Our soil makes the difference...

People always ask us, "Why do your plants always out perform those from other places? They always seem to last longer and stay healthier."

The reason is quite simple. While most of the plants you buy these days are grown in "soilless mixes", containing only peat moss with various additives, our plants are grown in a mix anchored with real loam and compost.

We start with a blend of local screened loam and our own compost to which we mix in a high quality grade peat moss and sand. After steam pasteurization, we use this mix for our perennials and our hardy mums in the fall. For the rest of our crops, we then add some more high grade peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, lime, and a slow release fertilizer. This is the soil mix that you can purchase from us for your own use at home.

A potting mix containing real soil is simply more forgiving. It holds more nutrients that release over time, it defends agains many plant diseases, and there are rarely any Ph problems so often associated with artificial mixes.

So, why do most growers use "soilless soil"? Because it is easier. If we could buy soil like ours in a bag, we would. We can't. At Kathan Gardens, we still believe the extra work that goes into each mix of our soil makes a big difference in the performance of each plant you take home to enjoy.