After spending spring and summer tending to the soil, you may be tempted to take a break while you wait for Jack Frost to bring your vegetable garden to its inevitable end. Yet a thorough fall cleanup and basic soil preparation now will ensure a healthy, vibrant garden in the spring. Agronomist Richard Affeldt of…
Harvest season is a great time to appreciate the fruits of your labor and to take time to reflect on the growing season. Pumpkins aren’t just a fun part of the fall garden—they are also very visible reminders of the importance of mineral-rich soil in producing large, beautifully colored and nutrient-dense fruits. (Yes, pumpkins are…
By pampering your houseplants with mineral-rich rock dust, they’ll thrive and provide you with enjoyment all year long. Houseplants don’t just add beauty to our indoor spaces. They also provide a variety of positive health benefits by: Humidifying the air By releasing as much as 97% of the water that they take in, houseplants increase indoor…
Nothing signals the start of fall like the pumpkin patches that seem to pop up everywhere! If you’ve ever tried growing your own for Halloween or Thanksgiving, however, you know that the perfect pumpkin takes a bit of preparation and planning. The inputs seem relatively simple: seeds, soil, sun and water. But the perfect pumpkin…
Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster is derived from finely ground volcanic basalt and nothing more. With no synthetic chemicals or man-made additives, our rock dust is approved for use in organic production. Yet we’ve noticed some puzzled expressions when people see silicon dioxide (SiO2) listed as a main ingredient. “Hey, isn’t this supposed to be an…
All plants need micronutrients known as trace minerals, or trace elements. Trace mineral soil additives help improve soil health and, by extension, human health. After all, our entire bodies rely on trace minerals (like iron, zinc, copper and manganese) to function properly. Why rely on additives? Unfortunately, much of our soil has become depleted of…
We received a testimonial from a grateful customer that made us curious about a plant that many of us know as the Christmas Cactus (also known as the Thanksgiving Cactus or the Holiday Cactus). “At one of the trade shows in Portland, Oregon I purchased a small packet of Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster to…
It’s mid-July, and your garden is really cooking thanks to all the long hours of hard work that you put into preparing your soil earlier in the year. Or, maybe you are like many of us—wishing that you had put more time into soil preparation back when the gentle breezes and cool showers of spring…
Rich Affeldt is chief agronomist at Cascade Mineral Products. He’s been spending the long days of summer in a hot and toasty test greenhouse located in Madras, Oregon. Why? To help answer the question, “How much Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster should I apply to my garden and containers?” In this short video, Rich explains…
If you took a sample of soil from your garden and looked at it under the microscope, what would you see? Hopefully, you’d see billions of microorganisms hard at work. Healthy soil should be teeming with these busy biological “workers” whose main task is to break down organic material and make nutrients available for plants…
