Carter's Water Garden


Sunday Reflection’s…

It’s always easy to “Fall back”! My personal clock didn’t change though… I was wide awake shortly after 4am this morning. My iPhone had already updated, so I changed all the clocks ⏰, reset the oven and microwave clocks… Straitened up, made coffee, made biscuits and waited for the sunrise.

Shortly after breakfast, I let the chickens 🐓 out to free range a bit, then came back to drink some coffee ☕️

In the short time that I was in the house a couple of things happened. My sons Australian Shepherd got out of the fence and not only scattered my flock of chickens that were outside, she went into the hen house & ran ALL of my chickens out and scattered them to the wind 💨

You know what comes next… Trying to locate and round up chickens isn’t easy, in fact I’m still in the process… Y’all have a wonderful Sunday afternoon 🌞

“I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mark C.



Friday Radio Report | LIVE Talk Radio | WNWS 101.5 FM | Everybody Talks | Carters Nursery Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

Good Morning! Here we are 1 week into Autumn and it feels so nice 😊 It’s a another BEAUTIFUL DAY! 🍁 I am walking into the studios of WNWS 101.5 FM, in downtown Jackson, TN! I’m going ‘LIVE’ from 9-11 am with Seabass and Chuck Walker on the best little show in Jackson – “Everybody Talks” 💥!

I’m LIVE today from 9-11am Call in and lets have some FUN! 731-423-8101

I’ll be here from 9-11am – So get your questions ready! We will be talking Outdoor Living, Koi Ponds, ‘Cool Season’ gardening, trimming, mulching, landscaping, pumpkin carving, football 🏈 and LOVING FALL ❤️🍁 Tune in! 📻

PS: Ask about our upcoming Fall Aquatic Workshop ! It’s FREE! And it’s tomorrow!

We will talk about just about anything that YOU want to talk about! Ask a question, send in a picture, share a story (but please, NO politics!) It’s Friday! Call in and join us – 731-423-8101

For 20 years Ive been involved with this Friday Talk Show and it just keeps getting better! The phone # is still the same – 731-423-8101

– HEY, You can listen, and you can call in and talk… the # is the same that it has been for over 20 years – 731-423-8101. But, did you know you can text your comments and questions? 731-277-5155

Did you know you can text us? Texting us is so easy! 731-277-5155 Give us a shout out from the dog house 

Also – Come by and see us at the Nursery! We are open today until 4pm and tomorrow 8-2! Fall is in the air! 

Fall is in at Carters!

Come on in to Carters Nursery and get what you need for your Garden and your Pond! We have Plants, Shrubs & Perennials! And all the cool season Pond treatments you need! Including cool season Koi Food! We’ve got stone by the pound and Sod by the piece! Plus cool hats, jeans, garden decor and gifts in our ’Unique Boutique’!


I’m looking forward to seeing ya’ on the air…

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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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

YouTube pg. –
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Facebook pg. – https://www.facebook.com/mark.carter.775

Pinterest pg. – https://www.pinterest.com/cartersnursery



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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Pond Tip Tuesday | Feed Your Koi Now To Pack On Some Pounds For Winter | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

These warm Summer nights are so nice! It’s a great time to get outside for more than one reason. First to enjoy the cooler part of your day and, to start “fattening up your Koi” for the coming cool season.

Evenings are a great time to feed your Koi. This time of the season is when I really start feeding heavily, they need to put on some fat to get them through the coming cool season.

I’m feeding Koi Food, Koi Snacks and fruit 🍉 as a treat. And they are gobbling it all up 😋

So, my Pond Tip for this week is – Get out there and enjoy your Ponds and feed your Fish like your fattening them for market.

I stock high quality, fresh Koi Food at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

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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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



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



Monday Morning Moment Of Zen | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

I love to start the week with a “Moment of Zen”… This new Waterfall and Pond has created that place to sit and unwind, relax and find that Zen’ that we all crave…  No more traffic noise! No more blank slate when you look through the garden gate… 
check it out 👇🏻



Here’s to a great week as we enter September! Fall 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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Pond Tip | Tuesday | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

Good Morning! 🌞 It’s late Summer and everything about our Ponds is flourishing. But  September comes next week, and with it cooler temps and Fall… That leads me to my Late Summer Pond/Koi Health Tip for the week – 

Your Koi, LOVE to eat! And it’s important that they go into Fall and Winter “Fat and Sassy”! That stored fat will last them till next Spring when the water warms back up to feed again. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio

Feed twice a day if you can now. Feed the growth formula Koi food and feed some fruits 🍉 and veggies that are higher in carbs. It will help them put on some much needed Fat for the coming cooler seasons. 

Koi LOVE snacks 😊 So make sure they start loading up now. It’s great insurance for the colder months to come! | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

Well folks there you have it. A great excuse to get out by the Pond even more 😎 Take a little snack for yourself as well… 

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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Facebook pg. – https://www.facebook.com/mark.carter.775

Pinterest pg. – https://www.pinterest.com/cartersnursery