I had the county extension service test my soil this year because my plants (fruit/vegetable and most sacred green) were all moving really slow this year. They came back and said my soil was a bit low in Nitrogen and I randomly scooped up some Alaska stuff because of it's 5-1-1 ratio. My herb immediately bushed out really nicely. I bet the cold processed stuff is better, but so far I've had great results with the Alaska ferts. .o2 cents