Gardening
Life Lived Outside
The Kerby's Nursery E-Newsletter
October 8, 2020
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Fall Fruit Care  |   Weekly Special  |   New Arrivals
Hello. Is Anyone There?
by Joey Bokor
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I have trouble throwing things away. I always look at something and think through the possibilities. It's not junk, it is an underappreciated item. One thing I haven't thrown away is an old phone. Not an old cell phone, not an old portable phone, an old push-button, has-to-be-plugged-into-the-wall phone. It has actually come in handy a couple of times. During power outages caused by hurricanes Frances and Jean in 2004, we used this phone to make phone calls. Plug it into a jack and it works, no power needed. But that was a while ago. In the meantime, I keep it around to test phone lines. We are always changing things around the nursery and every time I have to move a phone jack, I use the old phone to test my work.

The other day the girls found it in my car and stared at it like it was a fearsome creature. When I told them it was a phone, Maddy picks it up, turns it over in her hands, looking for the screen. She held one end to her ear and said 'Hello, is anyone there?' and then asks me, 'Why isn't it working'' Her assumption was that it needed to charge. I tried to explain that it has to be plugged in all the time to work, that it doesn't have to charge. The looks of disbelief and incredulity that I was given made me realize that any words I said were going to be ignored. I clearly wasn't understanding how phones work.


I finally convinced them that it was a phone and after the disbelief subsided, they were thrilled to make an ancient artifact a part of their collection of toys. Maddy has taken to keeping it by her bed. I think she is waiting for it to ring to prove me wrong about needing to be plugged in. And that's why I can't throw things away. You never know when something can be put to use.

Phones have come a long way over time, and I'll bet most of you have one that doesn't need to be plugged in and has a camera on it. Well that's perfect for a visit to the Kerby's Pumpkin Patch. Although they were delayed, our pumpkin shipment finally made it and was unloaded under the light of the harvest moon last Thursday night. Come check them out and take a fun fall photo at the Pumpkin Wall. It's definitely time to make fall happen.
Happy Gardening,
The Kerby's Nursery Family

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The Pumpkin Patch is Open
Come out and enjoy the gourd-geous pumpkins and take a fun fall picture at the pumpkin wall.

The Weekly Special
All Fruit Trees - 10% Off
Add a fruit tree to your fruit forest or get started on your edible landscape with 10% off fruit trees, this week only.
Valid Through 10/14/2020

Fall Fruit Care


As fall moves along, it is a great time to give your fruit forest a little TLC. Many fruit trees have finished producing harvests, and it makes it the perfect time to get them in shape for the next harvest season. See below for a few of our fall fruit tips and if you need to add to your fruit forest, this week only, all fruit trees are 10% off (through 10/14/20).

Make Pruning Decisions - Many times, the ultimate size of a fruit tree is larger than your yard can handle. Or if you are like me, I am determined to pack as many tantalizing tastes into my forest as possible. If that is the case, you may need to prune some of your trees. Spring is the time that we do most major pruning, but when it comes to fruit trees, spring pruning can lead to a loss of harvest for the year. So take a look at your trees and if they need pruning, go ahead and do it now. The day and night temperatures have started to come down a little, which makes the trees happier and better able to recover and grow.

Fertilize - For new trees, we recommend applying our Kerby's Special fertilizer (it is an 8-4-8 with complete micronutrients) monthly for the first year and then in the second year and beyond, we fertilize in the spring, summer and fall. So before fall gets away from us, apply fertilizer to your trees to get a last burst of growth. I know both my lychee and mango have grown about a foot over the last four weeks. Once we reach November, we'll pause fertilizing fruit trees until the spring, especially on cold-sensitive fruits. You don't want a bunch of brand new growth on trees when frost or freeze come our way.

Check for Pests - The rains of summer are helpful for plants growth, but can lead to increased bug and disease issues. Check trees for pests and treat with Neem Oil or Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew if you have a problem. It is important to check for pests regularly because early treatment is the best way to keep trees happy.

Plan for Winter - If you do have cold-sensitive trees, make sure you have a plan for winter protection. After a few mild winters in a row, it is easy to let your guard down. If frost or freeze comes our way this year, you would much rather have the materials on hand for protection, instead of having to run and get them at the last minute. Frost blankets, stakes to support the blanket and anchor pins to attach to the ground are materials I always try to have in my garage.

Plant and Enjoy - With the weather a little milder than our summer months, it is a great time to add trees to your fruit forest. Planting now will give your tree lots of time to root and establish before next spring's big flush of growth.



New Arrivals
Supertunias

Gorgeous Cool-Season Color
6" Pot - $6.99
Flowering Kale

Foliage for Fall
6" Pot - $6.99

Everbearing Strawberries

Yummy!
4" Pot - $2.99

Dwell at Kerby's - The Houseplant Shop

Treat yourself or send a gift to a friend from the Dwell at Kerby's online houseplant shop.

SHOP NOW

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Kerby's Nursery

2311 S. Parsons Ave.

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


Store Hours

Monday - Saturday
9am - 5:30pm
Sunday
11am - 4pm