harrington's organic land care

harrington's newsletter

Keep up to date with the happenings at Harrington's

As always, there are lots of exciting things going on at Harrington's Organic Land Care.

We have recently welcomed some mascots to the company: over a hundred pounds of worms are busy in our new vermicomposter. This will give us the ability to create our own premier custom earthworm compost.

We have revamped our Organic Solutions program to include a new option: automatic fall over-seeding of up to 50% of your lawn. This offers a way to introduce new grass types and inject young plants into an aging ecosystem. Seeding each year is a pro-active organic method of handling landscape challenges.

Harrington's is moving toward our goal of treating all of our landscapes 100% organically. We continue to fine-tune our methods, reflecting our emphasis on the importance of feeding and enhancing the soil biology. Our new soil tests combine two different types of test results, providing even more in-depth information regarding your landscape. We have also updated our soil test information pamphlets to better explain our principles.

As the new season begins, we would like to thank you for being our customer. We look forward to working with you and your landscape, and continuing to push the boundaries of organic landscape care forward.

Choosing an Organic LawnCare Company: The Right Comparisons

You've decided. You want to care for your lawn, trees and shrubs organically. You're not alone; consumers everywhere want safer, effective ways to have a healthy landscape. And the lawn care industry is beginning to take notice. Even companies whose names have become synonymous with chemicals are trying to hop on the green bandwagon by making façade changes and offering services called "organic" or "natural".

This creates a challenge for consumers. How do you know the products being applied really are organic? How do you know that products called "organic" or "natural" are high quality and not simply cheap alternatives to chemicals? How do you decide if this company knows how to use organics successfully? How do you know that the organic program offered doesn't include mostly chemical applications with only one or two organic fertilizations thrown in? How do you compare different companies that initially all sound the same? You can get the information that will help you make a knowledgeable decision by asking the right questions. Harrington's Organicare measures up to this challenge.

Ask: How do you handle weeds?
Weeds are the biggest challenge for organic land care. Matching the customer's preference to the environment's capabilities can take some time. In organic land care, some weeds are supposed to be there; they are part of the ecosystem. Some are even beneficial. Clover, for example, helps to fix nitrogen and make it available for other plants. Ask how the company handles weeds. Do they allow the use of herbicides? If so, ask if they offer you the choice of whether to include them in your property's program or not. There are ways to handle weeds organically, ranging from spot treatments of non-selective organic weed control products to simply waiting for autumn and re-seeding particularly weedy areas. A quality organic program will provide one or more of these options for you. Harrington's provides both these organic options, as well as allowing customers to choose whether to include chemicals.

Ask: How do you handle crabgrass?
A variety of organic pre-emergent crabgrass control products are available to land care professionals. Many of them contain corn gluten meal which, when used consistently, greatly reduces the incidence of crabgrass. An organic company should be able to tell you about the product it uses for crabgrass control and how it works. Harrington's uses a corn gluten meal product enhanced with additional organic nitrogen. It acts as a pre-emergent by preventing the germination of weed seeds.

Ask: What other types of materials do you use?
Products such as bio-solids (sewage sludge), while technically "natural", are merely cheap substitutes for chemicals and often have dangerous properties of their own. An organic company should be able to give you an outline of their program, including a clear idea of what they are applying to your lawn. They may mention the use of corn gluten meal (see "How do you handle crabgrass?"), compost or compost tea, humus/humic acids or soy. Harrington's program includes multiple specially brewed compost tea applications, as well as a humic acid blend application in addition to the corn gluten meal. We do not use bio-solids, sewer sludge or pseudo-organic products.

Ask: How do you help the soil biology?
Organic lawn care is all about building up and balancing the soil biology. Enhancing the soil chemistry can help the process along, but the beneficial microorganisms that inhabit the soil are the critical element of a successful organic program. The addition of organic matter, living microbes and their food sources is a hallmark of a quality organic program. Harrington's teas are custom brewed to add and feed microbiology. Our organic fertilizer applications work synergistically with the teas. The soil test shows whether your landscape needs additional organic matter and allows us to customize the program by applying precisely what your landscape needs.

Ask: How long will it take for my lawn to be healthy organically?
Organic lawn maintenance is a process, not an event. It is the building up of a miniature, balanced ecosystem containing grass plants and a variety of beneficial microorganisms that work in harmony with plants to release needed nutrients, hold nutrients and prevent diseases. An organic program takes time because nature does not adjust instantaneously. If a company promises you instant results, it is less likely to be offering something that is truly organic. Harrington's recommends at least three years on our program to see the full benefits of the program; if you are switching from a chemical program, a longer time may be required.

Ask: Is this company accredited by NOFA?
NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) created the Organic Land Care standards in 1999, as well as a course to accredit organic professionals. Professionals must complete a 50-hour educational course and pass the final exam in order to be accredited. A NOFA accreditation shows that this land care provider has studied organic methods and thoroughly understands the approach. NOFA even accredits particular land care programs as 100% organic. If safety is paramount to you, this type of program is the one you want. A NOFA accreditation for the program means that all products used are 100% organic: all fertilizers, pre-emergent crabgrass control, weed control and disease control. Even grub control, if required, can be provided organically. A NOFA-accredited program means that should an extreme situation arise in which you and your land care professional decide that a chemical is the only appropriate solution, you will be asked to sign a special form allowing the use of a non-organic product. Harrington's was one of the first land care companies in the state to be accredited by NOFA. Our Organic Solutions TM program is NOFA-accredited as well.

The answers you receive to these questions will help you to get an idea of the company's philosophy, commitment to organic principles, products and methods. You can determine which companies are just trying to sound green and which are committed to organics. You can be confident that Harrington's is dedicated to understanding and applying the organic approach.