B A Y V I E W F A R M & G A R D E N

Organic goods bring in the money

Bayview Farm & Garden has sold organic products since it first opened, in 1993. Clean water is a powerful issue on the island, since everyone relies on an aquifer for fresh water. As a result, residents are passionate about not adding contaminants to soil that will leach into the water system.

Here are the best sellers in organic materials for Bayview.

Orchard Mason Bees are non-aggressive pollenators.
Orchard Mason Bees
According to Rowley, Orchard Mason Bees are souped-up pollinators. Emerging earlier than honeybees, Mason Orchard bees significantly increase the amount of fruit and flowers trees and shrubs produce in the first season, Rowley said. The bees are sold in a couple of different ways. One package looks like a roll of canned biscuits. The other is a wood plank with holes drilled in it. Each hole holds about five bees. The bees look more like flies than honeybees, and they are not aggressive. Rowley said that in seminars, attendees pass a bee from finger to finger without problem.
For more: Knox Cellars, 1607 Knox Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225; (360) 733-3283; fax (360) 752-0707; brian@knoxcellars.com; www.knoxcellars.com.

Terosa Ultimate Rose Food
Customers have told Bayview employees that their roses get the best results from using Terosa. The slow-release fertilizer and soil amendment is designed to be used once a year, yet it creates steady sales for Bayview. Part of the reason is that a local radio personality loves the product, and every time he mentions it on his program, a stream of people comes into the store to buy it.
For more: D.F. Marks, 8510 Maltby Road, Woodinville, WA 98072; (360) 668-3802; fax (360) 668-4285.

Whitney Farms' packaging is part of why the store likes the line.
Whitney Farms
Bayview's largest line of organic amendments is from Whitney Farms. It is one of the earliest organic amendment vendors and one of the few available when the store opened. Rowley said that Whitney Farms has developed a strong line and the company's reps are very responsive to questions or requests Bayview may ask of them. "It may not be the cheapest," she said, "but it's nice that we can go to one source."
For more: Rod McLellan Co., 6500 Hanna Road, P.O. Box 70, Independence, OR 97351; (800) 531-4411; fax (503) 838-6805; www.whitneyfarms.com.

Bayview builds in a huge margin for its Soil Soup compost tea.
Soil Soup
Every Thursday and Saturday, Bayview has a compost tea party. It has a 30-gallon brewer in which it creates Soil Soup. It's been a big hit with customers. Customers line up, jugs in hand, to buy a gallon to take home. The brew must be used within 12 hours after it's made since it contains living organisms. The product is also popular with the Rowleys, despite the extra labor in creating the compost tea. It costs Bayview cents on the dollar per gallon to make and each gallon is sold for $5. As an added bonus, customers bring their own containers for the tea.
For more: Soil Soup, 9792 Edmonds Way, Suite 247, Edmonds, WA 98020; (206) 542-9304; fax (206) 533-0748; www.soilsoup.com.

. © 2002 Branch-Smith Publishing