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Veggie Patch

Every dog loves the veggie patch.  You humans always use great smelling soil, and fragrant plants as well.  Which makes us dogs love it even more.  By this time in April we usually have experienced our last hail storm, and the frosty evenings have past.
But we may get an occasional shower.  Which is perfect for your newly planted gardens.  I have to ask the most obvious question.  Have you planted your garden yet?
*  Get moving…..buying soil in bulk is the most economical way to purchase it.  And besides that, if you do buy in the bag, how can you actually look, feel and smell the soil?  Bulk is better.
* Get measuring…measure twice, plant once. Isn’t that what they say?  I suspect you know how many tomato varieties you want to put in, or the herbs that you want to use for your cooking?  So with that information, you know how big an area will be required.  With the area size, you know the yardage required.
*Get mulching… or as I say, get barking.  Bark not only adds a aesthetic flare, but the function is amazing.  Keeping the moisture in, keeping weeds at bay, and most of all, a place for me to lay.  Bark is available in shredded, chipped and dyed.  All will serve you well.
*Get magnesium…. Say what?  Yes, veggies like that magnesium, and good thing our Growers Blend contains that ingredient.  I love when things work out.
What ever you need to get to a move on your garden;  material, mulch, or even moss rock.  Get motoring and happy digging!

Clever Ideas, Uncategorized

And the April showers ~it never changes…

April Showers, I can mark my paw with that event.  Every year they come and every year we are surprised.  But what the rain does for us is amazing! So what to do in April?
* Planning ~ April Showers or not, you will have to calculate the amount of you soil require.  Just do that length times width, that will give you the square footage.  Determine how deep you want the soil to be (the depth garden box / planting area).  These numbers will give you the cubic yardage required.
Now here is your math lesson of the day from you friendly neighborhood dog ~ a garden box 4’x8′ (32sqft) , at 12″ deep will require one cubic yard of material.  That wasn’t too painful, was it?
* Planting ~ oh how our plants and veggies love the good fresh soils.  If you can get some soil down before the rain, the plants will dance.  Enhanced your soil with our Growers Blend (recommended for gardens), Planters Mix (recommended for landscaping) or Organic compost (always a recommended addition), thus providing your yard with what it needs.
* Protecting ~ Your veggies are in, your shrubs are planted, how about protecting the roots and soil?  Top your garden with one of our barks.  Walk On bark or Shredded Cedar are two of my favorites.  But my master has others to choose from.  Create a walking area around your boxes with Decomposed Granite, 1/2 crushed rock, or another rock of your choosing.  A nice neat garden makes for a happy gardener (and dog).
*Purchasing ~ Call us!, send us a message through valleyrock.com, or good ole’ fashion way, stop it!
Happy Digging.

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Much to Bark About

As we roll through March, and march into April, our Spring is upon us. Baseball, blossoms and bark.  But my friend bark (mulch) is high on my list of things to do.
* Color Dyed Barks ~Now this is not your Momma’s dyed bark.  Our Black and Brown barks have a UV protected colorant that last longer then the recycled barks.  What this means to you, is you will not have to replace it next year!  Not to mention the color looks amazing.
* Nugget Barks ~ now we call it deco bark.  The uniform shape really makes it a more polished look.  Many homeowner associations call out for our Small Deco in their specs. Large Deco Bark is also available, if you prefer a more chunky look.
*Fibrous Barks = a slopes friend.  If you have an area that experienced erosion this winter, then Redwood Ground Cover (aka Gorilla Hair) is a solution for you.  It is the best bark product to mat down on the ground.  If Redwood Ground Cover does not fit your liking, look at our Shredded Cedar.  It is also a shred product, but not nearly as fibrous as the Redwood.
* I’m not dyed, nor fibrous or a nugget! Then I must be Walk-On Bark.  The Walk-On is more of a true chip product, lighter in color than the all of the above barks and not as formal a nugget product.  It is also falls in the medium price range.
Just the word “bark” brings a ring to my ears.  And more than anything I love to roll in the bark.  Happy Digging!

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March Miracle

They call our rains the March Miracle, but to us dogs, it’s just good old mud.  The water our earth is absorbing now, will surely make for unbelievable gardens later.  So what to do now?
* A little planning never hurt anyone or any dog.  Now I plan where to bury my bone.  Just as you should plan where to place your garden.  A nice sunny side is key.  Them Tomatoes do love the heat.
* Measure, measure and measure again.  From designing the size of your garden boxes or length of your garden rows, math is key.  Make sure that the garden boxes are not so wide that you can not reach the middle to pick and weed.    Even us dogs know how deep to dig a hole for a bone.
* Soil, now this is my favorite part.  OMRI is important when eating the harvest…..even I know that.  Growers Blend is tops for the tomatoes, fully of good stuff (75% dairy manure, 20% humus, and 5% calcium, magnesium, and potassium) and it smells great too.
* Water, never forget the water.  Make sure that you account for the location of your water source when selecting your garden area.  A timer is key, because we all get busy…and the plants can not water themselves.  Even us dogs can drink from a bowl!

So our rain today, is key for tommorrow.  Until then, Plan, Measure, Soil, Water and as always, Happy Digging!

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I Love Curiosity

I have a curious friend named Isaiah.  He is always asking me questions, and as a dog, I wag my tail often to let him know I am engaging with him.  He came to visit me the other day and we talked about trucks and dirt.  And why did we have so many choices for soil?
Now for soils, my master has taken great care in choosing the right products.  Great products, with great ingredients.  None of us are perfect (even in the dog kingdom); but my masters sure do try!
When looking for soils here are some elements you want in “great dirt”:
Calcium ~ Helping provide structural support to cell walls and serve are a secondary messenger when plants are stressed, kind of like people’s injuries (aka my friend Kai’s master).  It assists with the physical and biochemical weaknesses the soil may contain.

Magnesium ~ Now this big word is central for other big words ~ chlorophyll and photosynthesis.  All these big words (remember I am just a dog) together serve as activators in plant growth.  And that is good!

Potassium ~ Many, many functions for this one.  But the main one I’m concerned with is aiding with drought resistance!   By activating enzymes this will assist with the root intake…..that’s a lot…and I do like damp soil.

But if you are a dog like me, you can just tell by the smell and color of good soil.  I’ll leave the OMRI and other certifications to my masters.  And to my friend Isaiah, keep asking questions.  Happy Digging!

 

Clever Ideas

I know I should be planning….

January is here, all my masters Christmas presents have been unwrapped.  And my master has been frantically cleaning.  But why?  They said January is a planning month.  So why not start time-lining your 2018 projects?  For us dogs it’s all about treats.  But for you humans it’s about your humble abode…
What to do in January:
* Gather Ideas -Use Pintrest, your neighbor, home shows, etc.  Make sure your ideas are products that are available.  For example, don’t pin a rock found in New Zealand that you want to put in Northern California – think freight costs.
* Gather Numbers – Measure, measure, measure.  Know the square footage you are working with.  Draw your project up with measurements. Allow for lighting, plants, hardscapes, plants, accent rocks, walkways, pathways & entertaining areas.
* Gather Samples – visit your local supply (online or in person) store  (Valley Rock) and take some samples and or pictures. Grab a brochure or two, determine your color scheme, decide on your style (beach, craftsman, fixer-upper), make a budget.
* Make Decisions – Once you have an idea what you want, decide on what you will do; and what you want a professional to handle.  Schedule appointments with Landscape Contractors once you know what you want.  Don’t go in blind, you will waste your time and theirs.
I always plan where I am burying my bone before I dig that hole.  And I know you humans do the same!  Happy Digging!

Clever Ideas, Uncategorized

Where did November go?

Now who doesn’t love November….Our cool nights have begun (aka me by the fire), the leaves are falling (aka me rolling in leaves) and my master is inside making treats that may fall to the ground (aka me licking floor).  So from my perspective….not a bad gig.  But as always, my master is working, working, working.  While I am sleeping, sleeping sleeping.  And what are they doing?
*  Maintain if no Rain – So the rain does not always fall on the plain.  If we have a dry spell, turn the water on for a bit to keep your plants happy.  And don’t forget about those potted plants under cover.
*  Protect- don’t neglect – Everything likes to be warm.  This includes the soil.  A nice layer of bark would make those roots happy.  My master has many varieties to choose from!  If mud is a problem, maybe a crushed rock is the solution.  This will keep the mud down and much easier to drive or walk on.
*  Cold can be controlled – So you are getting a bit of a chill in the evenings?  Well good thing my master has firewood and kindling in stock!  Now a 1/4 cord can fit into the back of a pickup, lickety-split it can be home for you. Or if you need a larger portion…..call and set up a delivery.  Oh yeah, don’t forget to grab a bundle of kindling too.
So whatever this season brings for us all, just remember a warm fire, a cute dog (aka me), with family and friends makes all things better.  Happy Digging!

News

Defensible Space

On our warm October days, my master is always fire safe.  So now is the time to check on your defensible space at your home.  Defensible space is broken down into two zones.
* Zone 1 – at a minimum of 30 feet from all structures.  Start with removing all dead vegetation.  This includes on the ground as well as on your roof and gutters.  Trim trees 10 feet from other trees; and branches that over hand on to your roof.  Move wood piles into Zone 2.  Clean up under decks and trim vegetation around base of your home.

*Zone 2 – this extends to 100 feet from all structures.  After creating Zone 1; make sure all grass is cut to a maximum height of 4″.  Create horizontal spaces between trees and shrubs – depending on the slope of your property, determines spacing of the vegetation.  Vertical spacing is just as critical-remove all tree branches at least 5′ to 6′ from the ground.

* Landscaping for Safety – Maybe now is the time to add pavers to your home-scape.  Hard surfaces – rock, cobble and pathfines along with fire-retardant plants will look great and help in our California climate!
So please keep the area around my dog house safe and clean.  And as always- Happy Digging!