Educating the customer is good for business

 

Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine say's, "Make customers as smart as you are. No one is eager for a core dump, but if you can remember my trouser size, or suggest a movie that all my friends loved, or sort out my insurance needs, then you are making me smarter. The rule is simple: Whoever has the smartest customers wins."

In the horticulture and the nursery business, educating the customer is vital. Sure, there may be plenty of people who will shop with you and never learn something new. The "customer evangelist" is different. They enjoy learning new things and will spread the message that your  the place to go to become a better gardener.  It's what will separate you from the warehouse garden shops where price is the overriding concern.

Teach your customers how to become better gardeners, and you'll have customers for life.

Is social media becoming big media?

In July I wrote a post titled, "Are blogs relevant in today's social media world?" From that post, "while Facebook and Twitter offer a way to communicate to the customer, its questionable how they will be able to continue as competition and economics come into play. Your blog can be a 'home' that folks can come back to again, and again. You can 'own' your website and blog, you cannot 'own' your Facebook Page." It was a pleasant surprise to read author Warren Ellis and his post today, "The Social Web: End Of The First Cycle." In that post Warren say's, "This may be the end of the cycle that began with Friendster and Livejournal. Not the end of social media, by any means, obviously. But it feels like this is the point at where the current systems seize up for a bit. Perhaps not even in ways that most people will notice. But social media seems now to be clearly calcifying into Big Media".

Warren say's, "Google+, of course, is not, strictly speaking, a social network. Most people can’t see what other people are doing there. Google, of course, sees it all. But everyone knows that going in" Perhaps that explains the new found interest in Google+? It's also why I started a new community there, "The Future of Horticulture".

Warren finishes his post asking, "I wonder if anyone’s been thinking twice about giving up their personal websites". For me the answer is no, my "blog can be a 'home' that folks can come back to again, and again."

Would growing heirloom wheat solve some of our health problems?

An article from io9.com titled, "Why you should probably stop eating wheat" is interesting. My wife and I, in an attempt to loose a little excess weight, started culling refined carbohydrates from our diets a couple of years ago. No bread, pastries, and other yummy things. Sure enough we felt better, and lost the weight. Why is it our grandparents, and their parents didn't seem to have the problem with obesity and diabetes that our current society has?

Turns out, according to the article, "...today's wheat is a far cry from what it was 50 years ago." According to the post, "Back in the 1950s, scientists began cross-breeding wheat to make it hardier, shorter, and better-growing. This work, which was the basis for the Green Revolution — and one that won U.S. plant scientist Norman Borlaug the Nobel Prize — introduced some compounds to wheat that aren't entirely human friendly."

If the problem with wheat these days is hybridization, would "heirloom" wheat be an answer? I realize we hybridized wheat to resist disease and pests as well as create a more vigorous crop. It has fed the rapidly growing world. However, it would be interesting to see if using  non-hybridized wheat made a difference in the taste, and most importantly our health. I wonder if non-hybrid or heirloom wheat is even available anymore?

Bamboo in the sky

Los Angeles based Urban Air reached it's Kickstarter Goal of $100,000 today. What's the goal? "Imagine floating, globally connected urban forests growing where billboards stand." Urban Air is transforming "existing urban billboards to living, suspended bamboo gardens. Embedded with intelligent technology, UrbanAir becomes a global node - an open space in the urban skyline… An art work, symbol, and instrument for a green future."

The Future of Horticulture

Are you interested in the future and horticulture? I am! Having been in the field of horticulture for over 30 years I have seen the rapid changes that going on.  Urban gardening, aquaponics, LED grow lights, hydroponics, plants in space, The Internet, guerrilla gardening, genetically modified organisms (GMO's), rooftop gardening, beneficial plant fungus (Mycorrhiza) , and so much more. Thinking about all this stuff is exciting to me, and perhaps for you.

We located this new community, "The Future of Horticulture" at Google+. If you have an account with Google simply ask to join. If you don't have a Google+ account this would be a great opportunity to join, and learn this newest of media platforms. I found it interesting the the first member to join was a hydroponic shop in San Francisco. I think horticulture has fragmented into many different fields of study. Sometimes these different fields don't realize the others exist. This is a place learn about these different aspects of horticulture, and how they are changing the world.

According to Wikipedia, "horticulture involves eight areas of study, which can be grouped into two broad sections - ornamentals and edibles:

• Arboriculture is the study of, and the selection, planting, care, and removal of, individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants.
• Turf management includes all aspects of the production and maintenance of turf grass for sports, leisure use or amenity use.
• Floriculture includes the production and marketing of floral crops.
• Landscape horticulture includes the production, marketing and maintenance of landscape plants.
• Olericulture includes the production and marketing of vegetables.
• Pomology includes the production and marketing of pome fruits.
• Viticulture includes the production and marketing of grapes.
• Oenology includes all aspects of wine and winemaking.
• Postharvest physiology involves maintaining the quality of and preventing the spoilage of horticultural crops."

How will these different fields of study evolve? Join us in "The Future of Horticulture", and we can find out together.

Evelyn Ackerman, famed California artist dies

Evelyn Ackerman and her husband Jeromes art encapsulated a time and feeling in California that I am lucky to remember. My mother use to create these mosaic art pieces on the top of tables. I think we had one in our patio, and I hadn't thought about it until reading of Evelyns death last Friday. Mom must have gotten the idea from one of her many art classes she took when we lived in Southern California, perhaps even from The Ackermans. You can read more about Evelyn here at California Home and Design.  According to the post , "Evelyn and Jerome specialized in making affordable home accessories, and worked with a number of mediums from woodcarving and textiles to mosaics and ceramics. The couple’s work was inspired by the German Bauhaus art movement, which placed equal importance on fine arts and craftsmanship. They are known to have inspired California midcentury modern style, which remains popular and stylish today."

Most of all I love their outlook towards art. At Ackermanmodern.com she is quoted, “We strove to make things we could be proud of in terms of our design and art backgrounds, but that were viable commercially, that people could afford and get pleasure from putting on their walls or their tables.”

To see more of The Ackermans work, go here.  I might suggest listening to Dave Brubeck while viewing their work. Dave just passed away the other day, and also hails from that "certain time and place" that was mid-20th century California. The smell of jasmine wafting through the patio doors would complete the scene.

The "Piña Colada Pineapple"

According to The Telegraph scientist from Queensland, Australia have developed a new pineapple that has a "lovely coconut flavor". The Telegraph continues, "The new pineapple, called 'AusFestival', has been dubbed the 'piña colada pineapple' and will potentially – as local media noted – preclude people from having to mix fruits in the famous cocktail."

Apparently the coconut flavor was not the desired result. Rather it was a added benefit of the breeding program looking for a "nice flavoured pineapple...that is sweet, low acid and aromatic."

Horticulture Magazine now a part of "Living Ready"

If there was any doubt in your mind about peoples interests in self-sufficiency or survival subjects this is for you. “Horticulture, The Art and Science of Smart Gardening” magazine is becoming a part of “Living Ready”.  Here is what Living Ready say’s they are all about.

"You will love being a member of LIVING READY if you are honing, or want to begin honing, life skills such as: • growing your own food, and canning & preserving that food • hunting for food, and then preparing and storing the catch • using herbal remedies to save a trip to the doctor's office • creating non-toxic cleaners for your home • raising small animals such as chickens, rabbits, pygmy goats • beekeeping • bartering and networking to meet the needs of yourself and your family • training to be suitably armed to survive threats against you and your"

According to Living Ready Community Leader Patty Craft Dunning, " Horticulture: The Art & Science of Smart Gardening will continue to be published in print just as it always has. Nothing has changed there, and Living Ready 's magazine and website will be able to share similar info as what you read in Horticulture (for example, edible gardening topics like what Peter Garnham writes for Hort, understanding pest management, how to plan and plant edibles for canning, etc.)" Patty adds, "our parent company, @F+W Media, also publishes Gun Digest. And, yes, there will plenty of info in Living Ready about how to be suitably armed to hunt-and-gather food as well as how to protect yourself and your family in threatening situations."

Smart move on this companies part. The interest in these subjects will only grow as we continue to see the poor response of our government when it comes to situations like Hurricane Sandy, and other natural and man made disasters. It’s seems only wise to be prepared where ever you live.

In addition, people are just interested in learning some of the skills that we have forgotten over the last couple of generations. Growing your own food, protecting your family, and being able to deal with the various natural and man made disasters that pop up. This interest is especially strong with the younger demographic like Generation Y, who we in the horticulture trades want to attract. For some there is a "doomsday" type feel to this, but for most people it's just exciting to be able to take charge, and see if you can do it. It's about living better, and closer to the land.

Interesting times in the horticulture field these days. If you have followed this blog you know I encourage garden centers to become the local source of information and tools to help people reach those goals. It’s one way for smaller independent locally owned garden centers to stay relevant. Become indispensable to your community by providing them the tools and services they are most interested in. It would appear being prepared, and self-sufficiency are two of them.

The power of blue

Blueberries are one of my favorite fruiting plants. They grow great in containers, where they will produce hand fulls of fruit each day during the  summer. The shrub itself is a perennial, which means the same plant produces year after year. Plant them once, and your done!

The secret to growing great blueberries is creating just the right soil, then growing them in the sunshine. During the spring we feed them with cottonseed meal in April, and again in May. This keeps them healthy, and producing loads of plump, juicy berries.

We have the plants for sale in small containers, which can then be transplanted into larger size pot's before spring. Blueberry plants could make the perfect Christmas gift as the recipient will get to harvest the plump little gems their very first summer.

Here is a link to creating the perfect soil for blueberries. The picture above shows Misty, one of four different varieties we carry. One plant will produce berries on it's own. For the most fun plant a couple of  different varieties  near each other, or even in the same container. That way the can pollenize each other, and produce even more berries. Imagine the possibilities.

Is it social media, or just media?

If it’s on Facebook, Twitter, or Google +, is it social media? When companies, and individuals you don’t know inundate your time line or feed with stuff you really don’t want to hear is it social media? I had been wondering what has happened to social media now that we get “paid Tweets” or “paid Facebook” posts. Is this also social media? Here is a definition of social media I can get behind. “Media for which the consumer’s relationship with the creator is relevant for understanding or value.”  So what do we call those paid posts? “If you don’t know the people, or don’t care, it’s probably not social media. It’s just media. It doesn't matter if it’s created by an individual or a corporation.”

“What’s more, when companies use social media...well, they’re not. They may be using platforms that are primarily used for social media (like Facebook) or platforms that are used for social media, among other things (like Twitter), but that doesn't make the companies—or their media—social.”

The above eye opening quotes can be found here. They we’re written by Evan Williams, founder of  Twitter and Blogger. 

Using Social Media To Cover For Lack Of Original Thought

"In the TED-like talk titled Using Social Media To Cover For Lack Of Original Thought, speaker Cameron Hughes discusses how ideas are inefficient and today’s social media experts should never have to inject 'an ounce of effort' to be effective."

Yes, It's from the folks at The Onion, but as the first comment say's, "I work in social media and am now feeling slightly uncomfortable as this fantastic video is horribly close to the truth!"

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CK62I-4cuSY

I do #Block Friday

When your not a fan of “Black Friday” it can seem your the only one around who feels that way. Everyone is so into it you feel like your paddling upstream against a tide of commercialism. So it was nice to see in my e-mail box a link to “Block Friday”. At the #Blockfriday website they want to “take back Black Friday to be mindful of the way we spend our time and money. Block Friday started as a way to remind ourselves that even as we begin the holiday shopping season in earnest, we can still be mindful of the way we’re spending our time and money. What are you Blocking Friday for this holiday season?”

The people at Holstee, a design firm say, “ Around this time last year, we announced that our shop would go offline on the Friday after Thanksgiving to allow our team and community to enjoy that precious time with friends and family. This year we invite you to join us and create a movement together. Have your own community and want to support Block Friday? Go here.

I will be spending my Friday enjoying the day with my wife. Our businesses will be closed, so we might head down to the wildlife refuge and do a little bird watching.

See, it can be done.

Buy quality-all the time

With all the talk concerning, “buying local” it’s important to realize that local doesn't always equal quality. I prefer quality over local. Of course if it’s local and quality made that’s great, but I think in our efforts to promote “local” we might be missing the big picture. Rather than the “buy local” theme going around this year it would be nice to promote “quality and "craftsmanship”, where ever it’s from. Like it our not we all reside on this planet, and trade with other nations is what “makes the world  go round”.

Right now this sign is floating around on Facebook. It asks how buying discounted stuff from China is going to help the economy in the USA?  What if I buy cheap stuff from the tourist spots at Fisherman's Wharf? Is it OK because the store is here and locally owned, but the stuff is from another country? To be a “ conscientious buyer” do I have to buy only stuff made in The USA, and only at a locally owned store? Is China the only source for poorly made stuff? What if it's poorly made and from LA?

I understand the feeling behind the “shop local” theme. I think better would be to eschew poorly made crap for quality stuff, no matter where it’s made. After all the locally owned store that sells imported quality products needs support, too.

I would change the sign to:

"How is buying crap wherever it's made help the economy? Buy quality made products from quality stores, locally owned if possible. Buy quality-all the time".

Just my thoughts on this rainy day here in northern California while drinking my coffee sourced from Indonesia and Central America and roasted in Canada.

A success story we can learn from

I just love this story out of SF Gate. "Big Bet pays of for Mary's Chickens" tells the story of a turkey farm in the San Joaquin Valley of California that was on the verge of tanking, as their product was only sold during two months out of the year. In addition their turkeys really weren't much different than the other birds being sold.

They made some changes like branching into chickens and not just turkeys.  They changed the way the birds are grown and processed. They changed their marketing. Now they are doing great!  This story is not just about chickens and turkeys, but a story of any small business that want's to do things differently.

Three things that stood out for me we're, they broadened their selection, so they could sell during the whole year rather than just Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The second is that they grow and process their chickens differently than the larger concerns. Finally, "'even crazier, they paid cash - for everything. My grandfather grew up in the Depression,' David Pitman explained. 'He didn't believe in borrowing what you couldn't afford to pay for.'"

They grow heirloom birds not found elsewhere. They grow and process them organically, and with care. They market their birds differently than the big processors, and finally they pay cash and don't take on the bankers as partners. How could we use these ideas in our own businesses?

Climb a different ladder

SF Gate has an article today titled, “What scares employees most?”. The answer? Making a mistake. Whats the result of this? This comment from the article say’s it all. “At my job, the ones who don't make mistakes are the ones who sit there and do nothing all day.”

Over at Today's Garden Center  Karli Petrovic explains, “Why I am not gardening (and no one else my age is either) ”.  It’s a story of Generation Y and what Karli sees as the reasons many in her age group don’t garden. What caught my eye was the quote, “As many Gen-Yer's will tell you, most of the flack we get for being lazy and selfish is simply not true. The majority of us (primarily those without trust funds) are working exceptionally hard to move up the corporate ladder. After shelling out for car payments, student loans, groceries and rent (and cheap wine, when going out is no longer an option), there is little to spend on home improvement.”

The corporate ladder? The corporate ladder often leads to working at places where, “the ones who don't make mistakes are the ones who sit there and do nothing all day.”  I hope generation Y doesn't fall into the “corporate ladder” trap.  Seems to me that if you really want to make a difference and change your world you have to avoid the “corporate ladder” at all costs. It use to lead up, but these days the ladder can just as quickly lead nowhere, or down. Climb your own ladder and don't be afraid to move it. That way you can reach the ripe fruit.