A yard without leaves and a garden without dead stalks sticking up all winter long brings a sense of satisfaction. But at Organic Bob we promote a love of untidy lawns and gardens. These organic materials serve to nurture the soil and also provide shelter for pollinators. Our friends at the Pollinator Friendly Alliance explain that most pollinators stay over winter, looking for shelter in both plants and the ground. “During cold months, dead plant stems, old bark, cane, leaves, and undisturbed soil are the secret winter homes of pollinators. Leaving piles of leaves, compost or wood help all ..read more

Some Minnesotans are joyful when they do the last mow of fall because they won’t have to do it for another 6 or 7 months. Others may be a little glum because it’s an official end to warmer weather. Whatever your feelings are, the last mow is necessary for your yard to have the best chance to survive the winter. I’ve seen firsthand, over the past few decades, the advantages of planning the last mow of fall. Some people leave their grass long, thinking they’re “insulating” the yard. Then they have mold or rodents in the spring. Some people approach the last mow like a barber that only knows ho ..read more

Thinking 1 or 2 months ahead is essential to creating a thriving lawn – especially when you’ve made the important decision to go organic. So that’s why it’s important to prepare in August for effective organic lawn care in the fall. Late Summer Lawn Care Tasks To Do Aggressive hand weeding before fall seed goes down. Look for signs of small grubs in the soil, because there’s still time to add in a fall grub treatment. This year especially it seems like they are everywhere! Make sure to keep the soil moist to keep your lawn as healthy as possible going into the fall. We covered how important ..read more

    Society has convinced people over the past few decades that their yard should look like the fairway of a golf course – very green and very short. But this is very harmful for your lawn. Like most things, being too worried about appearances can cause problems later. Cut It Down Gradually after No Mow May Our friends at the U of M Extension service warn us about cutting down our lawns too fast. They recommend removing no more than 1/3 of the leaf tissue when you mow. To maintain a 3-inch lawn, mow before the grass reaches 4.5 inches tall. We recommend the following: Mow higher i ..read more

Use these 5 essential organic spring yard care tips because spring is one of the most important times to work on your yard. Following these tips should help it be as healthy as possible this year. TIP #1 DO remove any debris such as trash, branches, anything that can smother grass like piles of leaves. DON’T rake or use heavy equipment. You will damage turf in its delicate state and compact the moist soil. Tip #2 DO lightly rake leaves only when soil is warm and dry. DON’T power rake or de-thatch your lawn as it does more harm than good by cutting into the crowns of the grass plants. Tip ..read more

  Spring is coming and most homeowners after months of snow look forward to seeing a soft green lawn. What they see more often is a collection of unwanted weeds. Don’t blame the weeds! They’re in your lawn because you have unhealthy soil. The kicker is your soil got this way from doing things you thought were helping your grass – using chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. And even if you’re using something labeled “Organic” make sure it’s OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified, otherwise it may still include traces of chemicals. In this article we’ll discuss rea ..read more

No Mow May provides more habitat for pollinators. Photo by Alex Basov @ Unsplash.com. Two years ago, I heard about an initiative from England, called “No Mow May.” The idea is to not mow your lawn until June 1. This will encourage flowers to bloom in our lawns, thereby supporting countless bees and other pollinators with nutritious pollen and nectar. The number and diversity of bees in these unmowed areas is many times those in mowed lawns. The ubiquitous lawn represents one of the largest losses of habitat for our bees and other pollinators. No Mow May simply provides food and habitat duri ..read more

The drought of 2021 was hard on lawns around the Twin Cities region. The drought of 2021 stressed most lawns and did severe damage to quite a few. If yours was one of them, read on for tips on getting your yard back in shape this year. Drought Repair for Lawns Are you seeing damage where the lawn died completely or became very thin and patchy? How about heat-loving weeds like crabgrass taking hold? The combination of little rain and extreme heat over sustained time periods is catastrophic to a family of plants like grass that prefer some heat with generous rainfall. Couple that with mowing ..read more

[ Impress your favorite gardener this year with these holiday gift ideas. Photo credit: Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash ] Winter is coming and it’s time to start thinking about the holidays! There’s still plenty of time to shop for the gardener on your list, and here are some ideas to take some of the stress out of your holiday season: Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Gardener 1. Indoor Gardening Indoor gardening can be a lifesaver for the winter bound gardener. Houseplants, sprouts or microgreens kits, or seed starting supplies are popular with winter weary dirt diggers. 2. Gift Cards Gift cards ..read more

Knowing how to water your lawn in a drought can be stressful. Lawn Survival in Heat Waves and Droughts As we weather the effects of climate change (pun intended), many of you have expressed concerns about the extreme heat we’ve had this year, including watering during a drought. We share your concerns about your lawn and the environment, so here is some information to help you as you care for your little corner of the earth organically. First, we have excellent news: Lawns managed by Organic Bob’s REAL Organic Lawn care have a greater resiliency than lawns that are managed by “organic based ..read more