Discover the Fun of Gardening

September 13, 2012   

Get rid of the summer blues, redecorate your garden, landscape and yard for fall.

Fall is right around the corner, which means it is time to redecorate your garden, yard and landscape for the fall season. Geraniums and mums are starting to fill the nursery and in the coming weeks, lots more fall will be on the way. A new shipment of beautiful roses just arrived, including favorites like Mr. Lincoln and Gold Medal. Roses are the perfect cut flower for  fall bouquets and they bloom all year long.

Start planting vegetable gardens now.

And of course it is time to plant veggie gardens. Vegetable plants are in at the nursery including tomatoes, peppers, greens, cabbage and more. We even got in some cool cherry tomato hanging baskets. And if you really have limited space, try an Earthbox Kit for just $59.99. They grow amazing harvests of veggies in a very small space.

Happy Gardening,
Kim, Joey and Mark
 

In This Issue
Featured Plant

Veggie Gardening

Upcoming Events
Workshop This Weekend: Veggie Gardening

Fortuniana
Grafted Roses
Just In
$29.99
3 Gallon Pot

Fall Veggies and
Seeds are In

Geraniums are in
$4.99
6" Pot

Forward to a Friend

Follow us on Facebook

Featured Plant

Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Your landscape needs a little fall and it probably needs a little shade too. The red maple tree gives you both. It is a tough Florida native that survives cold winters, but loves our rainy season too. They grow up to 50 feet tall, providing money-saving shade to your house and a place for a family picnic in the yard. In fall, the color adds the spirit of fall to your landscape. A new shipment just arrived at the nursery, come buy yours today and be ready for fall.

7 Gallon Tree - $49.99

Fall Veggie Gardening: A Practical Garden

There are so many benefits to growing your own vegetable garden. It's great exercise and can help you unwind after a long day at the office. Plus you get home-grown nutritious food that always tastes better than store bought veggies. Planting a veggie garden can seem overwhelming though. Which veggies should I plant? Do I have enough time to care for them? are common questions for anyone thinking about becoming a backyard farmer. Fortunately even with the responsibilities of a job and a family, you can still find time to create a productive vegetable garden, without turning into a full-time farmer. Below are some tips for creating a practical garden that will work for you.   To really get a great start, come out to the nursery at 10am this Saturday for the Fall Vegetable Workshop.

Make it Practical -  Everyone with dreams of being a home farmer pictures a large plot of land brimming with vegetables of all kinds. That may not be reality for all of us though. So what makes a garden practical and manageable? Try these tips to have your best garden ever.

1. Location - Make sure your veggie garden is in the sun and is easily accessible. Water should be right at hand so that watering is as easy as turning the hose on. Being located near the kitchen also makes harvesting a snap. (Pictured at right: Joey and Kim's niece Sawyer helped pick carrots in their fall garden.)

2. Start Small - Don't get caught up in veggie fever and try to grow every vegetable that you like. Start with a small plot and pick your favorite three or four vegetables. Tend them well and as you become successful, increase the garden size. Be sure you plant only as much as you can manage.

3. Don't Start too Small - While you don't want to start too large, it is easy to underplant as well. Take a little time to plan out what you would like to harvest and use that amount to guide how many of each plant you put out. For instance with lettuce or spinach, it can be useful to plant a large patch, so that you can continually harvest leaves. One or two plants would make for very small salads!

4. Use Rich Soil - Our Florida soil is notoriously poor, so add lots of rich potting soil such as our Kerby's Soil or mix your own with peat, manure and compost. Soil condition impacts the taste and nutrition of the veggies you grow, as well as the success of the garden.

5. Make Tending Easy - Keep fertilizer and ready-to-use sprays handy on your morning garden walks so that you can easily tend to problems as you see them. Scouting your garden regularly allows for more relaxation time (a stroll with your morning coffee in hand is always soul-soothing) and more opportunities to keep problems in check. The more you scout the more successful your garden will be.

6. Get Everyone Involved - As kids, helping in the garden can be lots of fun and will create some great memories. Kim (picture, left)always remembers helping Grandma and Grandpa Kerby in their veggie garden. Having little (and big) helpers can lessen the chores you have to do in the garden and can make tending it a little easier. Plus, it never hurts to teach kids where veggies come from, they may even be more likely to eat them!

Happy Harvests!

Upcoming Events

If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, click here to view it in a browser

Store Hours
Open Seven Days a Week
Monday - Saturday,  9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday,  11:00am - 4:00pm