Grandpa Kerby, vegetable eater.

One evening at a Kerby family dinner, we were well into our meal and starting to think about seconds. The meatloaf came around for a second trip, and being a polite young man, I asked Grandpa Kerby if he wanted seconds. He looked me straight in the eye and said 'Joey, I am vegetable eater.' (You have to say it to yourself in a Grandpa voice for it to have its full effect.) I don't remember what my reaction at the time was, but 26 years later, I still clearly remember him saying it.

And he was a veggie eater. More than that, he was a veggie gardener. If a plant didn't produce something to eat, then 'he didn't have any business with that' (another favorite phrase of his). A tree should produce fruit, shrubs are required to have berries and flowering vines aren't needed to cover a fence when beans will do. And why plant frivolous flowers when peppers and tomatoes will produce all of the colors of the rainbow. He didn't always get his way, Grandma Kerby had plenty of flowers, but if it was up to him, a plant would do something for you.

I bet a lot of us wish we could follow in his footsteps. If everything in my yard was a fruit tree, bush or vine I would be one happy gardener. I don't see green grass when I dream of a beautiful landscape, I see rows of spinach, lettuce and arugula. So let's do it. Let's be veggie eaters and vegetable gardeners. It is the perfect time of year to get started. Seeds, soil and veggie plants are all in stock at the nursery just waiting to be a part of your spring veggie garden. And this Saturday, we'll make sure you are a veggie garden success with our Veggie Gardening Seminar at 10am in the greenhouse.

P.S. Don't forget that today is Valentine's Day. If you need a last minute gift for your sweetheart we'll be open until 5pm. And on the theme of love, I'll leave you with a quote from gardening author Jeff Cox: 'The garden is a love song. It is a duet between a human being and Mother Nature.'

Fresh, Healthy, Homegrown

Garden Tip
Planting a Veggie Garden

We hear the exact same thing from lots of customers: 'I used to grow a garden in (insert a state up north here ...) and it was so easy, but I can't get anything to grow well here in Florida.'  They're right, gardening in Florida is a challenge. The first key is starting at the right time - now! Get those gardens planted. You'll harvest tomatoes and peppers in about 70 days or so, which will get your largest harvests done before the real heat of summer kicks in. The second key is to use a rich soil. Florida soil is notoriously poor and sandy and not great for growing veggies. Amend with Kerby's Planting Soil and Black Kow to enrich the soil and get your gardens off to a great start. For more veggie garden info, click here and don't forget to come out for the workshop, this Saturday the 16th at 10am.

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Sunday,  11am - 4pm