Discover the Fun of Gardening

April 7, 2011   

Florida is a wonderful place, because so many different kinds of fruits grow here. Mangos (pictured) and mameys, lychees and longans, there are too many to list (check out some of the cool ones here.) Take the Fruit Walk at Kerby's and see over 100 different varieties of fruit trees all selected for this area. For all the information you need on planting and caring for tropical fruit trees, come out to Kerby's this Saturday at 10am for the Tropical Fruit Tree workshop.  To tantalize your taste buds, you'll get to sample some of the cool fruits that grow in the area following the workshop. Yummy!

To get all the info on Kerby's fun events, check out the event calendar. Spring is rolling right along, but there are plenty great workshops still to come, including herb gardening, a kid's workshop on butterfly gardening, the Easter Egg Hunt and our tantalizing Tropical Fruit workshop. It's a great year to Discover the Fun of Gardening.

Happy Gardening,
Kim, Joey and Mark

In This Issue
Tropical Fruit Trees

Upcoming Events

 

Tropical Fruit Trees

Bring the taste of the tropics to your backyard with a delicious tropical fruit tree. Below are some tips for planting and care to help you get started. (See the edible landscape handout too). Fruit trees come in all shapes and sizes so there is something for every backyard, big or small. To get lots of great information about fruit trees, come out to Kerby's this Saturday, April 9th at 10am for the Tropical Fruit Tree workshop. It will tantalize your taste buds.

 
 
Location, location, location
Selecting the right location for all plants is important, but it is critical for fruit trees. Most tropical fruit trees need sun, well-drained soil and some protection from wind and cold. Find a location that is sunny and on the south to south-east side of a house and you have a great location that offers some protection from the cold. (Cold winds come in from the north, so a house or tree creates a barrier that blocks some of the cold winds.)
 
 
 
Use Great Soil
Dig a hole, plop the tree in and watch it grow right? Not in sandy Florida soil. Sandy soil allows good drainage, but is awful at retaining moisture and nutrients. Always use Kerby's Planting Soil, or other rich soil ingredients, like cow manure and peat when planting fruit trees (for beautiful landscape plants great soil is a must too.) Fruit trees must be in top shape to produce good harvests, and planting in great soil will get them growing healthy and strong. Download Kerby's planting instructions to make sure you get all of your plants off to a great start.
 

Give Trees Fertilizer
People take vitamins to get all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. Trees are not much different. They need many different nutrients to grow strong and produce great harvests. To start trees off well and keep them healthy, give them regular fertilizer. For new trees, use Kerby's 8-4-8 fertilizer with micronutrients once per month from March to September. For established fruit trees, fertilize three times per year, in spring, summer and fall. Fruits take a lot of energy to produce, so make sure you have healthy trees by giving them all the nutrients they need.
 
 
Be Prepared
The best way to keep fruit trees healthy is to be prepared. Have fertilizer, insect or disease sprays on hand so that when it's time to spray or fertilize, you already have everything you need. This goes for cold protection too. Have a plan for covering and protecting your favorite sensitive trees, that way when a frost or freeze arrives, you'll be ready. Anchor pins and frost blankets are one great way to keep frost off of trees and give insulation during winter. When choosing a tree, getting all the materials you need now will save lots of time later.

 

 


Upcoming Events
 

Kerby's has lots of fun planned for the garden in 2011, including workshop favorites on vegetables, herbs and roses, as well as some new kids gardening events that will get the whole family involved. 2011 will be a great year to Discover the Fun of Gardening. 

 

 

Workshop: Tropical Fruit Trees
Saturday, April 9th at 10:00 am

Juicy and delicious, there is nothing like picking fruit from a tree you've grown and eating it on the spot. Whether you like mangos or jakfruit, kiwi or papaya, or jaboticaba and custard apple, there is a fruit to fit every taste. After the workshop, you'll be able to sample some of the delicious fruits that can be grown in our area.

 

 

 

Kerby's Kids Workshop: Butterfly Gardening
Saturday, April 16 at 10am

The delightful flutter of butterflies in your yard - it's like nature is trying to show off.  Come out to this workshop to learn how to create your own beautiful butterfly garden. The workshop will include a demo planting and will be kid-friendly, so bring the whole family for a little fun in the garden.  

 

 

 

Kerby's Kids Event: 2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 23rd at 10:00 am

Bring your Easter basket and get ready for a whole lot of fun . . . it's the 2nd annual Easter Egg Hunt at Kerby's. Starting right at 10:00am, be ready to hunt and see how many Easter Eggs you can find amongst the beautiful flowers.

 

 

 

Workshop: Growing Roses
Saturday, April 30 at 10am

Presented by the Tampa Rose Society

A rose by any other name . . . can grow in your garden. Discover everything you need to plant and care for beautiful roses at this workshop presented by the Tampa Rose Society.

 

 

 

Workshop: Herb Gardening
Saturday, May 7th at 10:00 am

It's mother's day weekend, so treat mom to a fun workshop on herb gardening. Learn how to plant and grow all types of tasty herbs, and how to use them in cooking. We'll even have a few samples for everyone to try. A great way to share some time with mom!

 

 



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Kerby's Nursery

2311 S. Parsons Ave.

Seffner, FL 33584
(813) 685-3265
www.kerbysnursery.com


Spring Hours
Open Seven Days a Week
Monday - Thursday,  9:00am - 5:30pm
Friday & Saturday,  9:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday,  9:00am - 4:00pm