A retailer navigates the sustainability rapids

Monday, 24 December 2007

An avalanche of new products

When I decided to really take on organics, I didn’t think I would end up with nine organic deer and rabbit lines and 15 pesticides to test. I attended four major horticultural shows this season and got information and samples from many green companies.

So many new companies are on the market that we have a lot of product to test. It would be great if people with no hands in the kitty could test these products for us, and if several groups did this around the nation it would be even better.

We have tested a variety already, and we think we may end up with the product we had originally, which is Espoma. As our research continues there will be a few product additions.

Espoma is an established company with decades of experience and testing. I wrongly assumed that older companies wouldn’t be up with the latest. To my surprise they were on top of things.

New not always better

I am disappointed with some of the new kids on the block. Here is an example.

Many of the organic animal deterrents are products we already have on our shelves, such as dried blood and sulphur. I’m left with a moral issue -- do I charge $24.99 for one particular brand or $5.99 for 5 pounds of dried blood from Espoma?

On the box of the more expensive brand, it says in small print, “proven effective on dormant plants.”

Dormant plants don’t have flowers or sometimes even leaves. Does that mean the product won’t work when plants aren’t dormant, which is when the deer, rabbit, etc., do the most damage?

It may be a bad business decision, but after a discussion with my employees, we will not carry the repellents that are already on the shelf for another use.

The more expensive brand, by the way, listed us as a distributor after they sent me a sample. It is listed as a top pick by the National Home and Garden Club. I bring this to your attention because I think it is really important to understand what is in the box or bag we are selling.

We’re moving away from pesticides

We are increasingly suggesting bio-pesticides and predatory insects first before pesticides. We already offer beneficial insects, fish emulsion, worm castings, insecticidal soap and oils. We plan on doing a better job of displaying by grouping all the organics together, highlighting with point-of-purchase and educating with our e-newsletter. Many of our customers will go ahead and try the organic method first.

We expect a big demand for organic plants

The only plants that people typically ask about being organic are herbs and vegetables.

We heard a lot of concern last spring over the problems with vegetable recalls from California. The news that some of our food is coming from China has set people on edge also. I think the food production issue relating to organic gardening may be higher on the future agenda than the concern over organic lawn and garden products. Luckily for us, we have a local organic grower of herbs and vegetables.

Organic gardening seminar disappointing

We recently held our Fall Fest, which offers classes all day. The largest class was container gardening, and the smallest, Organics Gardening 101 -- The Facts & The Fiction.

I was disappointed. I thought this would be a well-attended class because we frequently have young couples ask us about organic products or, as they say, “something safe for the Earth that won’t harm the kids and the dog.”

We either have people who have already studied it online and are well-informed or others who read an article somewhere and have the need for knowledge.

The most important thing is to have knowledgeable staff on the subject and be honest about products’ effectiveness.