Life Lived Outside - The Kerby's E-Newsletter

Life Lived Outside
The Kerby's Nursery E-Newsletter
February 13, 2020

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A Bike for your Birthday
by Joey Bokor

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Do you have a funny birthday memory? You know, a birthday that sticks out in your mind because it was fun, silly or just memorable in some way? Today is my birthday and I've been thinking over the last 43 years of birthdays. There are some great ones and some that I don't really remember. But there is this one year, when I was in fifth grade that always sticks out in my mind and it has to do with one of my first bikes.

During elementary school, I inherited a bike from some older family friends. The picture above is of one of them attempting to help me ride on a bike that is just way too big for me. And as much as I love the color blue, I'm just not thinking it is really my shade. My parents must have thought the same thing, because their plan was to get me a bike for my birthday.

And their plan was to try to surprise me with it. But bikes are big and cumbersome, right. How do you wrap them up, where do you put them so that they won't be seen? Lots of challenges. Their idea was to put the user manual for my new bike in a place where I would see it first thing in the morning: the piano. I've told you before about how I have always been an early riser and that doing my piano practice was one of the tasks used to keep me from being bored early in the morning when no one else was up.

On the morning of this particular birthday, I followed my typical routine. I got up and headed to the piano to start my practice. Being a devoted student, I didn't even notice that there was a bike manual on the piano stand. I picked up what was there, laid it to the side, grabbed my Suzuki Piano book and started playing. I can only imagine what my parents were thinking. I know I'd be waiting to hear my kids squeal with delight or holler with excitement. Nope, I just started in on my next sonata.

Pretty soon my dad came out and asked me 'Did you see what was on the piano?' I think I responded with something like 'Dad, I'm right in the middle of the song.' And then he asked again, 'No, did you really look at what was on the piano.' And I glanced down and said, 'a booklet about a bike.' It still took some back and forth for me to realize that the new bike was my birthday present. Not so quick on the uptake, but I did get it eventually and was quite thrilled to turn over the blue bike to my sister and jump on my new bike.

I hope that you have some birthday memories that make you laugh, even if it is a little at yourself. And we are all set to make some new birthday memories this year. Not for me, but for Kerby's Nursery. This year is our 40th Birthday and we'll kick it off with a birthday party on Saturday, March 7th. It all starts at 9:30am with the unveiling of the Butterfly Mural and then on every hour from 10 to 4, there will be a 20-minute seminar featuring some of your favorite gardening topics. And to make it interesting, at 40 past the hour from 9 to 5, we'll be giving away a $40 gift card to a lucky customer in the store. See the schedule of fun on our website.

And of course, I haven't forgotten about your gardens. Starting the second week of March in this newsletter, I'll feature the Kerby's stories and garden pictures that have been sent in to us. I still need a few more stories and pictures to get to 40 and to offer a little encouragement, if your garden is featured, I'll send you a $40 gift card so that you can make your garden even more beautiful. So, send your garden pictures or story about Kerby's to admin@kerbysnursery.com. We look forward to a great year together and sharing your amazing gardens with the Kerby's Community.

Happy Gardening,
The Kerby's Nursery Family

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The Weekly Special
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Starting Veggies from Seed

1) Plant at the correct depth - This is the most important part of planting seeds. A general rule of thumb is that small seeds should be planted shallow (a quarter of an inch under the soil) and large seeds should be planted deep (around an inch under the soil). Each seed packet will tell you the depth that particular seed variety should be planted at. Follow it. Seeds that want to be shallow won't have the energy to reach sunlight if they are planted too deep. Seeds that want to be deeper will emerge too quickly and won't be strong enough to stay upright if they are planted too shallow.

2) Start Seeds in Pots or Trays - Some seeds, like lettuce, spinach, radishes and carrots are easier to start right in garden beds. But some veggies like collards, broccoli, tomatoes and peppers are easier to start in individual pots or trays. We like to use old egg cartons with holes poked in them as our seed-starting trays. This allows you to start a number of seeds and then select the strongest plants for your garden. When starting seeds in pots or trays, use a very light soil. Mix a little perlite or vermiculite into your garden soil to lighten it, or use a mix designed specifically for seeds. A dense, heavy soil can be tough for a little seedling to push through.

3) Water seeds properly - Seeds don't need a whole lot to get started. A little sunlight and moderate moisture is all that they require. Avoid over-saturating the soil that you are starting seeds in, as this can lead to disease issues and poor growth of seedlings. As seedlings grow larger, increase the amount of water they receive.

4) Transplant - The first set of leaves that emerge are called seed-leaves. The second set will be the true leaves. Once the true leaves have emerged, your new seedlings should be ready for transplant. Don't let them stay in little trays too long or they will get rootbound.

5) Have Fun - Seeds are a great way to start heirloom varieties that are hard to find as starter plants and it is the best way to start large beds of lettuce, spinach and other greens. So experiment a little, find a variety and challenge yourself to have your best harvests ever.

New Arrivals
Native Swamp Milkweed Get ready for the Monarchs 6" Pot - $7.99	Sweetheart Hoya Tell your Valentine that you ♥ them	Caladium Bulbs Lots of Varieties per Bulb - $1.49