Carter's Water Garden


Sunday Reflection’s…

Labor Day Weekend… It’s definitely nice to enjoy a few days off! There are still things that we have to do of course, but since we live at the Nursery & Gardens we also work for a living… It’s just another day in our routine…

Or is it?

This is my immediate family captured in an image.. by a very good photographer I might add 😉

I was reflecting on my labor in life, and In many ways my labor is my life… I mean, I literally live at the Nursery/Farm that I work for a living… There are no days off when there are plants to water (or they die!) and animals to feed & water (or they suffer &/or die)! So I have done what anyone in my situation has to do, I have embraced it wholeheartedly! And I LOVE my Family! My ‘everyday’ Lifestyle! And I LOVE MY Job! ❤️

“He who works with his hands is a laborer.

He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.

He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”

   ~ Saint Francis of Assisi

Happy Labor Day 🇺🇸 to everyone that Labor’s out there! I hope you love your job too! 🙏🏻

Mark C.



Feeding My Koi

Every evening I make my rounds and feed my babies ❤️ Join me as I get started 😊

Man I love my Koi! ❤️ Y’all have a good night 🌙

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

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Monday Morning Moment of Zen | Carters Nursery Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

Good Morning! Ready or not, another work week begins… I try to start my day outside by my Pond. Feeding my fish and hearing the Waterfalls goes a long ways for me. Check out this video 👇🏻 Its slowed down a bit so you can really see the Koi swimming and eating from a unique view…

A little Monday Morning Moment of Zen goes a long way…

Isn’t that cool?! They live in an Awesome place indeed 😊 Enjoy your Monday!

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

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T is for Tomato 🍅 | Carters Nursery Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

Do you grow your own Tomatoes? If you do, you know the joys, rewards, and discomforts (work) of growing them. If you don’t grow your own tomatoes, well, it’s not to late to make something of your life…

Breakfast tomatoes, lunch tomatoes and guess whats for dinner 😊🍅

I have grown so many different varieties over the years… Jet Star and Better Boy’s are always a safe bet with their hybrid vigor and disease resistance! Great for canning and preserving for Winter too! But, when it comes to a good slicing tomato or a delicious Tomato Sandwich, give me a Cherokee Purple!

Breakfast! Fried eggs, biscuit and gravy and sliced Cherokee Purple Tomatoes! yum!
Cherokee Purple Tomatoes are unique in appearance and Incredible in Taste!

Guy Clark said it best! Theres 2 things that money CAN’T buy – True Love! and Homegrown Tomatoes!

PS: When your ready to get started on your ’Better Life’ by growing your own tomatoes, I’ll be here to help 😉

Have a great evening!

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

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The Zen of Spring Frost

If you are like many Gardeners and live by the ”Last Frost Date” given in the Almanac or in your local paper, you may be very disappointed this morning… I’m getting ready to go out and uncover the hundreds of plants that I have under blankets, sheets and in a big cold frame greenhouse.

Late frost caught many off guard last night.

Why does it ’sneak up’ on us so often?

With me its all about staying in tune with the particular season. Spring here in West TN fluctuates from sweaty 80’s weather to 60 mile an hour winds with frost and snow ❄️ BUT, that relationship you form with the seasons and the changes is where the Zen lies…
But, its tough to wait! As soon as the forsythia and the daffodil 🌼 blooms I’m already setting up my planters and pots 🪴 And, I try to be ready for people coming in to my Nursery early, which means we spend a month or more moving plants in and out of the greenhouse… 😊

All these things we do, hoping to solve the ‘Riddle of Spring’! 😊

Finding balance and Zen within ourselves is found within our own Gardens…

PS: The good news is, I think we are past Frost now for real!

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”

~ Henry Van Dyke


Have a great Tuesday!

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

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Pond Tip Tuesday | Koi Pond Tips | Carters Nursery Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

Spring is in full swing! We are approaching our last frost date and the whole world is greening up, I LOVE it! ❤️ So do my Koi! They have been tearing up the Cool Season Koi Food and the veggies I have been feeding them. In fact, many of my customers and fellow Koi enthusiasts have been feeding their Koi Cool Season Food & have started asking me the all important question…

– When can I start feeding regular Koi Food and Color Enhancing Koi Food?

– My Answer- Remember the rule of 60!

When the water temperature has stabilized above 60 degrees Fahrenheit you can switch to a Higher Protein or a Color Enhancing Koi Food. We like to call it the ‘Rule Of 60’… | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

We have covered The Rule of 50 in previous Blogs, when coming out of Winter into Spring, you must let the water temp stabilize for at least a week at 50+ degrees Fahrenheit before you start to feed your koi, AND, when you do start back to feeding, you should use a quality, Cool Season Koi Food! And don’t over feed! Gradually reintroduce food to them in small amounts.

Oh yea! Spring has arrived and the water is steadily warming. Time to feed your Pond Fish!

Now, at least for me (check your thermometer) it’s time to make the transition to a regular Koi Food. In fact, I will start to feed both high protein and color enhancing feed, alternating weekly between the two.

Every Pond should have a floating Pond thermometer. Our finned friends are cold blooded & water temperature is very important when it comes to seasonal feeding times. Pick one up at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

So, lets wrap it up… check your water temp & when your above 60 degrees for several days in a row and climbing, you can transition to warm season Koi Food. That’s the “Rule of 60”…

Viva La’ Spring!

Happy Pondering!


Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

YouTube pg. –
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Fall Beauty At Night | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

I wanted to share a couple of pictures we took last night while we were messing around in the garden.

The moon was shining down just right 🌙
This young man was having all kinds of fun 😊

Thats what its all about! Getting outside and having an enjoyable evening most any season of the year! That is one of the things I always try to achive with my designs, I try to design Gardens that have year round interest!

So, I hope you have been enjoying this beautiful Fall weather we have had… And I hope you enjoy this little glimpse of my Water Garden on a Moonlit 🌝 Indian Summer night in Autumn 🍁

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

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Pond Tip Tuesday | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Koi Feeding Time in Jackson, Tennessee

Spring is in full swing! We are past our last frost date and the whole world is greening up, I LOVE it! So do my Koi! 😊 They have been tearing up the Cool Season Koi Food and the veggies I have been feeding them. In fact, many of my customers and fellow Koi enthusiasts have been feeding Cool Season Food & have asked me the all important question…

– When can I start feeding regular and Color Enhancing Koi Food?

– My Answer- Remember the rule of 60!

When the water temperature has stabilized above 60 degrees Fahrenheit you can switch to a Higher Protein or a Color Enhancing Koi Food. We like to call it the ‘Rule Of 60’… | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

I have covered The Rule of 50 in previous Blogs, when coming out of Winter into Spring, you must let the water temp stabilize for at least a week at 50+ degrees Fahrenheit before you start to feed your koi. AND, when you do start back to feeding, you should use a quality, Cool Season Koi Food! And don’t over feed! Gradually reintroduce food to them in small amounts.

Now, at least for me (check your thermometer) it’s time to make the transition to a regular Koi Food. In fact, I will start to feed both high protein and color enhancing feed, alternating weekly between the two.

Our finned friends are cold blooded & water temperature is very important when it comes to seasonal feeding times. After the water temp is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit you can start feeding High Protein and Color Enhancing Koi Food again. Pick some up at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

So to wrap it up, check your water temp & when your above 60 degrees for several days in a row and climbing, you can transition to warm season Koi Food. That’s the “Rule of 60”… 😉

Viva La’ Spring!

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd. 
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com



Monday Morning Moment of Zen | Carters Nursery Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

This past couple of weeks tested us all a bit. Winter in all its glory… But now Spring is in our sights! And believe it or not, it’s coming quickly! So this morning I wanted to try to reassure you a bit with a video from early Spring last year. We are only a few weeks away from when this video was taken 😊

I can’t wait till I get to feed my babies again! And I can only imagine what they are thinking right about now…

Enjoy this little moment of zen! And just know that – Spring is Coming!

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

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Winter Beauty From MY Window…

We don’t get “BIG” snow like this very often… Thank God! So many aren’t prepared for it! Power goes out, heat goes out, no water, etc, etc… I myself even lost one of my main greenhouses from the sheer weight of the snow… But, today I’m gonna try to focus on the Beauty of it all. Much of it from my window 😊 Its COLD out there 🥶

This doesn’t really say “Way down South in Dixie”… But this is from a window in my house today…
My front yard… Beautiful! But, ‘Come on man’ 🥶
From my front porch, looking down the hill past the Pond into the holler… Again, how Gorgeous! But just try walking down there! Slip and slide 🛷
From an upper window after dark. It’s hard for me not to just stay out there all day like a kid.. it’s just so beautiful! But it’s so cold!🥶

I just thought I would share a few pictures of what I think is a Beautiful, Winter Landscape. The “Entertainment of the day” the last few days has been sitting in front of the French doors and watching the birds eat the seed we’ve been throwing out. Even our dogs are glued to the ‘Theater of Life’ that’s just on the other side of the glass.

Enjoy your snow day! And stay warm 🔥

PS: Spring is Coming!

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com