• Agromin To Offer Spring Soil Tips at Ventura County Home & Garden Show - Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 10:56 AM
  • Preparing a spring garden begins with the right soil. Agromin, an Oxnard-based manufacturer of earth-friendly soil products and the green materials recycler for more than 50 southern California communities, will offer spring soil tips at the Ventura County Home & Garden Show, March 19-21, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura.

    Agromin staff will be on hand to discuss soil types, soil amendments and mulches, plus show how to best prepare soil for spring vegetable and flower gardens. In addition, they will distribute information on "Pounds for Produce," a gardening contest sponsored jointly with FOOD Share. The contest will see who can grow and donate the most vegetables to help feed the hungry between now and July 15.

    "We hope that gardeners will plant extra this year and donate vegetables to FOOD Share through the 'Pounds for Produce' contest," says Bill Camarillo, president of Agromin. "Winners in six different food categories will receive soil products from Agromin on a pound-for-pound basis, equal to the total weight of produce donated to FOOD Share."

    Agromin will also give away free bags of soil products at the home and garden show. For gardening tips and "Pounds for Produce" contest information, go to www.agromin.com.

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  • Limoneira & Agromin Donate Carrot Seed Growing Kits to Santa Paula Kids - Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 5:34 PM


  • Limoneira Company and Agromin have teamed up with the Ventura County Resource Conservation District (VCRCD) to donate 183 "Carrots for Kids" seed growing kits to third and fourth graders in the Santa Paula Elementary School District. The carrot kit distribution is part of the VCRCD's efforts to educate local schoolchildren about the value of agriculture and growing their own food.



    "All the kids have been highly involved and enthusiastic about the topic," says Mary Maranville, environmental education outreach coordinator for VCRCD. "Kids love learning about agriculture, gardening and details about fruits and vegetables. Handing out the carrot kits is a lovely way to end the presentation."

    "Even in a community such as Santa Paula with its rich agricultural history, many young students don't make the connection between the acres of farmland around them and the food on their table," says Harold Edwards, president and CEO of Santa Paula-headquartered Limoneira Company and one of the country's largest citrus and avocado producers. "The VCRCD is helping make that connection. Having kids care for their own carrots as they grow from seeds to eatable vegetables brings it home even further."

    The kits contain a green recycling component. Agromin, one of California's largest green materials recycling companies with a 10-acre facility on Limoneira property, includes potting soil made from locally collected green materials (i.e., grass clippings, leaves, wood) in the kits. "The soil teaches students that the green waste we generate at home can be collected, composted and turned into eco-friendly soil products that can then be returned to the earth," says Bill Camarillo, Agromin CEO. "By being conscious of recycling their green material, the students can create a more sustainable community and help close the recycling loop."

    Maranville is scheduled to speak at other schools in Ventura County to spread the agriculture and conservation message. For more information, contact her at 805-386-4489, e-mail: mary.maranville@vcrcd.org.

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  • Plenty of Gardening Choices in May for Southern Calif. Gardeners - Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 9:28 AM
  • Walk into any nursery during May and you can be overwhelmed with the array of flowers, landscape plants, fruit trees and summer vegetables on display. Keep focused on the needs of your garden and don't be tempted to overbuy, says Agromin, an Oxnard-based manufacturer of premium soil products and one of the state's largest green materials recycling companies.

    Ideal Month for Planting Almost Any Flower: Plant your warm season annuals in May including begonia, chrysanthemum, geranium, marigold, petunia and verbena. While annuals come and go, perennials will bring backyard enjoyment for years to come. Perennials to plant now include African daisy, delphinium, fuchsia and lavender.

    Herb Planting: If you use fresh herbs when cooking, it makes good sense to plant your own herb garden. For the price of a few cut basil leaves from the store, you can plant a small basil plant that will produce dozens of leaves through November. Other herbs to plant are chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme.

    Naturally Reduce Pests: Plenty of brands of pesticides are sold at nurseries and retail stores, many even claiming to be all-natural. To be assured you are not putting harmful chemicals on your flowers, trees and garden, try truly natural options. For example, ladybugs can control infestations of aphids (small round bugs that feed in colonies on vegetable gardens, roses and other plants). If ladybugs are not plentiful in your yard, you can purchase them at most nurseries. To keep the ladybugs in your yard instead of migrating to your neighbors, release them after dark. They only fly in daylight.

    Rethink Your Lawn: Lawn care accounts for about 32 percent of outdoor water use. With water restrictions right around the corner, now is a good time to consider alternatives to a traditional lawn. Low maintenance, drought-tolerant ground cover such as lantana and Acacia redolens and ornamental grasses including fountain grass and deer grass can easily fill in a location where grass once grew. If you can't part with your entire lawn, consider reducing its size.

    For more gardening tips, go to www.agromin.com.

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  • Agromin to Give Away 300 Bags of Compost at Thousand Oaks Arbor/Earth Day Celebration - Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 10:06 AM
  • Agromin, an Oxnard-based manufacturer of premium soil products and the green materials recycler for Thousand Oaks and other Ventura County communities, is giving away 300 bags of compost during the City of Thousand Oaks/Conejo Recreation and Park District's 12th Annual Arbor/Earth Day celebration. The free event is Saturday, April 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Conejo Creek Park North (1379 East Janss Road behind the Thousand Oaks library). Agromin is an official sponsor.

    "Compost is the most natural material you can use to refresh your soil and prepare it for spring planting," says Bill Camarillo, Agromin CEO. "The compost at the Thousand Oaks Arbor Day event is unique because it's made from locally-collected lawn clippings, leaves and wood."

    Agromin processes more than 300,000 tons of green waste each year. The green material is collected at curbside in the Conejo Valley and throughout Ventura County and is then chopped, cleaned and naturally composted before becoming soil products.

    "More than 40 percent of all waste generated in California is green waste," says Camarillo. "From an environmental standpoint, it's important that we keep these materials out of landfills. One of the best ways we can do this is to use a natural process and return it to the land in the form of compost--on farms and orchards, in business landscapes and in our own backyards."

    Agromin, which was recently named "Composter of the Year" by the U.S. Composting Council, will have a booth at the event and Agromin employees will be on hand to answer questions about soil types, mulch and compost. For more information on green material recycling, visit www.agromin.com.

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  • Rain Makes Gardens Grow At Las Colinas Middle School - Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at 4:02 PM


  • Recent winter rains have given a boost to the Beautification/Life Lab garden and landscaping student program at Las Colinas Middle School in Camarillo.

    "With the wonderful rain we've been having, our school has never looked so beautiful," says Dianne Polen, Las Colinas Beautification/Life Lab advisor. The school has one of the most committed green programs in the county. Students in summer school planted lettuce, radishes, bell peppers and carrots so when students returned in fall, vegetables were already growing. "A garden gives students the opportunity to try varieties of vegetables that they would not eat otherwise," says Polen. "The gardens are teaching students quite a bit about nutrition and eating healthy."

    Summer vegetables were harvested at the school in October and replaced with Brussels sprouts, spinach, celery, sugar snap peas, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and onions. The school features seven container gardens and an additional large garden area with room for students in wheelchairs to participate in the gardening experience.

    "Students are now weeding the school flower beds and planting color," says Polen. "We're also attempting to grow grass between two portable classrooms, an area that has been nothing but dirt and mud for several years."

    Agromin, a local soil manufacturer and the green materials recycler for communities throughout Ventura County and Southern California, provided soil for the gardens and landscapes. "We always enjoy helping students with their garden projects," says Bill Camarillo, Agromin CEO. "Teachers can then inject the green materials recycling story into their curriculum. Kids learn about the sustainability benefits of gardening--taking the green materials from the garden, composting them and then placing the resulting soil products back into the garden from which new plants grow. Las Colinas students are learning important environmental lessons as they grow and harvest their gardens."

    For more information about green materials recycling, go to www.agromin.com.

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  • Agromin Named "Composter of the Year" by US Composting Council - Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 8:54 AM
  • CAMARILLO, CALIF.--Agromin, the green materials recycler for more than 90 communities throughout Southern California and a premium soil manufacturer, received the "Composter of the Year" award from the US Composting Council (USCC) at the 17th Annual USCC Conference held in Houston in January.

    The USCC is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the development, expansion and promotion of the composting industry in the US.

    Every year, the USCC evaluates and reviews the nominees for its Composter of the Year award. The award goes to the commercial-scale composting facility that has displayed excellence in both compost production and marketing/distribution. Additionally, the facility must be in operation for a minimum of five years and in regulatory compliance for the last three years.

    Agromin compost is USCC certified, meaning they have met the USCC standards for compost content and its soil products are clean and safe. As a participant in the USCC's Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) program, Agromin voluntarily tests its products to ensure their quality.

    "Everyone who disposes materials in their green recycling barrel each week is doing their part to close the recycling loop," says Bill Camarillo, Agromin CEO. "Compost is made from the green materials and the soil products find their way back into landscapes and agricultural orchards and fields. Recycling is the one thing we can all do that's been proven to reduce waste and make our communities more sustainable."

    Agromin is one of the largest organics recyclers in California, recycling more than 300,000 tons of green materials in 2008. Agromin receives the green materials (i.e., leaves, grass clippings, brush, wood), and processes and composts the materials at its five facilities. It then produces 240 soil products including compost, bark and mulches for use by consumers, municipalities, agriculture and landscapers.

    For more information about Agromin, go to www.agromin.com.

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  • Cut Down On Outdoor Watering Even As Weather Heats Up - Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 9:32 AM
  • July temperatures can easily reach triple digits. Smart watering techniques can keep gardens and lawns from wilting during the summer's hottest days, say experts at Agromin, a Camarillo-based manufacturer of premium soil products.

    Place Mulch Around Your Plants, Gardens And Trees: Mulch consists of various sizes of chopped wood, usually made from recycled trees and other wood materials. Place about 2 inches of mulch around plants and trees to keep roots cool even during the heat of the day. This reduces moisture loss and suppresses weed growth. It also reduces erosion so its use on hillsides and slopes is ideal.

    Water In Early Morning: Use trickle irrigation, soaker hoses or other water-conserving methods. It's also best to water in the early morning, especially during hot summer months, to reduce evaporation. Apply about an inch of water-- enough that it soaks 6 to 8 inches into the soil. With a mulched landscape, you can usually reduce watering schedules to two or three times a week.

    Lawn Water Care: It's best to water only when the lawn really needs it, and then to water slowly and deeply. This trains the grass roots to reach deeper into the ground. Frequent shallow watering trains roots to stay near the surface, making the lawn less able to find moisture during dry periods. Every lawn's watering needs are unique: they depend on rainfall, grass and soil type and the general health of the lawn, but even in very dry areas, no established home lawn requires daily watering.

    Summer Garden Planting: If you haven't had time to plant a garden, you still can grow a variety of vegetables in July and enjoy vegetables by late summer and early fall. These include beans, beets, carrots, corn, cantaloupe, okra squash and spinach. Flowers such as gladiolus, calla lilies, marigolds, zinnias and dahlias can also be planted in July

    Caring For Your Rose Bushes: Remove dried flowers by cutting back to the first leaf after rose flower clusters. This will stimulate growth.

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