Rather than trying to write a column this week, we’ll just try to answer most of the questions we’ve been getting by phone!
From the greenhouse:
This crazy Florida winter appears to be over! Forecasts are calling for highs in the 70s and 80s here through the end of next month. The neem trees in the greenhouse are gorgeous and we’re shipping plants as quickly as we can. We should catch up on all our southern California orders by Monday or Tuesday and then the rest of the southeast on Wednesday. It’s still too cold in Chicago (where most packages go through on their way to northern California) to try for next week, but we watch temperatures across the country and ship as soon as we can.
We’re also having to hold some orders that include tulsi, betel and ashwagandha. The ashwagandha roots look great but the cold got their tops. The holy basil did even more badly, but we have hundreds of seeds popping up their little heads now and it should be back in stock soon.
Betel came through with flying colors but it also flew out the door faster than we’ve ever sold it before – we’ve transplanted another couple hundred and should start shipping them as soon as we know their roots are happy. The bacopa, chaya and gotu kola are thriving and we have plenty of plants to ship once it’s warm in your location.
From the gardens:
The fourth (and hopefully final) freeze dinged nearly every neem tree. Even trees that still have all their leaves are not looking their best, so we’ve pulled fresh neem leaf off the website until the new growth is big enough to harvest. We’re still shipping chew sticks, but if you’ve been wondering about trying them, wait until next month. We’ll be doing some major pruning and will put them on sale then.
On the manufacturing side:
Cream – two kinds! – and toothpaste are back in stock but we’re nearly out of the Six-Way capsules. The new batch was originally ordered in August so we don’t quite understand the delay but there’s nothing to do but wait. We do have a few bottles left but you’ll need to call Sherrie to place the order by phone so that they’re available for the people who need them most. (We do have plenty of supercritical drops in stock though.)
Open Greenhouse is still scheduled for next weekend:
We’ve got lots of really cool plants coming back in the front yard, especially pollinator food. The cold knocked a lot of it down but most of the plants are native so they’re coming back with a vengeance. We also have a bunch of really cool seeds to swap including Daikon radish, sugar apples, cosmos, nasturtiums, Everglade tomatoes and passionfruit.
Last Chance for February Specials!
It’s kind of ironic that this month has been so warm since our specials were created for cold weather, but we use them year-round here:
- Nothing But Neem Salve Stick is perfect for the dings you’ll get cleaning up your garden and Anti-Itch Salve Stick is made with essential oils of lavender, lemongrass and cedarwood
- Stock up on neem oil cream, and our brand-new neem leaf cream that actually rejuvenated skin cells in both bald rats and human cells in test tube.*
Vicki & the Neem Team
888-500-6336
www. neemtreefarms.com
* These statements are based on clinical research and have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Neem Tree Farms does not sell products which are intended to diagnose, prevent, control or treat any disease, or kill or repel pests, except as allowed by the NimBioSys registration when used on plants only.