Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunsets, Videos, Waterfalls | Tags: Bonfire, Burning Leaves, Custom Fire Pit, Fire, Fire Feature, Fire Pit, Fire Pit Zen, Fire pits, Fire Video, Fireplace, Leaves, Lifestyle Video, Moment of Zen, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, Roaring Fire, Zen Fire, Zen Video
Yesterday was the first day of Daylight Savings… We “Sprang Forward”… SO, we got out and cleaned up the landscape a bit, raked leaves & had a nice bonfire that we used to control burn the leafs over the evening. I stayed out till after dark watching the fire till it all burned out. Watching a fire burn is very similar to watching a waterfall in my opinion. It almost hypnotizes you! Its quiet and relaxing too, very… Zen!
That’s why I have a fire-pit! I just love to sit out with friends and family by a nice fire 🔥
A fire pit is a great way to enjoy the evening and watch the sun go down! Yesterday it helped get rid of some fall leaves too 🍁
Have a great day!
Mark Carter
Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, TN 38305
731-424-2206
www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles | Tags: Amended Topsoil, Compost, Compost Tea, Composted Manure, Composting, Food, Free Compost, Gardening Ideas, Grass Clippings, Leaves, Natural Resources, Organic, Organic Gardening, Permaculture, Soil Amendments, Starting a compost pile, Vegetable Scraps, Vernicompost
I have been asked a few times on the radio lately about composting, so I went back in the archives and pulled this up. This was 1st published 10 years ago – To the day! 💥
A big blowing storm is coming thru tonight, ie; A leaf stripper! 🍂 Plenty to get ya’ started😉
“Fall is one of my Favorite seasons! Cooler weather, fall planting and gardening and all the great family gatherings and food are wonderful. Fall is also a GREAT time to start a compost pile. All those leaves, plants and grasses to cut back and all of the upcoming holiday food scraps add up too a great supply of usable components in a compost pile!
Starting a Compost pile is quick , easy and won’t cost you anything to get started! Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and soil amendments and you can use it instead of chemical fertilizers. Compost improves soil structure, texture and increases the soil’s water-holding capacity. Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils to retain water. The organic matter in compost provides food for microorganisms, which in turn keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are produced naturally by the feeding of microorganisms, so few if any soil amendments will need to be added.
Once the process is complete you can use this free resource as mulch, soil amendments, top dressing for your lawn, to make compost tea for veggies & more. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee
It’s easy to get started .
-Bag your grass clippings and mulch up all those leaves for the compost pile!
-Save those kitchen scraps and add them to the compost pile. Kitchen scraps are typically high in nitrogen, which helps heat up the compost pile and speed up the composting process. Egg shells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peels and scraps are good candidates for the compost pie. But DON’T add meat, grease or other animal products!
– With a compost pile, bigger is often better. Heat builds up with a bigger pile, but you don’t want to get much bigger than about 3 feet by 3 feet, if it’s too big it can be hard to work around. Multiple piles may be in order .
– Aerate your compost! If you are composting with a pile, or in a static (non-tumbling) compost bin, be sure to mix up the contents so that the pile gets oxygen and can break down effectively. Insert a few pvc pipes to get oxygen to the core and Turn it with a pitch fork from time to time .
– Don’t let the compost completely dry out. A compost pile needs moisture to keep the composting process active , BUT , don’t keep it too wet.
– Too much of any one material will slow down the composting process. If you have all leaves, all grass clippings or an overload of any other single type of material, it can throw off the balance of the pile. It’s best to keep a balanced mix of green (nitrogen) and brown (carbon) materials.
When ready, this compost will be wonderful for the whole garden!
Good Luck and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!”
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, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles | Tags: Autumn Color, Bald Cypress, Black Gum, Dogwood, Fall Color, Fall Planting, Ginkgo biloba, Japanese Maple, Leaves, Native Trees, Natural Beauty, Nature Photo's, Plant A Tree, Red Maple, Sassafras, Sourwood, Sugar Maple, Trees, White Oak
This came up yesterday on the radio – So here ya go…
“We’ve been talking a lot about fall color around the nursery, on the radio and on this blog. Have you been getting out to see it and experience it… I hope you have been and are still doing just that! 😊 Here’s the color map –
https://smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/
I have had SO MANY questions the last couple of weeks about my favorite trees to plant for Fall color and what I would recommend to plant in people’s Landscapes. So here is a short list of some of my favorite trees that do well here in West Tennessee.“
Mark’s Top Ten Trees for Fall Color –
- Red Maple – Acer rubrum
One of our best trees for Fall Color.
- Sugar Maple – Acer saccharum
Wonderful Color + the BEST Syrup ever😜
- Balled Cypress – Taxodium distichum
Such a unique tree! Bald Cypress are very underutilized for their seasonal interest. They are such a beautiful tree. Interesting fact : The Bald Cypress is a deciduous conifer.
- Dogwoods – Cornus florida
Everyone thinks of spring with the Dogwood tree blossoms, BUT – They are beautiful in the fall with their red tinged leaves and shiny red seeds.
- Sassafrass – Sassafras albidum
One of my favorite trees for several reasons! But the biggie is the breathtaking Fall Color! | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
- Ginko – Ginkgo biloba
A “Living Fossil” – This unique tree ‘WOW’S’ in the Fall!
- Crepe Myrtle – Lagerstroemia
Not only does this ornamental tree bring outstanding Spring & Summer interest, they also bring eye popping color every Fall!
- Black Gum – Nyssa sylvatica
The Black Gum or Tupelo Gum tree is one of my favorite natives!
- White Oak – Quercus alba
Big native shade tree with striking, deep crimson/red Fall color.
- Sourwood – Oxydendrum arboreum
A very unique native tree, really shows out in the Fall!
Mark CarterCarter’s Nursery, Pond & PatioPh.# 731-424-2206YouTube pg. –
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Autumn Poem, Daylight Savings Time, Fall, Fall Beauty, Fall Color, Fall Day, Fall Foliage, Fall is Here, Fall Morning, fall poem, Frosty Morning, Leaves, Poet, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Reflections, Sunday with Family
The leaves have been coming down like rain the last couple of days. It’s beautiful to watch. Add to that the 4 strait nights of freezing temps … November has made itself known 😊 Thanksgiving is coming!
Many trees are at peak color and the leaves are raining down when the wind blows…
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles | Tags: Compost, Compost Tea, Composted Manure, Composting, Fall Cleanup, Fall Gardening, Free Compost, Gardening, gardening 101, Gardening Ideas, Grass Clippings, Kitchen Scraps, Leaves, Organic Gardening, Permaculture, Vernicompost
We had a few calls on the radio show (The 180) Yesterday about HOW- TO start a compost pile. Here is a little info to help get you started –
This is the perfect time to start composting! You can make your own compost from the leaves, grass clippings and organic waste you already have to dispose of!
Fall is A great time to start composting. All those leaves, plants and grasses to cut back and all of the upcoming holiday food scraps add up too a great supply of usable components in a compost pile!
Starting a Compost pile is quick , easy and won’t cost you anything to get started! Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and soil amendments and its natural! Plus you can use it instead of chemical fertilizers. Compost improves soil structure, texture and increases the soil’s water-holding capacity. Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils to retain water. The organic matter in compost provides food for microorganisms, which in turn keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are produced naturally by the feeding of microorganisms, so few if any soil amendments will need to be added.
-Bag your grass clippings and mulch up all those leaves for the compost pile!
-Save your kitchen scraps and add them to the compost pile. Kitchen scraps are typically high in nitrogen, which helps heat up the compost pile and speed up the composting process. Egg shells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peels and scraps are good candidates for the compost pie. But DON’T add meat, grease or other animal products!
– With a compost pile, bigger is often better. Heat builds up with a bigger pile, but you don’t want to get much bigger than about 3 feet by 3 feet, if it’s too big it can be hard to work around. Multiple piles may be in order .
– Aerate your compost! If you are composting with a pile, or in a static (non-tumbling) compost bin, be sure to mix up the contents so that the pile gets oxygen and can break down effectively. Insert a few pvc pipes to get oxygen to the core and Turn it with a pitch fork from time to time .
– Don’t let the compost completely dry out. A compost pile needs moisture to keep the composting process active , BUT , don’t keep it too wet.
– Too much of any one material will slow down the composting process. If you have all leaves, all grass clippings or an overload of any other single type of material, it can throw off the balance of the pile. It’s best to keep a balanced mix of green (nitrogen) and brown (carbon) materials.
Once the process is complete you can use this free resource as mulch, soil amendments, top dressing for your lawn, to make compost tea for veggies & more. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
Good Luck and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
– Mark Carter
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph# 731-424-2206
www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Fall and Winter Water Garden Care, Fall Foliage, Fall maintenance, Fall Pond Cleaning, Fall Pond Tips, Leaf Control, Leaf Dam., Leaves, Maintenance Tips, Pond Tips, Preventative Maintenance, Waterfall Leak
The color change is happening in earnest now! The leaves 🍁 are golden, orange and red & so beautiful to see 😊 But soon, they will all fall, and that’s when we have to watch for the dreaded “Leaf Dams” that accompany Fall!
Falling leaves can pile up quick! Sometimes they can cause a dam & divert the water over the edge of the stream or waterfall and cause a leak! Keeping up with leaf cleanup as you move through the season can prevent this problem. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee
So my ‘Pond Maintenance Tip’ is to keep your streams and waterfalls clear of fallen leaves and debris. This preventative maintenance, will save you later on down the road 😊
Have a Great Weekend!
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Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Autumn, Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Autumn Poem, Beautiful Day, Changing Seasons, Colorful Foliage, Enjoy The Day, Fall, Fall Beauty, Fall Color, Get Outside, Halloween, Leaves, Native Trees, Natural Beauty, Nature, Nature Photo's, Seasonal Interest, Sunday, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Reflections, Sunday with Family, Sundays, The Seasons, Time flies
The color is really changing in the landscape now. The Maples and Dogwoods are at peak. I try to keep my eye on the changing colors every Fall. It’s such a beautiful time of the year 🍁 But, blink and you’ll miss something. You just gotta get out there to enjoy it 😊
Fall color is here today, gone tomorrow… Get out and see it now 😊
”In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November.”
~ Rose G. Kingsley
Have a Happy Day!
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