Organic Growing without a trip to the "Grow Store"?

[Wooderson]

It seems that a trip to your local indoor growing store these days can get you on the radar of law enforcement in a hurry! So how can you get great organic results without-using product that are available mostly at the "Hydro Store"? Something like a Walmart or a more mainstream garden-center. I would love some info on fertilizers, soil components, and nutrients readily available without have to use pure-blend on other specialty products. any info or links would be a great help.........

 

[Iron_Lion]

I think a person would look more suspicious buying soil and fertilizers in the winter time at a hardware store like HD or Ace then they would buying organic ferts at a hydro shop. There is alot of garden enthusiasts that grow fresh produce indoors these days. My local hydro shop is always busy anytime of the year with customers from all walks of life that grow many other things other than mj. Just dont go in stinking of weed and you shouldnt have any problems. Alot of the "organic" products you might get at homedepot are junk, like that miracle grow organic line, complete horse sh!t.

 

[Wooderson]

I think a person would look more suspicious buying soil and fertilizers in the winter time at a hardware store like HD or Ace then they would buying organic ferts at a hydro shop. There is alot of garden enthusiasts that grow fresh produce indoors these days. My local hydro shop is always busy anytime of the year with customers from all walks of life that grow many other things other than mj. Just dont go in stinking of weed and you shouldnt have any problems. Alot of the "organic" products you might get at homedepot are junk, like that miracle grow organic line, complete horse sh!t.

Thanks for the advices, but maybe I wasn't clear with my question. My Freedom is a priority to me. Where Im at the grow stores are a complete bust!!!!!!!!!!! Many people are now caught up in the system because of a simple trip to the grow store! I will never go there. I'm not really trying to debate the red flag issues like buying fertilizers in the winter. More interested in info on smart work-arounds and tips to avoid going to a "Hydro Store"?

 

[I N Hail]

High Wood
LOok at the ORGANICS FOR BEGGINERS thread , LC mix 1 or 2 , recipe #5 found it allat Wallmart,homedepot,pikes, good luck.



I N Hail (aka Kermit Greenskip)

 

[zolar]

you go to any garden store or big boxy place you go get
seeds for tomatoes look for beefsteak or amish heirlooms
varietys you get egg plant melons lettuce etc seeds

get a seed starting kit with humidity dome /top
get either promix type organic that is food certified cali cert omri cert soil mix or topsoil compost peat perlite and blood meal bone meal and an organic bloom booster fertilizer so i can have my own organic tomatoes first this year the get 4 inch and patio pots get kelp if they have it
this is just the right time to be doing tomatoe seeds at home actually its a little late for some varietys

but there you are full out and going strong on growing your own organic tomatoes and food this year ......
omri organic matierals reasearch institute

if you're new to gardening tell the guy you made a bet about growing organictomatoes first this summer loser buyr winner 4 july booze and barbeque meat.....

 

[swampdank]

You can find all kinds of goodies in hardware stores. Buy in spring when everybody is buying the stuff. Just make sure you get enough to last all year.

 

[BurnOne]

Peat, perlite, worm castings, powdered dolomite lime, blood, bone and kelp can be found without going to a hydro store.
Burn1

 

[jaykush]

dont want to go to the store and buy products? make it yourself.grow and harvest your own plant meals, make your own compost, brew your own compost teas. the good stuff.

 

[Cracky]

Ace Hardware was 20% off everything there Today!

Ace Hardware was 20% off everything there Today!

I got lots of growing stuff for kitchen herbs and this year's garden.

You can find all kinds of goodies in hardware stores. Buy in spring when everybody is buying the stuff. Just make sure you get enough to last all year.

 

[zolar]

from now to middle of may or so is big garden push for most of northern hemisphere and biggest volume for garden stuff
for all stores that ever have it and if you have a couple of different people call and ask for a brand or product [ie foxfarm soilmix and nutes or tiger bloom do you have /carry it ] early in the season alot of independent stores may get a small amont of that brand line so you don't have to order it but pay cash locally and if it sells well
they usually get more... have had that happen both at garden centers and at hardware stores the old middle of town/downtown ones for higher watt CFLs local cash
22$ 65 watt 4200 lumens bulb

but any how the economy thing is lots of people are going to be starting gardens this year organic is in so as long as youre getting veggie seeds along all your goodies you've
blended in with the rest of the horde

 

[swampdank]

I think you are right.

Furthermore, I would suggest that everbody start at least some type of organic veggie/flower garden this year. We really need to get focused on locally grown produce, and the way our economy is going, getting food from your yard can be very rewarding. The more folks we can get growing (anything), the better chance of finding what you need locally as they will be stocking more to meet the demand.

 

[Wooderson]

All good advice, keep it coming please.....

 

[e20sm0ke]

just park somewhere around the hydroshop and walk in buy your stuff and walk out. im not sure how else they can track you? just dont use a credit card. around here when im feeling paranoid I just park near the place but not where any video camera would be able to see my plates. other then that i dont understand any other ways for them to do anything?

 

[Kinderfeld]

Prepaid credit card + safe addy +internet access= endless possibilities.

 

[swampdank]

Prepaid credit card + safe addy +internet access= endless possibilities.

Ya 'cept that shipping stings. IMO you can really good results from normal hardware store ammendments, then maybe a bag of guano from online. I shudder @ paying for shipping on ten bags of FFOF. OUCH!

Just a little tidbit of advice. Think about the weight of the products you buy if you choose to go the online route. Try to eliminate the heavy stuff by buying locally. You will thank me once you see how much money you save on shipping.

I see a lot of hydro shops charge more weight than the actual product. A quart of earth juice does not weigh 5lbs. Remember, water weighs around 8 lbs a gallon. This is where most of the online shops make their money off of you. It's not really "ripping you off" , more like "everything costs more at 7-11" type thing. You pay for convenience.

Just my .02.

Happy growing!

 

[melvin2]

ACE has a big selection of products. I got Agricultural Limestone, Alaska Fish Fertilizer.

Block of peat at either Walmart or HD or Lowes (can't remember which)
Blood and Bone meal from walmart.
Perlite from a mainstream garden store.
Greensand from the garden store.
Molasses anywhere.

I think I saw kelp or kelp meal at a garden store. I didn't need it as I already had Maxicrop so I can't be certain.

Worm Castings- A fish tackle bait store should have Red Worms or Red Wrigglers. Over a course of a week I bought enough tubs of worms to get a worm bin started. Feed them scrap fruit, veggie, cardboard, peat, newspaper, etc and they will reward you year round with worm poo.

If I need to order online, I pay shipping but there's never tax (depending on state?) and other markups that retail outlets add. Online has always been cheaper than the mainstream garden store as far as retail price. Perlite and kelp are lightweight so shipping shouldn't rape you.

 

[habeeb]

just buy online, you know how many boxes get shipped daily


also, organics / hydro equipment isn't illegal yet

 

[Wooderson]

I read some court papers online that talked about Leo watching the store and simple following anyone home that carried mylar or larger boxes home even in to other states! Then they contact Leo in that state, and then just come by and knock on the Door.....

 

[mad librettist]

Hydro stores are a ripoff anyway, so they are doing you a favor.

Here's the deal: nobody cares about you buying compost, soil, fertilizers, containers, or anything else. Nobody in a garden store is looking for potheads to bust. They just want to run their business and let other people live. They don't make conversation to flush you out, they are trying to secure your return business.

So go to your local garden centers, feed stores, and whatever other mainstream business, and go to town. And if you don't want to talk, just act grumpy. They will leave you alone, because they want you to come back.

 

[Wooderson]

Hydro stores are a ripoff anyway, so they are doing you a favor.

Here's the deal: nobody cares about you buying compost, soil, fertilizers, containers, or anything else. Nobody in a garden store is looking for potheads to bust. They just want to run their business and let other people live. They don't make conversation to flush you out, they are trying to secure your return business.

So go to your local garden centers, feed stores, and whatever other mainstream business, and go to town. And if you don't want to talk, just act grumpy. They will leave you alone, because they want you to come back.

Good points!