Customer Holiday Planters!

ANTS!!

The rainy season can bring unwelcome visitors to your house…. Ants! Many ant species are actually beneficial; they improve the soil and are important natural enemies of insect pests, as well as recycle dead animal and plant material.

Pest species of ants can tunnel in wood, chew bark or plant parts, but are primarily landscape pests when protecting aphids, mealybugs, soft scale and whiteflies from predators and parasites.

Most ants are wingless workers that spend their time digging tunnels, foraging for food outside the nest, defending the colony and caring for the young. An important aspect of ant biology is food sharing (trophallaxis). As each ant meets another from the nest, they exchange a tiny droplet containing food and colony communication chemicals. Trophallaxis transports nutrients to nest-bound ants and directs workers to nearby food sources. Ant Baits take advantage of this food-sharing behavior to spread insecticide throughout the colony and poison ants in their nests.

Ants are sometimes confused with termites. Ants have a narrow waist, their antennae are elbowed and winged. Ants have hind wings that are much shorter than the forewings. Termites have a broad waist, antennae that are not elbowed and wings of equal length.

Argentine Ants are the most common in the bay area. They nest in moist soils and can quickly relocate nests in response to changes in food and weather. Each colony may have many queens that contribute to this species’ high reproductive capability.

Argentine populations increase greatly in mid-summer and early fall. They are most attracted to sweet baits. They also change their food preferences frequently so several different baits should be kept on hand. We carry Grant’s Ant Stakes, Bonide Ant Traps, Concern Diatomaceous Earth, Tanglefoot (and Tape) and Terro Ant Killer as solutions.

We have wonderful free handouts on “Controlling Ants in Your House” from “Our Water Our World”. This is a Water Pollution Prevention Program sponsored by the SFPUC and Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program that will help you prevent pests and diseases, and when you do have pests, etc., suggest environmentally friendly ways to handle those problems. Ask to see all the free handouts we carry.

Cloud Cover... not just for cut trees

Cloud Cover is very helpful in the coldest part of the year. It not only prolongs the life and freshness of cut trees, wreaths, living trees, and garland but it also protects tender plants. Cloud Cover helps keep the living trees that are brought indoors from drying out. The product may appear ‘milky’ when wet but will dry clear. The spray does not affect normal transpiration (passage of moisture through the leaves). Anti-dessicant sprays were originally developed in Israel for transplant shock of young tender seedlings. You can use the spray on newly planted shrubs, trees, and winter color to lessen transplant shock. Citrus trees can be sprayed to protect them from frosty nights. Plants should be well-watered before application.

After the rainy season begins there can be stretches of dry weather and when those stretches are windy and the temperatures drop, plants can really suffer. This can be deadly for container plantings, especially those under eaves and out of the rain. Evergreens and conifers do not really enter a dormant phase but continue to lose water through their needles and leaves.

Cold and dry plants are the most vulnerable. Water plants before the temperatures drop, mulch around plants, and use Cloud Cover or Harvest Guard Garden Cover, the reusable, easy-to-use frost blanket we carry.

Holiday Gift Basket Ideas

Holiday Gift Basket Ideas for every Gardener on your list…from Sloat Garden Center

A few ideas to celebrate the season:

• Bonsai gift basket – bonsai plant, bonsai dish, tools
• Edible gardener gift basket – vegetable seeds, organic soil, gloves, E.B. Stone organic fertilizer
• Orchid gift basket – orchid plant, orchid pot, butterfly clips, orchid food
• Kids gardening basket – easy-to-grow seeds, soil and children’s gardening tools
• Succulent gift basket – succulent dish, succulent plants, E.B. Stone cactus & succulent food

Double Points in December!

Squash muffin recipe!

Too much squash, here's a delicious squash muffin recipe!

The jewel tones of cyclamen will provide color until spring


Calendula to brighten the winter months


Primroses in pink, red, blue, yellow...


Poinsettias to suit every decor


The Christmas Fairies have arrived!


Enjoy the heavenly fragrance of camellia sasanqua!


Sweet-smelling violas for winter color


Brighten your holiday entrance with our Custom Planters


Instead of boring slippers, something for the garden...


We have lots of creative gift ideas!


Drama in the winter garden


Rich red pots for living trees


Different sizes for every situation

The Perfect Gift idea!

Sloat Garden Center Gift cards in the following denominations:

Sloat’s holiday ornament selection

This season Sloat’s holiday ornament selection is truly spectacular. Take a look!!

Trees & Wreaths are here!

Visit our stores this week for the freshest trees & wreaths. More info here!

Planting Winter Veggies

The Bay Area’s rainy falls and winters are so mild that we can harvest fresh produce from cool season veggies until the weather turns warm. We can even grow salad greens in containers!

With your winter salad bowl in mind, the following cool-season seedlings are now available at Sloat; broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard ‘Bright Lights’, cauliflower, spinach, onions, artichokes, lettuces …and don’t forget our favorite fall flavors of thyme, sage, and rosemary.

Don’t be afraid to try seeds, they love the rainy weather. To make seed planting easier we are now carrying two kinds of Ferry-Morse seed sowers to make planting easier with less thinning needed. We also have several kinds of labels for those of us experiencing ‘senior moments’. If labels aren’t the right aesthetic golf tees can also be used. Other useful items would be kneepads, trowels, the new pink and purple Nitrile gloves, ‘Golden Gate Gardening’ by Pam Peirce, Surestart and Quench.

Soil prep is very easy, if the bed was amended earlier this year nothing needs to be added to the soil. If not, then planting mix would be good, this is especially important for clay soil. Nicely worked soil will drain much better and roots won’t rot when the rain comes back. Our sunny ‘Indian Summer’ days and cool fall nights are perfect for cool-season crops. The coming rain will take over the task of watering and there will be fewer pests this time of year. Sluggo is definitely recommended to keep the snails and slugs under control; they love cool, wet weather.

The brassicas (kale, kohlrabi, collards, mustard broccoli, turnips, Brussels sprouts cabbage, cauliflower) are the stars of the winter garden. They are rich in vitamin A and C, potassium, magnesium, dietary fiber, and have varying amounts of iron and calcium. The leafy varieties, such as kale and turnip greens are a good source of carotene and are wholly edible, including their sprouts, leaves and roots. Kale and collards develop their best flavor after a cold snap, the plant cells are working to convert starches to sugars to protect them against the cold. The result is a sweet, fresh taste that surpasses any store-bought greens. For the more tender vegetable we have Harvest Guard Garden Cover.

Thanksgiving is around the corner

If you have butternut squash leftover from the summer's garden, we recommend...

Butternut Ginger Soup !
(Inspired by Sloat's Green Goods Buyer Katy Thompson
and our Training Manager, Lora Kellner)

This soup takes almost no time at all!
1 cube of butter
1 bunch leeks - white parts only, washed and finely sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 chunks
½ tsp thyme
2 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 2” piece ginger root peeled and chopped fine
1 or 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped (optional)
3 cans chicken or vegetable broth (about 6 cups)
1 cup Half & Half (optional)

Saute the onion, leeks and ginger with the butter in a large stock pot or Dutch oven until golden. Add the broth, squash and spices and simmer for 30 minutes. Add potatoes, if you are using them, and simmer another 30-45 minutes, until the squash pieces have begun to fall apart and the potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat. Partially puree with an immersion blender (carefully, it's still hot!) Stir in the ½ and ½ to make a creamy version of this soup right before serving.

Both soups kid tested and gobbled. They may not like “squash”, but they love Butternut!

Sloat's 2008 Growing up Green dates

The 2008 Growing up Green dates are out! More information on our Growing
up Green fundraising program can be found here:

Jan 18 to 27, 2008
Feb 22 to March 2, 2008
September 19 to 28, 2008
November 7 to 16, 2008

Beautiful Thanksgiving & Holiday wreaths are in stock!

This year we're carrying certified organic herb wreaths from Mcfadden Farm, located a few hours north of San Francisco in Potters Valley.

We have bay wreaths, both plain and with rosemary, as well as three herb wreaths (fresh rosemary, thyme and bay leaves, accented with fresh red chili peppers), and bay leaf swags tied with chili peppers. This year we are also proud to offer Magnolia leaf wreaths that are a visual combination of the glossy green tops and fuzzy rust bottoms of fresh Southern Magnolia.

The wreaths are available at the following Sloat locations only: Sloat Blvd, Mill Valley (E. Blithedale Avenue), Kentfield, Pierce Street (Marina) and Danville. Call the locations with any questions.

Fast Forward November!

Each month Sloat Garden Center sponsors a different school garden in Marin County through the county-wide school newspaper FastForward. The March school garden is Brookside Lower School.

Holiday Ideas

It's never too early to plan for the Holidays...
Visit our Holiday Ideas page for gifts, greenery and holiday decorating HERE

This season, our Holiday Pottery Color is: Iron Red!

New Custom Planters in stock. Check them out!

Our Fall 2007 Adopt a Garden Schools

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sausalito, CA – November 9, 2007 -- Sloat Garden Center has chosen two schools to receive Adopt a Garden grants for the Fall 2007 semester.

Roosevelt Elementary School of Burlingame and Sanchez School of San Francisco will both receive $1,000 garden grants based on their gardening goals and plans.

Each year, Sloat Garden Center chooses 4 grant recipients schools to illustrate the positive impact that gardening at school can have on Bay Area students and their communities. “We have made a commitment to school gardens in our neighboring communities and we hope these grant monies will help students discover a love of gardening,” explains Dave Straus, Sloat Garden Center owner.

Throughout the Bay Area, school gardens have been integrated into curriculums to teach nature, science, language, math, art, history, economics, nutrition, wildlife and social skills. For many students these are once-in-a-lifetime, hands-on learning opportunities that put into practice what is learned in theory.

Yes, it's really November!

Hold on to your hats because fall is upon us. Wow, how did that happen?

Attached are some nursery pictures to brighten the weekend and also... a terrific gingered butternut squash recipe HERE. Check it out...!