In my hometown of Oviedo, Florida is a fun and exciting nursery. Not only does it have a wide variety of plants for commercial and every day gardeners, but it also offers a unique feature that other nurseries do not. A Butterfly Experience that explores various host plants, nectar plants, and habitats. The information given is very informative and encourage everyone from toddlers to adults on the importance.... and joy.... of growing a landscape for butterflies. Outside of butterfly gardening, Lukas Nursery has a lot to offer. The nursery is well organized with employees readily available to not only help locate plants in this vast nursery, but also help suggest plants for every day gardening needs. Employees who are in these roles are generally certified horticulturists. Meaning they know a thing or two about a thing or two. They are very helpful and very professional. Lukas Nursery has a wide variety of plants. From regular ornamentals to flowering annuals to a wide variety of edible plants... they have it all. When you first walk in you will find a pole barn like building that houses the customer service desk and the check out counters. Inside here you will also find fertilzers, soil ammendmends, seed starting kits, pesticides, and herbicides. To the left of this area is a "barn" in which they keep pots, bamboo stakes, and other decorative yard art. Around this area are loads and loads of pots. Decorative pots and fountain setups. These decorative pots can be quite pricey. But, they have pots that you cannot find anywhere else in the area. As you venture farther to the left of the entrance, you enter an area of normal ornamental landscaping plants. Plants like podacarpus, viburnums, crotons, and more. As you continue the joureny around the nursery you will eventually find yourself looking at the wide variety of fruit trees. Here you will see a wide variety of citrus such as several varieties of oranges, lemon, and lime. There will also be avacado, starfruit, olive tree, loquat, jabuticaba, mango, peach, pear, persimmon, moringa, blackberry, blueberry, grape, raspberry, and much more. There are not many places that rival the variety of fruiting trees that Lukas Nursery has to offer. Wrapping around from here, you will quickly arrive at several selection of shade trees. Further on you will end up at flowering bushes and eventually at a decent variety of roses. If you steer left, you will enter a massive green house that includes succulents and other tropical plants. Bypassing this you can venture right and see their selection of annuals just next to a decent selection of edible plants. Their edible plants come from the same growers as most big box stores. You can typically find varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, mint, spearmint, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, culantro, cilantro, spinach, lettuce, zuccini, squash, and much more. Between this area and the barn containing decorative pots you will find their "shade plants" area. Back to the orientation of the entrance, going towards the middle right you will find ground covers. Plants like society garlic, perennial peanut and other small clumping grasses. Further in are ornamental grasses such as fountain grass and muhly grass. A new addition to the back right corner is the Florida Native section. They procure most of these plants from my favorite nursery - Green Isle Gardens. So anything you buy in this native section was purchased wholesale from Green Isle Gardens. I have heard, however, that Lukas Nursery sprays and treats these native plants as soon as they arrive. This is a big turn off for me. Behind the native section is a lot of flowering vines. To the right of here is more shade trees that flower. Another area near here is flowering bushes. Closer to the parking area is the Butterfly Experience. All the plants near this building are supposedly pollinator plants. You will be emersed in the amount of plants in this area. Mostly non-native, but widely attractive flowering plants. Most of my dissapointment with this nursery is in this section. Here you will see invasive plants such as Mexican Petunias, invasive lantanas, invasive porterweeds, non-native pipevines, and much more. Although these plants do draw attention from pollinators, and butterflies, they are listed as invasive and therfore should not be sold....bought...planted.... or even encouraged.... in my opinion. Outside of Lukas Nursery's willingness to sell invasive plants, this is a decent nursery for those shopping for foodscape and native plants. I warn those who wish to buy plants for butterflies due to their unofficial tendency to spray their plants. Walking through Lukas Nursery really is a joy. I find it hard not to spend money here because they tend to have everything I want. Lukas does offer a warranty on all the plants they sell. They do offer contractor pricing but it does not come with a warranty. For me, the discount is not worth the void in warranty. For all you fellow vets out there Lukas will honor a 10% discount with military I.D. Another reason I shop there. Finally, Lukas offers a rewards program where you earn points towards future purchases based on previous purchases. For my landscaping business, this is big. Often times, this negates the contractor prices and still allows me to buy plants with warranty. That way I get some discount while being able to offer clients a warranty on their plants. If you ever get a chance, make sure you stop by Lukas Nursery in Oviedo, Fl and check out all they have to offer.

Today, I want to shed some light on the incredible world of composting – a simple yet impactful way to reduce waste, enrich your soil, and contribute to a healthier planet. Why Compost? Composting is not just a trend; it's a fundamental practice that benefits both the environment and your garden. By composting, you divert organic waste from landfills, where it serves only the purpose of assisting in the breakdown of household trash. Instead, you harness the power of nature to transform kitchen and garden scraps into nutrient-rich, humus-like compost that acts as a natural fertilizer for your plants. Getting Started 1.     Choose the Right Bin: To start composting, you need a designated compost bin. There are various options, including traditional bins, tumblers, and even DIY setups. The key is to choose one that suits your space and lifestyle. We compost in old trash cans. While this works for us, it may not work for everyone. Something as simple as a pile of yard waste, grass clippings from mowing, and kitchen scraps can easily become a compost bin. We also compost in storage bins that are on sale at Lowes or Home Depot. These storage bins turned compost bins serve more than one purpose. Not only do we compost in these bins, we also "grow" Black Soldier Fly Larvae in these bins. You see.... Black Soldier Flies are drawn to compost because their larvae feed on decomposing organic matter. In fact, they are essential in the rapid breakdown of organic matter. We use this to our advantage in two ways. One, we want compost, and we want it NOW. Two, Black Soldier Fly larvae are a protein rich source of food for our chickens. So, by composting in bins set up to harvest these larvae, we reap the benefits of both of these. If you'd like to see how we do this CLICK HERE 2.     What to Compost: The magic of composting lies in balancing the carbon and nitrogen ratios. In simple terms, combine "browns" (carbon-rich materials like dry leaves, straw, and shredded newspaper) with "greens" (nitrogen-rich materials like kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and coffee grounds). Avoid adding meat, dairy, and oily items, as they can attract pests. If you follow these rules, you will realize that almost anything (besides meat and dairy) can be added to your compost. We set aside table scraps every day that will be added to our compost. We also take cardboard and junk mail, shred it, and add that to compost. Adding meat and dairy tends to attract maggots. Unlike Black Soldier Fly Larvae, maggots can carry unwanted disease. 3.     Layering: Successful composting is all about layering. Start with a layer of browns, add a layer of greens, and repeat. This helps maintain the right balance and speeds up the decomposition process. I want to emphasize that this layering process does not have to be perfect. Your compost pile will generally tell you what it needs. If you are not seeing... and smelling.... the composting process, you are lacking in either brown or green additions. If you are seeing overly smelly, wet, and slimy compost you most likely do not have enough brows in your mix. On the other hand, if the pile is crumbly and dry then you probably need to add some greens. 4.     Aerate Regularly: Turning your compost regularly aerates the pile, providing essential oxygen to the microorganisms responsible for breaking down the materials. This helps prevent unpleasant odors and accelerates the composting process. However, if you have a good mix of browns and greens you will rarely need to turn your compost. Troubleshooting Common Issues 1.     Too Wet? Add Browns: If your compost is too wet and smelly, balance it out by adding more carbon-rich materials like dry leaves or shredded paper. 2.     Too Dry? Add Greens: Conversely, if your compost is too dry and not decomposing properly, introduce more nitrogen-rich materials, such as kitchen scraps or fresh green waste. 3.     Pest Problems? Cover and Mix: Cover your compost with a lid to deter pests, and make sure to mix it regularly to discourage their habitation. Using Your Compost After a few weeks to a few months, depending on factors like temperature and the size of your compost pile, you'll be rewarded with dark, crumbly compost – nature's black gold. You will know it’s ready because of its dark color and earthy smell. Use it to enrich your garden soil, as a mulch, or mix it with potting soil for container plants. You can get away with adding immature compost to your garden in a stretch. However, just know that it can be very "hot" for your plants. I only add immature compost to garden beds that I don't intend on planting for a few weeks. Remember, composting is a journey, not a destination. It's a continuous cycle that turns your waste into a valuable resource, creating a positive impact on the environment. So, let's compost away and contribute to reducing waste while benefiting your prized plants.  

So I created a fish feeder. Fish Feeder. Photo taken by FOL in The Serene Forest Check out the video to see all the details behind the build. The goal of this fish feeder was to try and attract more fish to our backyard canal. We are in Central Florida and our canal feeds into the St. John's River. Unfortunately, our canal suffers from having wash out from culverts and creeks from other properties that bring in sand and other sediment. This sand and sediment have led to a build up near the mouth of the canal that restricts waterflow to and from the river. With the restriction of waterflow, we have some serious stagnant water in the canal. It also means that we suffer some serious water level shifts. When the water in the canal is shallow, it is not easily replaced by the higher level of water in the St John's River. When the water is shallow, we really only see tilapia in our canal. While tilapia is definitely a food source, they aren't the healthiest food source. While many fish are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, tilapia tend to be more rich in Omega 6 fatty acids. What's the difference? Omega 3 fatty acids are good for the cardiovascular system and reduce inflammation. Omega 6 fatty acids on the other hand, can actually cause the opposite. Meaning they have little benefit on the cardiovascular system and may increase inflammation. So, while we see tilapia in the canal already.... We really want to target other species of fish for harvesting as a food source. What I'd really like to see is an abundance of catfish. Not only are catfish healthier than tilapia (although not the healthiest fish either), but they can also be passively caught a lot easier than other Florida freshwater fish. Ideally, fishing in this canal would be done passively. That means I don't have to be nearby to catch fish. I don't have to be casting a line out and retrieving it like I would for traditional fish like bass, crappie / speck, or other panfish. Catfish have been caught by trot lines or bush hooks for a very long time. Putting out a trot line is simple and has more of a "set and forget" type style. In order to attract a more diverse aquatic wildlife to our canal, I am attempting to feed the area with floating fish food. My hope is that the fish food will not only attract the targeted fish for harvest, but that it will attract the smaller minnows and bait fish that will ... in turn... attract the larger fish I want to harvest. Another potential protein rich animal that may be attracted is the soft-shelled turtle. These turtles are more carnivorous than other turtles. They can also get very large. Unfortunately, they are currently illegal to harvest in Florida. It seems that there is a disease spreading that affects this particular species. The FWC has prohibited the harvest of soft-shelled turtles indefinitely. To wrap things up.... I have made a video that shows my first fish feeder design. It cost around $30 at Lowes. It is simple. It is portable. It can be used for feeding more than just fish. There are some things I can improve which I discuss in the video. Hope you enjoy and comment below to keep the conversation going.