Virtually every municipal water treatment plant in the United States (and most other countries) uses chlorine to sanitize water. This is a great thing for us human beings and our pets and livestock in general.  Chlorine kills bacteria and other microorganisms that pose a risk to our health.  However, this is not so great for plants and fungi that also need water.  While the chlorine won’t kill plants directly, it does kill as noted, bacteria and microorganisms that are necessary and beneficial to plant health.  Anyone who grows household plants, gardens, or flower beds should take steps to minimize the application of chlorinated water to their living fauna. • The easiest and most economical step is to let water sit out in an open container (a bowl or bucket with a large surface area) for more than 24 hours. Preferably, this open container should be kept at least a room temperature of 70 degrees F or warmer. • If you don’t want to wait that long, you can boil water for 15 minutes or so and let it cool back to room temperature prior to use. • Another way is to collect rain water. • If you have access to an untreated water well of course that works. • You could also buy distilled water (bottled drinking water still usually contains chlorine sealed in the container with the water). • Active carbon filters work too. Following one of these methods will provide for water that will not destroy the natural biology of the symbiotic relationship of plants and microbes that exists in the soil and leaf surfaces of your plant. If you would like to take even greater measures to provide a great environment for your plant to grow in. You can amend the soil with compost and water with compost tea. These are more than just nutrition for your plant.  They are delivery systems that pave the way for your plants to effectively utilize even more nutrition than just the composted material provides.  Composted material also provides a bio-film that protects plants from diseases.

How did Gardenersbud come to be? I have been around horses from a very young age.  Huh? What's that got to do with compost you ask? Let me continue...  My parents had horses when I was a child and I guess they (the horses) got under my skin.   My parents also had a significant garden every year.  The combination of horses and gardening is the foundation for Gardenersbud.  When I ventured out on my own of course, I left my parents farm.  I pursued a career in Engineering but I always had a garden when I could.  I finally bought my own lot of land large enough for horses in the year 2000.   I have been using horse manure for making compost and putting it in my garden every year.  I have found that compost is the best stuff there is to amend soil that may otherwise not grow anything more than grass or the toughest of weeds.  I have given compost away to family and friends for years.  A few years ago (I think it was 2014) I attempted to collect methane during the composting process of horse manure.  Instead of just piling the waste on the ground, I put it in a sealed horse water tank.  I collected a small amount of methane, enough to play with but not really enough to do anything significant with.  There was some disappointment as that experiment was over.  I had left the lid off the tank and it had filled with rain water as months went by without my attention.  Finally, at some point I decided that I'd like to use the tank for actually watering horses.  I discovered though, a tank full of the finest compost I had ever seen.  As I dug out a corner and started to bucket out some of the liquid I stopped and realized that was actually 'compost tea' that I had heard of but never had really used myself.  I decided to pour it in my garden and around my flower beds and trees.  I saw a noticeable difference in just about everything that year.  Even better than compost alone.  As that year drew to winter, I decided to go ahead and refill that old tank with horse manure again and repeat the process.  The following year I found the same results, great compost, and great compost tea!  In 2016, the industry in which all my Engineering experience is, started a very downward trend.  It hasn't improved and doesn't look to get better anytime soon. I decided to sell the products that I had sort of accidentally discovered.   It seems to be moving ok, giving me a small supplemental income.  Here's to hopes that people who purchase Gardenersbud's compost and compost tea find it to be as great as I have. Kevin Thyfault of Gardenersbud

It’s cold outside! We all know that. What can we do to keep those green thumbs busy? We can work those thumbs on indoor activities, like paying attention to indoor potted plants, or get some seedlings going for a head start on the garden. It will be warming up in just a couple months. With a little effort and commitment you can have the satisfaction of starting your own seedlings. Given how our retail stores are these days, who knows what you will find in the nursery sections, or how much you will have to pay for started garden plants? Some things you will need to get seedlings started: • Decisions made on what plants you will be starting and how many. • You should do a little research to find out some growing details for the plants you want to grow. • A bit of space for your starters. A place in your house where there is natural sunlight is great, but you probably will need to have a grow light with the short daylight hours in Winter. • A rack or stand can make the most efficient use of limited space. • Seed starting pots. Smaller pots will collect warmth quicker, but you will want to transplant sooner if they overgrow. • Potting mix for seed starting. You want a fine texture that holds moisture. Adding finely ground compost is a great idea. • Grow lights. As noted previously, with the short amount of daylight hours, you will need grow lights to provide the correct spectrum of light for the right amount of time. • Finally, you will need some dedication. Seedlings are sensitive and for the best results, they need steady moisture, temperature, and lighting. It's a very fulfilling endeavor to grow food to eat from those very small seeds. Good Luck and Happy Growing Gardenersbud