Discover the Fun of Gardening
The Kerby's E-Newsletter
April 26, 2018   
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Garden Tip   |   Featured Plants   |   Spring Workshops  

Maddy rehearsing her scene.

So a few weeks ago I said there might not be a newsletter this week. I was fibbing, you (sort of) get two! I originally wrote a newsletter about harvests from our home garden. You can read it here. Then on Tuesday night,  I went to see Maddy in her premier as Lulu in Waitress. (Remember that's the reason I wasn't sure I'd be able to get a newsletter together.) I'm actually writing this at nearly midnight after her opening show. She was amazing. I enjoyed the entire show, but I'll admit my heart was beating out of my chest for most of the two hours. Her role is at the very end of the show, during the finale song. That means it was late. And she's four. And you know what can happen to four year olds after bedtime . . . But not Maddy. I'm not sure why I was even nervous. This is the girl that sang 'You are my Sunshine' in front of two hundred guests last summer at a wedding and she was the 'Little Blue Train that Could' climbing snow banks in Minnesota. She's proven time and again that she has more guts and gumption than the average person. It's not just anybody that will go out on a concert hall stage in front of nearly 2500 people, with one rehearsal and one sound check. Most of us would be overcome with nerves. Not my Maddy. She gave it everything she had and the pride in my heart was overwhelming as I heard the
Autographed by the star.
oohs, aahs and gasps from the audience when Little Lulu was revealed on the stage. I still don't know that show business is in our future, but it has been a unique experience. And who knows, maybe one day the playbill she autographed for me will remind us where it all started.

And don't forget the Growing Fruit Trees workshop this Saturday at 10am. I might be a little tired from the week, but I promise I'll be ready to teach you all about growing fruits in Florida and give you my best tips getting great harvests.


Happy Gardening,
The Kerby's Nursery Family

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We'll show you how to get great harvests.
Garden Tip
Cultivating Great Harvests

When you plant shrubs and trees in your landscape, you probably plant them well, keep them watered, but at some point, you probably ignore them a little bit. After all, they are just a plain-old shrubs or trees, and while you want them to grow, you aren't always looking for much else from them. That story is different when it comes to fruit trees. You want fruit trees to grow, bloom and harvest as much as possible. That means you need to pay a little extra attention to them. So make sure you are following our tips below to get the best harvests possible.
1) Don't Plant Deep - It's easy to be super-excited about your new trees and get wild with the shovel and dig a way-to-deep hole. Trees want to be planted level or slightly above the existing soil level. Plant too deep and trees will never establish well.
2) Start Trees with Great Soil
- Healthy trees have healthy roots, and healthy roots love Kerby's Planting Soil. Mix new soil at a 50/50 ratio with the native soil. 
3) Water Well - Sometimes I feel like a broken records saying Water, Water, Water, but watering is critical for everything you do in your garden (including for you!). Consistent, deep waterings will make sure that your tree gets established well.
4) Plant for Pollinators - Bees are the primary pollinator for a variety of fruit trees. To encourage bees to come to your fruit forest, plant some of their favorite flowers: Salvias, Heather and Summer Snapdragon to name a few.
5) Watch for Pests - Fruits need insects to pollinate, but sometimes the wrong kinds of bugs will find your trees too. Spraying on a regular basis when the trees are not flowering can help keep pests away. Our favorite sprays: Neem Oil or Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew. 
6) Feed your Tree - To really boost a tree's health, ferilize regularly. Use Kerby's 8-4-8 fertilizer monthly in the first year and in spring, summer and fall for the second year and beyond. A spring application of a minor elements spray can also be helpful to make sure a tree has all the nutrients it needs to produce great harvests.

When you love your garden, it's not work, it's play, so get outside and get your hands dirty, have a little fun and bring on the great harvests.
Featured Plants
Lychee Trees

Sweet, delicious and refreshing
Starting at $49.99
Blueberries

Fruiting Now
Starting at $9.99
Sunshine Ligustrum

Back in stock for Cold-Hardy Color
10" Pot - $29.99

Kerby's Nursery

2311 S. Parsons Ave.

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


Store Hours
Open Seven Days a Week
Monday - Saturday,  9am - 5:30pm
Sunday,  11am - 4pm