Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Hummingbirds, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pondless Waterfalls, Sunday Reflections, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Celebration, Coffee, Daily Blog, Daily Enjoyment, Daily Ritual, Daily Routine, Day Off, Family, Family time, Family Traditions, Feeding Birds, Feeding Koi, Feeding the Soul, Feeding Time, Fish Feeding, Friday Off, Garden Chores, Happy Labor Day, Holiday, Labor Day, Labor Day Weekend, Life is Good, Living the Life Abundant, Morning Coffee, Nursery Work, Saturday off, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Songs, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Time Off, Watering Plants, Weekend Off, Work Life Balance
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?

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.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Can I Feed My Koi, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Elite Koi, Feed Me, Feeding Koi, Feeding my Koi, Feeding the Soul, Feeding Time, Fish, Fish Cave, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Fish Health, Healthy Koi, I ❤️ Koi, I Love Koi, Koi, Koi Feeding, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Health Tips, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Shack, Koi Video, Lighting, Nighttime Pond, Nighttime World, Pond Fish, Pond Lighting, Pond Video, Seasonal Koi Feeding Times, Underwater Lighting, Underwater Video, Video, Videos, Water Garden Video, Waterfall at Night, Waterfall Video, Zen Video
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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Filed under: Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Before Sunrise, Carters Nursery Pond & Patio, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Early Morning, Evening Zen, Feeding Koi, Feeding the Soul, Jackson Tennessee, Koi, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Video, Moment of Zen, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, Place of Zen, Pond Video, Swimming with Koi, The Underwater World, Underwater Camera, Underwater Photography, Underwater Video, Underwater Zen, Video, Videos, Water Garden Video, Zen, Zen Creek, Zen Feeling, Zen state of mind, Zen Video, Zen Waterfall
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…
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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Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos | Tags: Agricultural Pursuit, Agriculturalist, Agriculture, Be Prepared, canning, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Feeding the Soul, Gardening, gardening 101, Gardening Ideas, Growing, Growing Tomatoes, Guy Clark, GuyClark, Homegrown Tomatoes, I ❤️Tomatoes, Love and Meaning, Seasonal Tomatoes, Sliced Tomato’s, Songs, The Perfect Sandwich, Tomato Sandwich, Tomato varieties, Tomatoes
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…

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!


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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Filed under: Family time, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Best Local Nursery and Garden Center, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Changing Seasons, Cover Plants, Crazy Weather, Feeding the Soul, Frosty Morning, Gardening, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Life is Good, Love, Love and Meaning, Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, outdoor lifestyles, Outdoor Living, Place of Zen, Predicting Weather, Quality Of Life, Robert Frost, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Spring, Spring Gardening, Tennessee Weather, Weather Signs, Zen, Zen state of mind, Zen Waterfall
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.

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… 😊

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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Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 50 Degree Rule, 60 degree Rule, Color Enhancing Koi Food, Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Temp Koi Food, Fall Pond Tips, Feed Me, Feeding Koi, Feeding the Soul, Feeding Time, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Fish Health, Food, Hand Feeding Koi, Healthy Koi, High Protein Koi Food, Koi Feeding, Koi Feeding Schedule, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Health Tip, Koi Health Tips, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Shack, Koi Supplies, Koi Whisperer, Maintenance Tips, Maxi Growth Koi Food, Pond Maintenance Tips, Pond Supplies, Pond Tip, Pond Tip Tuesday, Pond Tips, Rule of 60, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Feeding Times, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Seasonal Koi Feeding Times, Seasonal Water Garden, Spring Feeding, Spring Pond Tips, Summer Pond Tips, The Rule of 50, The Rule of 60, Tips, Water garden supplies, Weekly Pond Tip, Winter Pond Tips
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!

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.

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.

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
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Filed under: Family time, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Sunsets, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Aquatic Plant Design, Artistic Waterfalls, Autumn, Autumn Color, Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Beautiful Waterfall, Colorful Foliage, Design, Design Consultation, Design Ideas, Design/Build, Designer, Designing Waterfalls, Fall Beauty, Fall Foliage, Fall Gardening, Feeding Koi, Feeding the Soul, Garden Design, Hand Feeding Koi, Japanese Maple, Kids, Koi Pond Designer, Landscape Design, Landscape Designer, Landscape Lighting, Lighting, Low Voltage Lights, Moonlight Pond, Moonlighting effects, Natural Beauty, Nighttime World, Pathway Lighting, plants, Pond Design, Pond Lighting, Pondless Waterfall, Ponds for Kids, Professional Water Feature Designer, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Teach Our Children, Trees, Underwater Lighting, Water Garden Design, waterfall design, Waterfalls, Waterfalls in YOUR Life
I wanted to share a couple of pictures we took last night while we were messing around in the garden.


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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Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 50 Degree Rule, 60 degree Rule, Color Enhancing Koi Food, Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Temp Koi Food, Feeding Koi, Feeding the Soul, Feeding Time, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Floating Pond Thermometer, Food, Good food, High Carbohydrate Koi Food, High Protein Koi Food, Hump Day Koi Fix, I ❤️ Koi, Koi, Koi Feeding, Koi Feeding Schedule, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Health Tip, Koi Health Tips, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Supplies, Koi Whisperer, Maxi Growth Koi Food, Pond Thermometer, Pond Tip Tuesday, Protect Your Koi, Rule of 60, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Seasonal Koi Feeding Times, Spring Feeding, The Rule of 50, The Rule of 60, Tuesday, Two For Tuesday, Water Temperature
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!

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.

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
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Feeding Koi, Feeding the Soul, Fish Feeding, Gentle Sounds, Hand Feeding Koi, Koi, Koi Feeding, Koi Feeding Schedule, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi for sale, Koi Health, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Shack, Koi Supplies, Moment of Zen, Monday, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Monday’s, Morning Zen, Seasonal Koi Feeding Times, Soothing Sounds, Sound Therapy, Spring Feeding, Spring is Coming, Waterfall, Waterfalls, Zen, Zen Feeling, Zen state of mind, Zen Video, Zen Waterfall
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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Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Benefits of Snow, Birds, Birdseed, Cabin Fever, Day Off, Family Pictures, Feeding Birds, Feeding the Soul, Feeding Time, From My Window, From My Windows, Glass, Ice, Icicles, Outside My Window, Pics, Pictures, Snow Day, Snow Falling, Snow Pics, Snowed In, Theater of Life, Through the Glass, Window, Winter Gardening, Winter Landsacpe, Winter Pics, Winter Pictures
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 🥶




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