We grow our plants in the highest quality soil as good soil makes good plants.

We do not use chemicals, fertilizers, carbon fuel, or peat in our growing process. Instead, we propagate and grow all of our plants on our farm as nature intended. They are nurtured by the sun, the soil, and the rain.

We do our best to encourage a healthy ecosystem on our farm. You may find caterpillar holes and other signs of insect activity on our plants, and we are proud of it! We do, however, make sure that there are no bugs on plants before shipping them.

Sustainability is truly at the heart of what we do here at The Old Dairy. Click here to learn more about our Sustainable Practices.

We ship our plants when it is most appropriate to plant them: spring and fall.

We are particular fans of fall planting! The old adage what you plant in spring can grow, but what you plant in fall must grow has largely fallen into disuse due to pressure from garden centers, but it is no less true.

Here’s why: A plant planted in spring or summer needs to establish roots, send out new growth, flower and set seed. In fall it only needs to establish roots. The soil is warm and (hopefully) moist and within a week or so, new roots will make contact with your soil. The August planting will develop a nice mature root ball before winter and will have a huge head start on spring plantings.

Benefits to you: you can clearly see the holes that need to be filled in your garden; you can see exactly what you are buying as plants in the nursery are now quite large; there are many more choices available now than in spring; most importantly: you don’t have to spend an entire summer watering plants.

Most plants are happiest when planted in late summer or early fall, however, some plants must be planted in spring or early summer as they require a long growing season in order to establish the healthy roots needed to get through winter. Click here to download our list of early birds.

1. Dig a hole 2 times the width of the container.
2. Fill the hole with water then let it drain fully.
3. Remove the plant from the container and place it in the hole, making sure it is level.
4. Backfill the hole.
5. Gently firm down and water well to ensure that the soil makes contact with the roots.
6. Top with good garden compost or mulch to reduce water loss and feed the soil.

Plants want to grow, but there are a few things to keep in mind to help them grow their best.

Right Plant, Right Place. You must plant a plant where it wants to live. Know your garden conditions and pay attention to the sun and soil requirements of each plant.

Water, water, water. We water three times when planting new plants:

1. Thoroughly soak the root ball of each plant BEFORE planting. (We use kiddie pools to let pots thoroughly soak before planting).
2. You should also fill the hole with water BEFORE planting (this helps keep the roots cool and provides them with an extra water reserve after planting). Let it drain. This is a good opportunity to make sure your ground is draining properly. If not, plants could rot.
3. Water thoroughly again once planted then top with good garden compost or mulch.

Good soil makes happy plants. We suggest skipping the fertilizers and the sprinkler system and focusing on improving your soil structure. Let nature do the work: lay down cardboard to attract worms; mulch early in the season after a good rain and, most importantly plant plants where they want to grow.