this book, he inspires readers with the knowledge we are all leaders and can create change in our structures and mindsets for lasting peace and a sustainable culture and society. Celebrating an emerging global consciousness that reveres nature, the book explores how, as a global society, we need to embrace diversity and be aware of our role as pilgrims on this earth. Joyful and heart-centered, Satish Kumar reminds us that to bring about change in the world, we must embody the change we wish to see.

Use these spiral guards to keep mice, rabbits, and other critters from girdling your tree. 24 inches high.

We are pleased to offer two options for spiral guards:

• White plastic guards - The white colour helps to avoid damage from the sun and trapping excessive heat around the base of your tree.
• Green biodegradable guards - The biodegradable guards are made of starch based plastic and rated for 2 years, which is nearly as long as the plastic spirals last.

Both types of guards will get brittle after a few years and begin cracking/disintegrating. With the green biodegradable guards, there is no plastic waste to reclaim from your orchard once they begin breaking down.

We use this in our orchard for all trees (both in our experimental orchard and nursery stock) as part of out holistic spray system. You can download the holistic spray recipe here.

Full of trace minerals, this liquid seaweed comes from the Ascophyllum nodosum plant in the Atlantic Ocean. 

945mL bottle is enough for 200L of spray mix, or 4x 50L mixes.

Terra Biosa is a dynamic, microbial soil inoculant. It is categorized as a Biological Compost Aid for the cultivation and stimulation of soil productivity and plant health. This all-natural and organic product is useful in orchards, vineyards, gardens, and compost by providing the following benefits:

• Stimulates plants metabolism
• Enhances yield as well as quality of fruit and produce
• Improves resistance to fungal infestations
• Improves soil quality by restoring micro-organisms in the soil

We use this in our orchard for all trees (both in our experimental orchard and nursery stock) as the effective microbe component of our holistic spray system. You can download the holistic spray recipe here.

Recommended Application Rates:

Soil: Mix 1 tsp of Terra Biosa per 40 sq. ft. (4 m2) in your water and apply while irrigating. Apply every two weeks for best result.

Foliar care and feeding: Mix 1 tsp. of Terra Biosa per 1L of fresh (preferably structured) water and apply using a spray bottle. Remember to mist leaves on both sides.

For decades fruit growers have sprayed their trees with toxic chemicals in an attempt to control a range of insect and fungal pests. Yet it is possible to grow apples responsibly, by applying the intuitive knowledge of our great-grandparents with the fruits of modern scientific research and innovation.

Since The Apple Grower first appeared in 1998, orchardist Michael Phillips has continued his research with apples, which have been called "organic's final frontier." In this new edition of his widely acclaimed work, Phillips delves even deeper into the mysteries of growing good fruit with minimal inputs.

The Ecological Farm offers a unique focus on reduced tillage, minimizing farm and garden inputs, and pest control.

Reflecting the wisdom that farmer, consultant, and educator Helen Atthowe and her late husband, Carl Rosato, gained during decades of farming experience, this book guides readers on how to reduce or eliminate the use of outside inputs of fertilizer or pesticides—even those that are commonly used on certified organic orchards and market gardens. In clear language and with color photographs, charts, and graphs throughout, the book emphasizes the importance of managing the details of an entire growing system over the full life of the enterprise.

Based on advances in scientific research in ecological food production, farmers, homesteaders, permaculturists, and gardeners alike will learn methods to:

• design a farm system that maintains a growing root in the soil year-round to feed the microbial community instead of just crops.
• strengthen the “immune system” of a farm or garden
• supply crop needs using only on-farm inputs such as cover crops and living mulch
• maximize the presence of beneficial insects and microbes that support healthy crop development
• minimize ecological impact in dealing with insect pest and disease problems