Just Fruits
       & Exotics
Beyond the Pail Shout Out
The Consistantly Erratic Newsletter

TRIBAL NOTES
Hey, who ordered an early spring! I assure you it wasn't me. These warm breezy days have us in high gear mode getting the final winter tasks done. It's the timly time to fertilize the orchard so we're busy with that task. 

We are giving all the fruit trees, flowers and trees a healthy dose of organic fertilzer, manure and mulch, this combo insures they all get a great start and stops the weeds before they start. This year we're doing a study of  Fertrell verses Espoma organic fertilzers. Fertrell is a brand of organic fertilzer we're now carrying that the commercial organic farmers use. We'll keep you posted...

We're seeing a lot of folks in the retail nursery, the warm weather is a driving force to want to get something in the ground. 

The supplies of fruit trees are still good. We've got a good stock of old heirloom fruits that work well for people want to grow their fruit organically Col Littman's Black Cross fig, Golden Boy pear, Wacissa mulberries, Gainey Sweet pomegranates and Roddenberry Peach are just a few... 

We're working on the spring tomato and pepper crop, they should be ready by February for the early bird gardeners. We'll have a fantasic collection of old heirlooms and are working on a grafted crop, yes I said GRAFTED CROP OF TOMATOES that will be ready in mid March. Many organic tomato growers graft their heirloom  tomato varieties on to disease resistant root stocks to insure vigour and beat some of the pesky pests like nematodes, Fusarium Wilt and Verticillium Wilt. We hope to offer this service in the future on all the varieties we grow, 

 ATTEND a WORKSHOP
or MORNING ORCHARD WALK

One of my favorite quotes is "a voyage of a thousand miles begins with the first step". If you love to garden, and want to learn to be successful at it then come spend some time with us at one of our winter workshops. We’ll help demystify the process of getting food from earth, and teach you some of the tricks of the gardening trade.

MORNING ORCHARD WALKS...Thinking about starting an orchard? What better way to start then by spending some time in one. Every Sunday morning at 10:00 weather permitting and we don't have a workshop in progress we'll have a "Morning Orchard Walk". This is a part guided tour part wandering walk through our orchard. It's a chance see the yearly progression of the life of a fruit tree.  We'll talk about what tasks we're doing, look for beneficial insects, and taste fruit. Along the way we'll answer questions you have on growing your fruit trees and show you what's working for us.. To get in on the fun you'll need to email justfruits@hotmail.com for a spot.

 EDIBLE LANDSCAPING
"A TASTY ALTERNATIVE"
For people with small yards, edible landscaping is a great way to have your beautiful garden, and eat it too. Can’t you see yourself now, walking out your door to pick some strawberries from the edging along a bed of mixed spicy greens like arugula, Bright- Lights chard and homegrown spinach? And looking up to admire a vibrant peach tree loaded with the promise of a bountiful harvest of juicy sweet fruit. 

The truth is that if you love good food, and you’ve got even a small plot and a little sun, you can grow and harvest better food than you can buy at the grocery store. So where to begin? First, don’t be afraid of experimenting. . It’s how we learn, and that’s what makes gardening fun and challenging. Make a list of all the fruits and veggies you love to eat,  READ COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE


PUT SOME SPICE INTO YOUR LANDSCAPE

 HEDGES, Looking for a fruitful way to solve an unsightly veiw? Try olive trees, pineapple guava, loquats or citrus trees.

GROUNDCOVERS Creeping herbs like oregano, mints and thyme and strawberries are beautiful in flower as well as fruit.

SPECIMEN TREES Nothing is more colorful and showy as a tree of ripe persimmons or oranges. For fragrant beauty try pear or apple in full bloom.

FRUITING VINES Looking to cover an old unsightly fence? Kiwi or muscadine grapes are fast growers and usually fruit in a couple of years.

LOCAL VEGGIES RULE!!
We’d like folks to know that we grow our own vegetable plants. You won’t find a Bonnie’s shipped-in plant around here. Our collection is a mix of University of Florida recommend varieties, and heirloom non-GMO varieties.

We do unusual cell packs like kohlrabi, artichoke and off beat asian greens so you can plant just a few and explore a new taste. Lettuce is a passion of ours so you’ll find usually up to 10 varieties on the benches. We trial many varieties in our gardens so we’ll have local knowledge on what and when to plant as well how to grow them. We’re good at helping you get success

THE JF STRAWBERRIES crop is grown and ready to go.This year’s crop includes Sweet Charlie and Camerosa, two super 

sweet varieties that grow and fruit reliably in the deep south. 4 inch plants at nursery for $1.49 each. You know you need some....

 


SAVE IN THE SALE AREA 

Make sure you stop off at the sales area on your next visit as there is always some good deals to be found.

This weeks collection includes

CITRUS  $19.99 many varieties to choose from....

MYSTERY FIGS $9.99 These are ones that have lost their name tags, all great varieties just a mystery as to what they are....


50% off selected perennials, cell pack veggies and ornamentals.

 


WINTER WORKSHOPS

 Sunday February 10th 10:00 to 11:30

EDIBLE LANDSCAPING
with Betsy Smith

Turn your yard into an edible food lovers paradise. Betsy Smith is a talented landscape designer, well practiced in the art of edible landscaping. She’ll talk about how to create a funtional landscape; what fruits make good hedges, specimen trees and ground covers, as well as how to incorporate edibles into your existing landscape.

Free, no class size limit.Please call 926-5644 to let us know you are coming. Class held indoors if rainy.

SUNDAY MORNING ORCHARD WALK
Every Sunday morning at 10:00 weather permitting and we don't have a work shop in progress we'll have a "Morning Orchard Walk". This is a part guided tour part wandering walk through our orchards. It's a chance to see the yearly progression of the life of a fruit tree.  We'll talk about what tasks we're doing, look for beneficial insects, taste fruit. In general we'll answer questions and help you get close and personal with a fruit tree.. To get in on the fun you'll need to email justfruits@hotmail.com for a spot.

VISIT THE GARDENSHOP

*Botanical Interest Seed

*Seed Starting Supplies

*Organic Fertilzers and Pest Solutions

*Red, Yellow and White Onion Sets

*Microsprinkler Irrigation

Just Fruits and Exotics
30 St. Frances St Crawfordville Fl 32327

OPEN Wednesday through Sunday 9:05 to 5:08

Phone: (850) 926-5644

Email justfruits@hotmail.com

ON THE WEB AT

www.justfruitsandexotics.com