We've hit our second real warm spell of the year, which means it's a perfect time for weeding. This morning I got out to the gardens just before 5:00 a.m. just as it was getting light and still relatively cool. I then used my long handled "Cobra head" tool to weed the strawberries and the asparagus. I loosen the soil with the tool and then reach down and pick the weeds out. I lay them out on the ground and they quickly whither and die in the hot sun. It's important to get all the dirt knocked off the roots or they'll find a way to live.
I also took the remaining hay on the field and gathered it with a fork to mulch the blackberries. We have two kinds of blackberries--thorned and thornless. From what I can tell, the thorned berries are more like rasberries, and tend to grow canes in the air around a clump. We saw the local amish holding their berries up with tomato cages, so we decided to give this a try in lieu of a more sophisticated trellis. My biggest concern is how I'll get the old canes cut out each year. It's going to be a bit tricky getting them cut off at the ground and pulled out of the clump, but we'll try it. With that caveat, they look very nice and are flowering and some have some well-developed berries. I transplanted some suckers from these plants this spring and they seem to have survived pretty well. I was finally able to mulch them today.
In addition to the traditional thorned berries, I got 7 thornless plants from a local farmer. I think all but one survived. In looking at his plants and researching online, it looks like these will grow much longer canes--more like grape vines, so I'm going to have to put up a more permanent trellis for them. I'm guessing I'll have to do that next spring, but I guess I have to see how much growth we get out of them this year.
This week I got three grape vines in the mail. Last year we planted 6 and only 3 made it. My best guess is that I didn't cover them adequately this winter, although they didn't look real great last summer. I will be able to keep them better watered this year.
Finally, I weeded the asparagus again. I think this is the 3rd time already this year. Overall, we're keeping well ahead of the weeds and the quack grass doesn't seem to be a huge problem. I use the tiller to cover most of the area between the rows and then use the cobra tool to weed in between the plants themselves. I think they're doing really well and can't wait for year 3 so we can start harvesting.
 |
| Weeded asparagus |
 |
| Asparagus bed |
 |
| Thorned blackberries on right and thornless on left with hay mulch |
 |
| Transplanted blackberry |
 |
| Thorned blackberry with mulch and cages |
 |
| Berries forming |
 |
| Sweetcorn |
 |
| Potato popping through mulch |
 |
| Weeded strawberry "runner bed" |
 |
| Strawberry bed on plastic |
 |
| Strawberries |
 |
| Yes, we have lot of rocks |
 |
| 2nd year grape vine climbing "corn crib" trellis |
Craig,
ReplyDeleteThose thorned blackberries in the tomatoe cages look like they are doing great. Here in SC they grow wild everywhere. I take my girls for a walk and pick them. I was just wondering about how one might grow them in a more controlled manner. I'll be interested in the quality of your berries. When they grow wild, it doesn't seem like very many of the berries become plump and juicy--too many small ones.
I hope it works out for you.
Regards,
Jim
I think, Jim, it's because of the domestic breeding of these berries. We actually have a lot of wild blackberries in our woods, but they never produce the way the tamed versions do. Now, I suppose there are a lot of factors that come into play, such as increased competition for space, light, water, and nutrients for those bushes growing in the wild. But, all things being equal, the domestic will always produce better. We are on the northern fringe of where blackberries will grow, so I had to limit myself to the handful of zone 4 varieties available. I'll post some updates on the crop once the berries ripen.
ReplyDeleteCraig,
ReplyDeleteOne other question is about the strawberries. I noticed you are employing both methods (plastic bed and non-platic bed---for runners). Are you doing the runner bed specifically to re-produce for the following years (of course I know you aren't going to turn down the extra berries either). If yes, then how will you handle the reproductive runners (leave them to root in the gound and overwinter there? Transplant them in containers? etc.)
Also, will you be clipping the runners off the platic bed area for the purpose of encouraging stawberry production? Is this your reason for employing both methods (one for strawberry production and one for plant reproduction?)
BTW, I really appreciate the focus of your blog. It differentiates itself from Kevin's in such a way to make the both of them complementary. The videos and pictures really enhance the experience.
Thanks for making the extra effort to offer this.
Blessings to you and your family,
Jim
You are very welcome, Jim. I created this blog primarily as a way for me to keep a journal of what I'm doing and to share my own experiences--both good and bad. If others are able to get something from my tricks and failures, all the better.
ReplyDeleteRegarding strawberries, my intention has been to cut off the runners growing out of the main plans on the plastic, but so far I just haven't found the time to do that. I haven't been using this method enough to know if it makes a difference, but I suspect it has to make some difference, particularly if water is scarce. For now, I'm just going to let them wither on the plastic, since I have enough other berries to keep me going. The plants that we put in plastic this spring should be very productive next year and probably for a year--maybe two--after that. Plastic solves the biggest nemesis to strawberry production--weeds.
As for the other bed without plastic, I will likely leave them in the bed until the spring, and then transplant them. My reasoning for that will be twofold. First, it will enable them to establish really nice roots before I move them. Second, I don't really have a spot to put next year's berries yet. I will likely start a new patch next spring in a different part of the garden, such as where I have potatoes this year. If I was really anxious to get berries off of them next year, I would consider moving them yet this late summer, as they could then get nice and established over the fall and be ready to go in the spring without the shock of transplanting. The other advantage to moving them yet this year is the "runner bed" can keep ahead of the weeds. I'm probably going to be able to weed the bed one more time, but it's already getting so tangled with runners that it's almost impossible to hoe it, so now the weeds will have free reign.
I've never tried berries on plastic on this scale before, so it's a bit of a learning process. I might move a few of the runners this fall and some in the spring and just compare how they do.
The plants that we have for runners are producing some berries, but they are fairly small and don't amount to much. I probably should just clip the blossoms as they form, but it's just another step that I don't currently have time for. Because we have the space, we're able to make up for that in sheer volume.