Potting Soil SALE!

Blue Ribbon Sale – 25% Savings on Blue Ribbon Potting soil.  Our favorite for containers.  Recipe includes “Coir”, coconut fiber for moisture retention, beneficial mycorrhizae for improved fertilizer uptake and organic fertilizers. Come get your soil today!

Hidden Treasure Tuesdays

Tired of plain solar lights in your garden, or along your walk way? Need some light outdoors, and want something different from your neighbors? Don't want to hassle with putting electric lines out to your flower beds?

Commonwealth Garden Shoppe has you lit! We have solar lights in all shapes and sizes, ready to brighten your yard. They are ready to light your garden the moment you put them in! No electrical needs, and not the same old thing as the guy next door! Come on in, and check them out. Remember to mention Facebook or the blog when you come into the shoppe, and we'll give you 20% off of the purchase on the treasure item of this week!

Hidden Treasure Tuesdays

Today is DAD'S Day!! Hop on into the shop, and pick up something for Pop!
We have the right Father's Day gift for all dads! T Shirts, Gnomes & Tools and more! This is one of our favorites. A motorcycling frog with a solar powered headlight on his hog.

 

Maybe Dad needs to mark his garden territory? Help him out with one of our garden stones saying the garden is his. 

Come on in, and choose a gift for your favorite Dad!! Remember to mention Facebook or the blog when you come into the shoppe, and we'll give you 20% off of the purchase on the treasure item of this week!

Hidden Treasure Tuesday

This week, our hidden treasures are hanging all around the shop! Bruce has been busy making more hanging baskets! Our wave petunias are spilling out of their baskets, and waving to passers by along the front gate! There are so many colors and flower varieties to choose from. We have a hard time choosing our favorites here.

Parrot's Beak is starting to bloom!

We even have some fuchsias left!

Come on in, and choose your basket! Remember to mention Facebook or the blog when you come into the shoppe, and we'll give you 20% off of the purchase on the treasure item of this week!

Hidden Treasure Tuesday

 The vegetables are here!! All of our vegetable starts are in the shop! Growing your own food is a great hobby. With Granny Organic and her helpers to guide you, it doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a pro. We can help you with your gardening adventures!

Remember to mention Facebook or the blog when you come in to purchase, and we'll give you 20% off of the purchase on the treasure item of this week!

Hidden Treasure Tuesday

HUGE SALE! 

For the entire month of May, Harvest Supreme & Planting Mix are on sale!
Buy 3 @ $8.99 and get one free
That means you get 4 for the price of !! Harvest Supreme is a vegetable's best friend. 

Remember to mention Facebook or the blog when you come in to purchase, and we'll give you 20% off of the purchase on the treasure item of this week!

More Tomato Tips and Tricks

So you've got your tomatoes planted, and you're waiting for your harvest to come! Did you know, that you can pick your tomatoes at the end of the year, and save them? Pick any of the tomatoes that aren't ripe at the end of fall before frost and rain. Store them in a dry place, and they will ripen! Be sure to leave their tops on, and a stem too, if you can. Tomatoes don't need sun to ripen. They need warmth. Which means you can get them just the way you'd like them, with just a warm, dry place.

In the peak of the season, you might find you have more tomatoes than you can eat fresh! What are some of your favorite ways to eat your extras?
One of our favorite ways is DRIED! This is especially good with cherry tomatoes, but any kind will work. Cut cherry tomatoes in half, and sprinkle them with garlic, salt and basil. Put a little Slap Ya Mama salt on them to spice them up. There are also the traditional ways of preserving, like canning, and making tomato sauces. Another is to PICKLE them!

Hidden Treasure Tuesday

Our Hidden Treasure is blooming all around the Shoppe!We have Geraniums of all sorts! Come in and create a beautiful flowering pot for your porch or eve. They are flowering now, and will continue to do so as long as old blooms are cut!

Remember to mention Facebook or the blog when you come in to purchase, and we'll give you 20% off of the purchase on the treasure item of this week!

Tomato Tips and Tricks!

It's just about time to plant TOMATOES, and we'll have them this coming week!!

Even though our Spring appears to have come early, there is still a chance here in Oregon for frost. There is also a pretty high probability that we'll have some more rain before the weather dries up. Both of these things can be dangerous to new tomato plants, but we have a solution!

 Save up those plastic milk jugs, vinegar bottles and 2 liters! Cut the bottom of the jugs and bottles off, and place them over the tops of your young tomato plants! Leave the lids off. By recycling bottles as plant protectors LIKE THIS, you create protection from excess water, and provide shelter from frost! Get a head start on your tomato season with this simple trick.

A question that comes up often with our customers, is "What is the difference between Heirloom, Hybrid and GMO plants?" CLICK HERE for an excellent break down of what the differences are. In a very VERY simple nutshell, Heirloom and Hybrid plants can happen without human help. GMO cannot. What do we at Commonwealth recommend? Perhaps the better question would be which would we AVOID. That answer is GMO. If you are interested in avoiding GMO, we have the plants for you! If you would like to take that a step further, you can read THIS ARTICLE about seed names that have been sold to Monsanto and other biotech companies that invest in GMO science in our food and plants.

So what tomato varieties do you plant? One of our favorites is the ACE. It's a prolific, flavorful tomato that consistently out does it's competition in flavor AND production. It's a great all around tomato for fresh eating, canning and sauces. We've also found that for people with less sunny area for tomatoes, or those getting a late start on planting, planting smaller tomato varieties like cherries or Romas can make the difference in whether or not they get ripe tomatoes. Sun Gold tomatoes make a GREAT cherry addition to any garden. Come on in! Talk to Granny Organic and her helpers about what tomatoes will be the best fit for YOU!