RODGERS COUNTRY NURSERY & GARDENS
OUR ORGANIC JOURNEY…
We have offered primarily Organic based fertilizers and controls for over 10yrs now…we do not only sell organic products/controls, we ONLY sell organic products and controls. It was a huge "leap of faith" when we first began, and took an enormous amount of time educating ourselves and our customer base. We have partnered with vendors like Dr. Earth, Kellogg Garden Products, Espoma, VPG Fertilome, Serenade, Concern, Extreme Gardening, Greenlight and Thrive to provide our customers with safe, alternatives to synthetic fertilizers, soils and pesticides.
It wasn’t immediately profitable – many customers went elsewhere to buy there "weed/feed, round-up". We eventually became sought after because of our organic stance, and it became one of our companies "niches". Our fertilizer, Soils, and Organic Controls have been an area of top growth for us now for over 5 yrs.
While it’s used to be only in the area of fertilizers, insect & disease controls & soils/mulches that we have been able to make this distinction – we are now beginning to see & aquire plant material that also meets those standards. It is a natural progression and makes so much sense for the Edible Gardening Craze of Fruits, Veggies and Herbs; but in the last 2 years I have had many vendors popping up growing annuals, perennials, even shrubs organically and without growth regulators.
The biggest challenge remains disuading customers from Weed/Feed and Round-up. Legislation seems to be leaning in our favor in that area, price is not as big of a consideration in sales due to most synthetic fertilizers being petroleum based and the increase in petroleum prices dramatically affecting non-organic products.
We also some Recycle/Resuse traditional black Nursery Pots. We have offered $5coupons to our customers for 15gal and above to encourage recycling (and reduce our costs as well), it has proven popular. We take 1gal and up (with no coupon) and reuse ourselves. Blooming Nursery, one of our main Perennial vendors has begun a recycling program itself and we have a Bin at the nursery where customers can drop off their distinctive burgundy pots. Hopefully we can recycle all 4" pots soon ~ there are programs in the Seattle area now, I think it will just be a matter of time before they make it across the water.
We feel stronger than ever about our Organic stance. The evidence continues to stack up regarding the damage we are doing to our Planet and our Bodies with synthetic fertilizers and chemical controls. Hopefully the voice of consumers will eventually dictate that Organics are the standard in our industry instead of just a movement.
Chris Periot, Mgr ~
We have offered primarily Organic based fertilizers and controls for over 10yrs now…we do not only sell organic products/controls, we ONLY sell organic products and controls. It was a huge "leap of faith" when we first began, and took an enormous amount of time educating ourselves and our customer base. We have partnered with vendors like Dr. Earth, Kellogg Garden Products, Espoma, VPG Fertilome, Serenade, Concern, Extreme Gardening, Greenlight and Thrive to provide our customers with safe, alternatives to synthetic fertilizers, soils and pesticides.
It wasn’t immediately profitable – many customers went elsewhere to buy there "weed/feed, round-up". We eventually became sought after because of our organic stance, and it became one of our companies "niches". Our fertilizer, Soils, and Organic Controls have been an area of top growth for us now for over 5 yrs.
While it’s used to be only in the area of fertilizers, insect & disease controls & soils/mulches that we have been able to make this distinction – we are now beginning to see & aquire plant material that also meets those standards. It is a natural progression and makes so much sense for the Edible Gardening Craze of Fruits, Veggies and Herbs; but in the last 2 years I have had many vendors popping up growing annuals, perennials, even shrubs organically and without growth regulators.
The biggest challenge remains disuading customers from Weed/Feed and Round-up. Legislation seems to be leaning in our favor in that area, price is not as big of a consideration in sales due to most synthetic fertilizers being petroleum based and the increase in petroleum prices dramatically affecting non-organic products.
We also some Recycle/Resuse traditional black Nursery Pots. We have offered $5coupons to our customers for 15gal and above to encourage recycling (and reduce our costs as well), it has proven popular. We take 1gal and up (with no coupon) and reuse ourselves. Blooming Nursery, one of our main Perennial vendors has begun a recycling program itself and we have a Bin at the nursery where customers can drop off their distinctive burgundy pots. Hopefully we can recycle all 4" pots soon ~ there are programs in the Seattle area now, I think it will just be a matter of time before they make it across the water.
We feel stronger than ever about our Organic stance. The evidence continues to stack up regarding the damage we are doing to our Planet and our Bodies with synthetic fertilizers and chemical controls. Hopefully the voice of consumers will eventually dictate that Organics are the standard in our industry instead of just a movement.
Chris Periot, Mgr ~
