Ken's Organics Takes Root in Bradenton

The movement toward green gardening and agricultural practices has gained traction in recent years as public awareness about environmentally unsound farming practices has been on the rise. Documentaries like Food, Inc. and Fresh have added fuel to the movement, and are cropping up in communities throughout the nation.

Ken McKeithen, an east Bradenton resident and owner of Ken’s Organics, isn’t particularly concerned with the politics behind the green movement. He just wants to provide the best organic gardening products on the market and share his extensive knowledge on growing healthy plants, fruits and vegetables.

McKeithen’s green thumb is backed up by years of experience. McKeithen transformed his longtime hobby of gardening into a career when he opened SunBay Nursery twenty years ago. After ten years in the nursery and landscaping business, McKeithen sold SunBay and turned his sights toward the homebuilding industry. After a decade with Petra Construction in Port Charlotte, McKeithen saw the dwindling economy as an opportunity make another career move – opening an organic fertilizer and natural pest control business, last January.

“The industry is a lot different than it was when I started out twenty years ago, so this is all kind of new to me. Back then, we didn’t really know that much about the organic market," McKeithen said. "There were a few products out there, but for the most part everything was toxic. There was a lack of awareness back then, both in the industry and among consumers – people just weren’t thinking about it. Now everyone is. It’s a very consumer-driven movement.”

McKeithen said that when he decided to venture into the organic market, he began to read up on fertilizers and learned that in recent years, horticulture experts have focused special attention on learning about the manner in which fertilizers work with soils.

“What I found is that there are microbes and fungus in the soil that actually work with the plant, so they’ve come up with fertilizers that incorporate these microbes," McKeithen said. "When you put them in the soil, they work with the organic matter and break it down for the plant. The plant takes it up and is more durable and capable of fending off pests – plus it takes in more nutrients, so the antioxidants and nutritional value of the food is a lot higher.”

“It’s all natural,” he added, “and because all of those fungi and microbes are already in the soil, you’re actually using less fertilizer.”

During his time in the homebuilding business, McKeithen discovered how the modern construction industry has made it increasingly difficult for homeowners to maintain healthy gardens.

“These new subdivisions strip the terrain and then add about four feet of sterile top soil, and then people try to start growing plants in this stuff and there’s just nothing there – so they hit it with these high nitrogen fertilizers, which keep it green but it’s ultimately self-defeating. It’s almost like giving kids sugar: It gives them energy, but it won’t sustain them.”

McKeithen works with a soil scientist from International Ag Labs in Minnesota who helps him figure out formulas for specific fertilizers. The Ken’s Organics line carries granular fertilizers specifically made for different kinds of plants, such as tomato plants, fruit trees, rose bushes, and acid-loving plants like blueberries and gardenias. The line also includes varieties of granular fertilizer that stimulate flowering and fruit production in blooming vegetables and fruits, as well as the growth of healthy leaves and stems in leafy vegetables.

Green World Path, an organic company based out of Brooksville, Florida, produces liquid fertilizers for the Ken’s Organic line, including a bio-stimulant and mineralization blend, a mineral builder and plant food, liquid fish plant food with soil inoculants, earthworm tea plant food with soil inoculants, and a green lawn food.

Ken’s Organics also offers a selection of natural insecticides and fungus control.

According to McKeithen, the target audiences for these International Ag Labs and Green World Path are commercial farmers from the larger organic agriculture industry. Ken’s Organics currently works directly with home gardeners over the internet, but is looking to eventually expand to nurseries and garden centers.

 “I read in an organic magazine that the average person can save as much as $700 per year on grocery costs just by growing fresh vegetables in a home garden,” said McKeithen. “It makes a lot of sense when you start to think about the fact that you can buy a bell pepper for $1.25 at a grocery store, but then realize that alternatively, you can just grow it in your own backyard. Each plant yields ten to twelve peppers, so if you grow a few plants, it cuts costs dramatically.”

McKeithen added that the benefits of organic gardening extend beyond the financial.

“Even the fragrance of a rose bloom; the taste of a tomato is enhanced. It’s just so much better than what you can buy at the grocery store these days.”