Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
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Mar
15
Posted by michael aguilar
Kermit the frog said “It’s not easy being green”, but he was wrong. Here at the Grange Supply it’s easy to go green. Over the past 12 to 15 years, the science of organic fertilizers has improved in leaps and bounds and they now own a major corner of the fertilizer market.
This year we’ve brought in the Dr Earth line of fertilizers and “simples”. (simples are the single items like blood meal, alfalfa meal, etc) I personally have used these products for about 4 years and I love the results especially in my vegetable garden.
In addition to a full line of organic fertilizers we also carry other “eco-friendly” products like Alaska liquid fish fertilizer, several of the Safer products, Burn Out organic weed killer and Sluggo snail/slug bait.
We also offer more “hands on” type of products like bird scare tape, fly and wasp traps, apple maggot traps and lures and even copper tape to keep the snails out of your raised beds.
This time of year is good for working on your lawn. At the Grange, we not only carry an extensive variety of lawn and pasture seed , but also, ferrous sulfate, (iron) to kill the moss, lime to sweeten the soil, and two types of organic lawn fertilizer to make it lush and green.
Come on out and say hi.
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Mar
12
Posted by Michelle Boman
Join us tomorrow, Saturday March 13th, for a chick seminar. Meet Ross Rob from CHS and learn all about raising chicks and care requirements.
The seminar will be 10am-noon at our store!
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Feb
08
Posted by Michelle Boman
Saturday, February 13th, 2010 ( 9 am to noon )
It may be winter but it’s never too early to start planning your springtime pasture management routine. In this workshop learn how pasture management and horse health weave into managing horse pastures. Alayne Blickle from Horses for Clean Water will cover pasture management and how it relates to horse health. Learn basic techniques for good pasture management including how grasses grow, creating a winter paddock, liming, spreading compost, rotational grazing, managing small grazing areas, weed control, fencing options and small farm equipment. We will also discuss what constitutes a “lush” pasture & how to manage horses and grazing so a horse doesn’t become fat. Harris Statema, a feeds expert from LMF Feeds, will speak on the horse’s digestive system and understanding forage and nutrition. Learn about carbohydrate intolerance in horses and how sugar levels in your hay or pasture affect your horse’s health. Find out about hay probes and how to use them. Learn how you can borrow (for free!) the KCD hay probe to take samples of your hay. Meet resource staff from the King Conservation District who can suggest options for pasture management problems, soil testing, liming and other recommendations. Start the grazing season out right by learning how you can make your pastures become more productive and your horses healthier! The Grange Supply, Issaquah, WA. Saturday, February 13th, 9 am – noon. FREE! Register & receive directions: King Conservation District at 425-282-1949 or
signup@kingcd.org
Horses for Clean Water
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Feb
06
Posted by michael aguilar
Winter Brightness by Grant MacDonald
NO, NO, NO, No, No….Regardless of the weather outside, it is not Spring. Last blog I told you to go ahead and plant primroses, pansies, and violas and so far they’re doing fantastic. Chances are ,even if we have a short term freeze these hardy annuals will survive.
there are times I think I need a whip and chair for those customers who want to get a really early start and are buying corn, tomato and squash seed to plant outside. folks, it’s too early. We all know the unpredictability of the weather here in the Northwest, and we could be shoveling snow in three days or canceling that Hawaiin vacation because it’s warmer here!
Okay, that’s a bit farfetched but seriously, we need to wait a little bit more. If this current weather pattern continues until late February, (20th+) I’ll probably start some peas and other winter veggies.
A lot of customers are asking about reseeding their lawns now. this too is a bit premature. My fear is that if we have a cold snap over the course of a few days it will kill the freshly germinating seed. For your lawn, pastures etc, I think it’s best to wait until the start of March.
Now is a good time to prepare your garden. Add some good compost, or steer gro, or chicken manure and till it in. Look at your garden and plan out what veggies you want and where to plant them for maximum production. If you’re lucky enough to have a greenhouse or you do a lot of seed starting in the house, come on by the Grange and look at our full line of Territorial and Ed Hume seeds in addition to seed starting soil, peat pots, peat pellets and starting trays.
I’m also bringing in some exciting new items to the Lawn and Garden Dept. including Dr Earth organic fertilizers, (which will flagship a renovated “Eco friendly” section. In addition to the pre-mixed ferts we will also carry the individual components for you to create your own recipe to nourish your plants.
For now, be patient. It looks like we’ll have another gorgeous year for growing veggies, but planting them early, even if it doesn’t freeze ,will slow and stunt their growth often times to the point that they won’t recover.
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Jan
21
Posted by Michelle Boman
Photo courtesy of alykat on flickr.com
Do you purchase Oxbow products at The Grange? If so, we have an exciting promotion for you! When you purchase $15 of Oxbow product you will earn 1 raffle ticket. Use it to enter for a Oxbow Guinea Pig or Oxbow Rabbit basket. These baskets are filled with exciting Oxbow products, including the new freeze dried treats and Oxbow’s new Organic food! Each basket has a $41.00 retail value!
Come in soon, the raffle is only going on until January 31st! On February 1st, we will announce and contact the winner! Good Luck!
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Jan
21
Posted by Simone Mauhl
The Grange will have baby chickens again, starting the week of 03/01/2010. We have all the supplies you need to get started. Please call us at the Grange for more information. The chick schedule is available on our website www.grangesupply.com
We look forward to see you at the Grange.
Hot Chick by JOE M500 on Flickr
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Jan
17
Posted by Simone Mauhl
….for your tires. That’s right, we don’t charge for it. The Grange also sells propane for $3.39/1 – 9 Gallons; $3.34/10 - 19 Gallons; $3.29/20 -39 Gallons, $3.27/more than 40 Gallons and Bio Diesel B50 for $3.349/Gallon. Stop by and see what else we carry and you might be surprised. (Prices are subject to change without further notice). We are open Mo. – Fri. 7a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Photo from Flickr and by ronnie44052
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Jan
16
Posted by Patti Kreager
Hey Guys! Just because it’s raining buckets outside doesn’t mean old man winter isn’t coming back. Don’t miss out on our Men’s Carhartt Coat and Jacket sale! The sale has been extended until the end of January. Don’t miss out on GREAT savings where member’s receive 20% savings and non-members 15%.
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Jan
16
Posted by Liam Shaw
Symptoms of Insulin Resistance (IR) include:
Obesity, easy weight gain, “Easy Keepers”, Abnormal, lumpy, patchy fat, a cresty neck, fat at the base of the tail and above the eyes, history of laminitis or grass founder, stretched white line, seedy toe, tender feet, low energy, unwilling to go
What is Equine Insuline Resistance (IR)?
IR is a metabolic disorder, not a disease, and is controlled with diet and exercise. Horses originally survived in the wild on poor forage and roamed for miles in search of food. Natural selection allowed those that could get by on very little food to survive. Now, we provide lush pastures more suited for cattle, feed grains and processed foods high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC= sugar and starch) and limit their movement to stalls or small pastures with occasional exercise on the weekends. Unmanaged IR often leads to laminitis or founder (rotation and/or sinking of the coffin bone in the hoof a painful and potentially fatal condition) and is often referred to as “grass founder,” commonly seed in the Spring and Fall. Symptoms such as those listed above can suggest IR but a veterinarian should diagnose it with a non-fasting blood test for glucose and insulin and the calculate the glucose to insulin ratio. Ratios of less than 4.5 confirm IR.
Managing IR:
The most important step in managing IR is to limit the amount of NSC in the diet. Depending on the severity of the condition, grazing should either be completely eliminated, limited to an hour at sunrise or controlled with a grazing muzzle. High NSC foods including grain, corn or wheat based pelleted feeds, “senior” feeds, molasses, apples and carrots should not be fed. Grass hay or an acceptable low NSC feed (<10% NSC) should make up the bulk of the diet at 1.5-2.0% of the horses ideal body weight. Beet pulp (molasses free or rinsed clean of molasses) is an excellent source of fiber and provides the same calories as oats without an increase in blood glucose. Exercise, even as little as 30 minutes a day of hand walking, will increase the muscle demand for glucose and will reduce IR symptoms. (Note: Exercise only if the horse can tolerate it – never during an acute laminitis episode.)
Mineral Deficiencies and IR:
IR has been linked with some dietary deficiencies and mineral imbalances; for example, high iron and low magnesium have been associated with IR. The most practical and economical approach is to have the hay analyzed and provide only the vitamins and minerals that are needed, which has already been done for you in the Mid Valley Milling Low NSC feed program.
Where to get more information:
To learn more about IR and/or Equine Cushing’s disease from leaders in the field, go to: www.ecirhorse.com or http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/
Where to find low NSC foods for the IR horse:
A complete food source for the IR horse is Mid Valley Milling Low Non Structural Carbohydrate Pelleted Complete Feed and Balancing Minerals. This product is assured to be low NSC and balanced in minerals so that additional mineral supplementation is not needed. The pellets can make up 100% of the diet or can be supplemented with a source of low NSC hay and/or unmolassed beet pulp pellets or soaked and rinsed beet pulp pellets if unmolassed beet pulp cannot be found.
*Article courtesy of Mid Valley Milling www.MidValleyHayPellets.com
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Jan
14
Posted by michael aguilar
Let’s face it, after two pretty nasty winters we were due for a mild one and boy oh boy did we get it! Oh sure, there are some of us complaining about the rain and the gray sky but there’s always something to complain about with weather in the Northwest.
What’s getting me excited is the temperature. It may be a little cool to some of you but the primroses, pansies, and violas that are now available absolutely love it. I’ve had them available in the store for two weeks and they are selling well. I’m also planting up some of the containers here at the Grange as well as my deck at home. I can’t remember the last time I tried selling spring annuals this early but they’re doing great.
As my excitement grows for the upcoming season I thought it would might help to let you know when we would be bringing in those items usually associated with Spring.
January – In addition to the 4″ annual color and a few select perennials, we should have Territorial and Ed Hume seeds available during the last week.
February – The first week will see the arrival of Jackson and Perkins bareroot roses. A little later we will receive the onion sets ( yellow rock, white ebenezer, and red wethersfield) as well as seed potatoes, (red lasoda, chiefton, burbank, norcotah, yukon gold, satina, all blue, russian banana, and makah ozette) Toward the end of the month we will be bringing in the baby chicks! Call or come by to find out what varieties we will carry this year. Mason bees and their accessories will show up around this time as well.
March – things will be hopping by this time. We’ll receive bareroot strawberries, raspberries blueberries, asparagus rhubarb and horseradish. We’ll also get onion transplants, (red zeppelin, copra, walla walla and ailsa craig) we will also bring in grapes ,figs, kiwi, columnar apples and camellia sinensis more commonly known as the tea plant. Yes this is the type in which you can make your own green or black tea.
This is just to get the year started. There will be many more exciting things coming in so mark your calendar and come out and find out what’s new at the Grange, and while you’re at it look into all the benefits of becoming a member.
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