Now is the Time,
Kerby's is the Place
May 25, 2016
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Now is the Time, |
May 25, 2016 |
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So even though the cooler weather of spring has left, this is still a great time of year. Why? Because it should be harvest time! Most warm season veggies should be producing by now, before the real heat and humidity of summmer kicks in. Our garden is growing well. The bean teepee that we built for the girls has grown beyond our expectations, and has been a cool place for them to see beans growing and also to play in. Everything else has been growing well too. Mulberries are plentiful, we have more eggplants, yellow squash and habanero peppers than we can use and just the right amount of tomatoes. But enough about our garden. We want to see your gardens! Check out the Kerby's facebook page to see a few of our garden pictures and feel free to post some of yours. We love seeing veggies growing wherever they are! If your garden is growing, but not giving you the harvests you want, check out the article below for some tips on getting better harvests, and check out our new Create a Pollinator Garden handout . Harvests are always better when bees are around.
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In This Issue
Create Your
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Salvias Salvia x There is one thing that every veggie garden and fruit forest needs: bees. Making sure that your garden and landscape has a variety of food sources for bees, will make sure that they are around to pollinate all of those plants you have been working so hard to grow. One of our favorites for bees, butterflies and beauty is salvia. The amistad salvia (pictured at right) is an especially beautiful color.
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Getting Great Harvests Nothing is more frustrating than working hard to get a garden planted, only to not see any fruit of your labor (pun intended). So what can you do? Below are some tips for getting great harvests and healthy plants. 
Plant Well and Keep Up with Watering
A poorly planted tree or veggie plant
won't grow well, won't thrive and consequently may never produce great (or any) harvests. Be sure everything you
plant is started with a rich soil, such as Kerby's Planting Soil. Also make sure that no air pockets
have formed around the root ball, filling in with additional soil if needed. Tree stakes should be sturdy, but
not digging into the trunks. Check out
Kerby's planting instructions
to make sure you get all of your plants off to a great start.
Be Consistent With Water
This is what we usually hear:
'I watered the plant every day
for the first week, then it rained.' We then ask, 'Well how often
are you watering now?', the response is usually some variety of a
hem and a haw, and a 'Well, maybe not enough . . .'. Trust me, we understand how hard it is to keep plants
well watered. But for great harvests, plants need consistent water. When they are young they need it to develop a
strong root system.
When plants are starting to bear, they need consistent water to produce the fruits and veggies we love.
There is a lot
of water in a tomato or cucumber! So, especially in the hot, dry days of May, get
out there and water your plants.
Garden For the Bees
Without bees and other pollinators, we wouldn't have
fruits or veggies. Although wind can pollinate some flowers, most need help from insects. So make sure that
bees are finding their way to your yard. Check out our
Create a Pollinator Garden handout to get some
more info on creating a pollinator garden. Some of our
favorite flowers are: salvias, heather, summer snapdragon and
bottlebrush. 
Watch for Pests
As fruit
trees and veggies start to produce, pests are sure to follow. From
worms and leaf-miners, to four-legged critters, there is always
something trying to get at your garden. (Just the other day, I
caught a cute little bunny eating my corn stalks). So be prepared to
treat for or remove pests. This year, we've had a real problem with
stinkbugs on our tomatoes and peppers, but some well-placed neem oil
and a little squishing (holding our noses of course) has seemed to
keep our harvest going. Since you are also trying to attract
pollinators, be mindful of what you spray and when. Never spray any
type of pesticide (even organic) when bees are active.
Feed your Plants
Before your plants can feed you, you have to feed them. Tomatoes, mangos, citrus
or whatever fruit you are growing needs lots
of nutrients to grow. Fertilize regularly with a good fertilizer, such as our Kerby's 8-4-8 fertilizer or with an
organic fertilizer such as Gardentone. Healthy plants will not only produce more, but will resist disease and insect
pest damage better than plants that are struggling for nutrients. For some plants, specific nutrient deficiencies can
cause fruit production problems. Use a Yield-Booster spray on tomatoes and other vegetables to correct calcium deficiencies that
cause blossom-end rot. The basics to good harvests are pretty simple: feed and water your plants, and keep an eye on them, correcting problems early before they become big problems. Make sure that you have pollinators. Without bees, many fruits and veggies will flower, but won't produce. Be smart about anything you spray to maintain the health of not only your garden, but the pollinators you need help from too. Hopefully this season's garden will be a great one! |
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Kerby's Nursery 2311 S. Parsons Ave. Seffner, FL 33584 (813) 685-3265 www.kerbysnursery.com |
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