Sweet Peet

If you’re one of the thousands of area gardeners who’ve become addicted to Sweet Peet 100% Organic Mulch, then with a quick top-dress, you’re well on your way to a stunning garden and landscape this year. But if you haven’t, here’s the dirt on how to transform your garden into one of the best.

By: Beth Newcomb
Date: 04/16/2008
Ka-chunk.

That’s the sound of your shovel hitting the surface of your flowerbed. But if you had added Sweet Peet 100% Organic Mulch during the growing season last year, this spring you’d be hitting pay dirt.

“The soil in Northeast Ohio is primarily clay based,” explains Michelle Bishop who along with her husband Mark own Free Bird Farm. It’s the home of their business, Urban Organics, the exclusive producer of their wildly popular, patented brand of organic mulch. “Adding Sweet Peet helps dramatically amend and enrich what’s there. Plants grow better and more beautiful.”

“The first time you use it, the application should be fairly heavy,” Michelle continues. “You’ll want to layer your flower and garden beds with at least three inches. In subsequent years, a generous top-dress is all that’s required.”

Sweet Peet is derived from the waste produced by horses. “It’s more than just manure,” Mark explains with a chuckle. “We’ve made arrangements with farmers across the state to remove all of the spent contents of their horse stalls.”

Wood shavings, straw and manure, all make the trip to Urban Organics, courtesy of the EPA-approved containers supplied to each farmer. They even work with The Cleveland Zoo to compost the waste of the elephants and rhinos and other herbivores.

“It’s a great solution to a common animal waste management issue,” Mark adds. “By composting something that even in its raw form is completely natural, we’re re-purposing a material that might otherwise end up in the landfill.”

Make a pile. Turn, add water, repeat—then use. It might sound simple, but it isn’t. “We have exclusive rights to produce the Sweet Peet formula in Ohio. It’s a patented concept that other companies have tried to duplicate, but nobody can match our results and quality,” Michelle insists.

Understanding the complexities of exactly how the waste is broken down, at what temperature it needs to be maintained, how much water and how high the piles should be, are just a few of their well-kept secrets. To put it simply, if the bag doesn’t have the name “Sweet Peet” on the label—it isn’t.

The Bishops use a high-tech screening machine to ensure that all excess debris is filtered from what will become their organic garden additive. During the composting process, the interior of the gigantic mounds ultimately reach a steamy 170 degrees. “Any bacteria, weed seeds and mold get killed off during the decomposition process. It takes about a year for the natural chemical reaction to complete its cycle and the result is rich fragrant mulch,” Mark explains.

Following their closely guarded formula means that every batch of Sweet Peet is a consistent organic boost to your soil. In fact, the end result is so pure, you never have to worry about children or pets being exposed to it.

And it smells terrific.

Because Mother Nature has her delicate hand in the transformation of the manure and wood shavings, the end result is a wonderful earthy aroma coupled with an unexpected sweet smell of freshly sawn wood.

“Our product is endorsed by Angelo Petitti and Ron Wilson and is carried at garden centers throughout the State,” Michelle confirms. The wildfire success of Sweet Peet has prompted the Bishops to expand into other markets. The stuff is that good—with a versatility to match.

Sweet Peet can be used as mulch, but it also makes the perfect soil conditioner or top-dressing for seeding a new lawn. “You don’t need to rake it off after the grass gets started. It feeds the soil, holds the seed down and the moisture retentive property keeps the ground wetter, longer,” she says.

“Many gardeners mistakenly believe that typical mulch is beneficial to their soil,” Mark describes. “But that product can be made up of all sorts of wood materials that don’t break down easily. Sweet Peet breaks down into hummus in just one season.”

Which means that if you had put Sweet Peet on your garden, grass and flowerbeds last year, that shovel would be sinking in to soft, rich, black soil this year.
Instead of...ka-chunk.

Fortunately, it’s never too late to get started and Sweet Peet is always easy to find.

You can get your hands on a bag of Sweet Peet at local garden centers and landscape supply yards, which usually display a fresh, sweet mound in a special display bin. It’s also available by the yard. For a location in your area, visit their website at www.sweetpeet.net. Stable owners looking for a way to dispose of what the horse puts down are encouraged to call Mark and Michelle Bishop of Urban Organics at 440-333-7338.

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