Gardeners of AW, unite

shakeysix said:

I grow great peaches, apricots and strawberries so we can partner them with fresh yogurt but now I want to try raspberries. I have a friend who grows them and then makes a syrup to pour over shaved ice--very yummy on a 100* July day. They are floppy and gnarly with stickers but there my yard is big and I do have a place for them--any one else do raspberries? Any advice? --s6

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IMO Raspberries should ideally be planted either between two logs or with a layer of big gravel around their bases, or both. Otherwise they get grass or weeds all around the bases, and the bugs climb up those to nibble on the fruit, not to mention hopping from the grass to your legs when you are picking raspberries. In my area they actually need irrigation from berrying time through the end of summer - the red ones in particular die off if they are dry in late summer. They are definitely not discouraged by watering; by watering a bare patch within a foot of a plant you will be almost guaranteed to get a new cane there next year. What you have to do to prevent invasion is just cut off at the ground any cane that comes up outside your designated area. Also try not to plant them near any underground water pipes or wires or anything. We've got some in a sewer where no one can get at them to cut them down... *sigh*

@harmonyisarine I personally have not had any trouble transplanting black raspberries unless they try to grow in a crevice between big rocks or intertwined with the roots of a bigger plant. As with roses the two key tactics are to dig deep and wide around the taproot and to water thoroughly for at least a month after transplant. Also it's best not to transplant when the weather is hot and dry.

blacbird said:

Regular peas, to be shelled, or snap peas or snow peas? I never grow shell peas anymore; my mom used to grow them, and I got the joy of shelling them endlessly on summer afternoons. They were great to eat, though.

But with the arrival of the snap pea in the 1970s, that all changed for a lot of gardeners. Much more great food with much less work. I grow snap peas and snow peas every year. Not quite ready to start them in my climatic zone, but in a week or ten days, they go.

caw

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Regular peas PLUS snow peas! I'm a pea queen!

(I wouldn't want to spend my life shelling peas, but I find it really satisfying to do it as a sort of social activity - invite some friends over, have some wine, shell some peas for dinner, try not to eat all the delicious little nuggets before we get around to steaming them... fun! Probably three times a year. More than that? Yeah, those bad boys come pre-shelled and frozen, and they're nearly as good.)

sunandshadow said:

@harmonyisarine I personally have not had any trouble transplanting black raspberries unless they try to grow in a crevice between big rocks or intertwined with the roots of a bigger plant. As with roses the two key tactics are to dig deep and wide around the taproot and to water thoroughly for at least a month after transplant. Also it's best not to transplant when the weather is hot and dry.

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That is good to know! I asked around to some farms before transplanting and none of them had ever had success with black raspberries being moved. I'll try this method for the next bunch we have to move. And by "I'll try" I mean that I'll stand a safe twenty feet away and yell at my helpers to do it... But they like the berries too, so I probably can convince them.

harmonyisarine said:

That is good to know! I asked around to some farms before transplanting and none of them had ever had success with black raspberries being moved. I'll try this method for the next bunch we have to move. And by "I'll try" I mean that I'll stand a safe twenty feet away and yell at my helpers to do it... But they like the berries too, so I probably can convince them.

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Good luck! Rainy spring weather is ideal for transplanting most trees and bushes once you can be sure there won't be any lows below about 40 F. (This mainly applies to zones 4-7.) For a 1st year raspberry you are going to want your helpers to dig at least a foot into the ground to get the roots. For an older plant it's going to be at least 1 1/2 feet. If you have to transport them in a car, put the root ball into a plastic bag to keep the moisture and dirt in. If just carrying them across the yard, dig the receiving hole before digging the plant. For all transplanting, dig the hole bigger then necessary and fill the bottom and part of the sides with loose rich moist dirt, then nestle the plant down into this "couch" and fill around the sides with more good dirt.

harmonyisarine said:

CoffeeBeans, thanks! Looked it up and we're somewhere between 5b and 6b (there's a little finger of 5b and we're right on the border), so I'm far less worried that I somehow killed the poor things.

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Asparagus update - after a week of amazing warm weather and gentle rains, I saw the first sign of life from the asparagus. It's not much, but it is proof of life at least.

So, in 6b, with a good run of sunshine, the asparagus just broke ground.

The rhubarb, however, it happy to grow like crazy. I now must find people who want to eat rhubarb.

Garden sent out the first email. Got approved for my own bed, and my little experimental bed (the rhubarb and asparagus bed). Clean up is schedule for the 25th... Considering it's 70 here right now, I want to plant everything. Right. Now.

First plants are popping up. Snijbiet... Uhm.. Chard! My favourite. Sow once, eat all season...

Got the raised beds on the side of my house rebuilt. I want to plant veggies in there so I asked the guy to use cedar instead of pressure-treated lumber. Yikes.

6x6 cedar posts are not cheap! I mean, I knew it going in, and I'm pleased with how the project turned out, but... this is Canada! Land of lumber production! And it's just stupid cedar - they grow like weeds!

I'm gonna have to grow a LOT of veggies to make up for the cost of that cedar. That's all I'm saying.

I was out of my house for ten weeks last summer for a renovation. We moved in the week that school started so my raised bed garden --the one in my avatar-- was neglected all summer. Bermuda grass broke through the special super strong plastic mulch that the garden center assured me would never give way. The strawberries changed sides and joined up with the grass. The chicken wire fencing broke down. This is a mess that I am too old to take on by myself. It is a simple formula: For every 50$ I save by doing it myself I pay my chiropractor 125$.

I talked with my yard guy and it is going to be expensive even without a lot of frills. Esai, the yard guy, wanted to do a solar fountain and I was all for it, until we figured the cost. I am about to retire and I don't want any debts hanging over my head. On the other hand I do spend a lot of time in that garden. And I planned to harvest carrots, beans, eggplant, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes from that garden, to help with groceries. --s6

Any neighbourhood kids you could hire, Shakey? They need a lot more supervision than adult workers, but they're cheap and I find I don't mind supervising too much when I have a glass of wine in my hand and am directing from my deck chair...

Esai is a neighborhood kid. He is twenty now but has been mowing my lawn for years. The thing is, the town is so small that I would have to pay gas mileage to any one else to do the work. If I buy an appliance from Lowe's or Home Depot I have to pay mileage to have it installed. And Esai isn't overcharging. This is a lot of work. If I had been there to Round Up the weeds and grass they would never have taken over but I was thirty miles away and busy with wallpapering, painting, sanding. I put in the black plastic weed barrier myself. At the time I had my doubts. Bermuda is a member of the Triffid family!--s6

Bought some plants and way more seeds from the Amish store on Friday. Planted the frost resistant seeds and plants outside and put the rest in starter pots inside. We've decided to front our new porch with cheap lattice covered in passionflower and climbing black eyed susans. I'll still need some more plants, but for once I'm ahead of the curve. I also need a second raised bed, but that'll be a few weeks.

sunandshadow said:

Good luck! Rainy spring weather is ideal for transplanting most trees and bushes once you can be sure there won't be any lows below about 40 F. (This mainly applies to zones 4-7.) For a 1st year raspberry you are going to want your helpers to dig at least a foot into the ground to get the roots. For an older plant it's going to be at least 1 1/2 feet. If you have to transport them in a car, put the root ball into a plastic bag to keep the moisture and dirt in. If just carrying them across the yard, dig the receiving hole before digging the plant. For all transplanting, dig the hole bigger then necessary and fill the bottom and part of the sides with loose rich moist dirt, then nestle the plant down into this "couch" and fill around the sides with more good dirt.

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They are going from my red and gold raspberry patch to the black raspberry patch only fifteen feet away or so, but I'll make sure to prep the ground while they're sorting through the canes in the other patch. We still have at least a couple weeks before our freeze risk is gone, but I don't mind if it impacts this year's harvest. Another patch finally recovered from a several-year bout of orange rust and I've never seen raspberries so happy, so I'm betting I'll get buckets from that one.

CoffeeBeans said:

Asparagus update - after a week of amazing warm weather and gentle rains, I saw the first sign of life from the asparagus. It's not much, but it is proof of life at least.

So, in 6b, with a good run of sunshine, the asparagus just broke ground.

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My asparagus just came up, too! I guess I'm more 6b than not. One plant still hasn't put up any spears, but considering two of the others are only barely visible above the straw, I'm not writing it off yet. Even if it is dead, that's three out of four for my first year. I'm just worried that the next few nights will be too cold and hurt them.

I started some carrots and parsley in small pots today. We've had snow flurries for the past three or four days, along with lots of wind, so doing much has been difficult. But I'm ahead of most previous years. I have some cool-weather fast-growers sprouted in pots (cress, arugula, mizuna), and bought a few cabbage, broccoli and kohlrabi plants, the latter as a gamble on the possibility of early harvest. All these things like cool weather, and I have them protected at night, so so far they are doing well.

I also have all my seed potatoes, but can't put them in for at least another fortnight. But they are living entities, and in a dark covered pot in the garage, where they should be fine until needed.

caw

I have great luck with black- eyed susan vine. I start them from seed and let them climb the pillars on my porch. I love passion flower but they are seldom offered here. I tried them from seed from Florida but no luck.

Esai showed up to mow last night. It has been cold and rainy so this is the first he has been able to do it. Looks like the peach, apricot, shumard oak and redbuds are gone--5 trees to be replaced, thanks to two nasty dry frosts. The apple, cherry, maple and cottonwood did make it. I won't give up on the peach or apricots though. We talked about the sitting garden--turf is a possibility.

Garden weather now. This very day is a painful anniversary for me--in fact April carries two painful anniversaries: my husband and my dad. Both times I managed to get through the grief by gardening. Something spiritual about gardens, the smell of new grass, the feel of good black dirt, watching new life spring from tiny seeds, seeing flowers that we won't see again for another year. I am retiring this June and will spend most of my time outdoors. They say life began in a garden. I believe it--s6

I bought a little tomato plant~
I don't know the first thing about gardening. )8 But so far he's growing big and strong! I read up on the basics, got him some potting soil and fertilizer and a nice big pot. I hope he will thrive, and produce much sustenance for me, much as his ancestors have done for my ancestors for generation upon generation. ♥♥
(I'm sooo glad AW has a gardening thread. No one in my life understands my excitement for this little tomato plant...)

Tally said:

I bought a little tomato plant~
I don't know the first thing about gardening. )8 But so far he's growing big and strong! I read up on the basics, got him some potting soil and fertilizer and a nice big pot. I hope he will thrive, and produce much sustenance for me, much as his ancestors have done for my ancestors for generation upon generation. ♥♥
(I'm sooo glad AW has a gardening thread. No one in my life understands my excitement for this little tomato plant...)

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Admit it - you've been talking to the plant a little bit, haven't you.

Tally said:

(I'm sooo glad AW has a gardening thread. No one in my life understands my excitement for this little tomato plant...)

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Welcome to the land of gardening! Yes, we all sound a little crazy talking about plants (just as crazy as one sounds talking about their pets, or their novels...)

One thing to remember, most plants don't need a ton of fussing over! Give it light, give it water, and give it room to grow. Other than that, let nature take its course.

Will your plant be living indoors or outdoors? Do you know what kind of tomatoes it will grow? (cherry? globe?) What's your climate like?

Captcha said:

Admit it - you've been talking to the plant a little bit, haven't you.

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we all have our moments...

We had a little garden meeting -- the college kid who helped found our community is graduating, and he's concerned about the future of the garden (as well he should be). Thankfully, he is reaching out to the nearest vo-ag program to see if they have some students who want to get some experience organizing in the community. I'm very happy with this.

Our library is starting a "pocket" garden in its backyard. I couldn't make the first meeting because I was in school but they sent me the notes. Not sure I want to be in on the planning because of politics. There are several older ladies (yeah. older than old shakey--scary, ain't it?) who pretty much run things. No way am I going to buck them on the planning. It seems to me that they have chosen sun lovers for a shady place but I have butted heads with these gals before so I only signed up to weed. I like to weed. There, I've said it. I like cats. I like rutabaga and I like to weed! --s6

My brussels sprouts have sprouted in their pots! I'm nervous about transplanting them, but the instructions said they could be started inside. Everything else is still hiding under the dirt.

shakeysix said:

I like to weed. There, I've said it. I like cats. I like rutabaga and I like to weed! --s6

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Haha, I'm with you -- up to a point. I like to weed my bed. I can spend some nice meditative time plucking off the weeds, and see it end up all nice and clear.

Weeding the wilderness around the grapes however, much tell fun.

harmonyisarine said:

My brussels sprouts have sprouted in their pots! I'm nervous about transplanting them, but the instructions said they could be started inside. Everything else is still hiding under the dirt.

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I grew some last year. They turned out really well without any special treatment

It's still below freezing at night here. The planting is still on hold.

Went to a garden center with a friend who is a landscaper. She was very excited to find a bottle of Superthrive. According to her, it's the best. I bought a bottle, so I guess I'll see how well it works. Anyone here use it?

Other purchase was some rose finn apple seed potatoes. Haven't tried that variety, so hopefully they'll be a nice add to the mix.

I was so excited we had a nice warm Sunday last week to go out and begin cleaning up the yard from winter.

The house we bought last fall is in a cul de sac, so I have a HUGE pie shaped lot with two apple trees. And the little old Italian lady who lived here had oodles of tomatoes, peppers, another huge garden plot, roses, and now I'm beginning to see wonderful little treasures sprouting everywhere and trying to ID them.

We have an entire bed of mint with bulbs coming up through them, a delphinium or two, daylilies, strawberries, sempervivums, clematis, and these big wide-leafed things I still am not sure of. Possibly heucheras.

First thing I'm going to do when it gets warm enough is to put my herb bed in. I've had herbs everywhere we've lived. Can't live without them. And I'm going to put paths in too. I love the way they look, scattered with thyme and various other things. One of my favorite garden porn mags is Flea Market Gardens. I'm going to go for that sort of look.

We bought two unassembled Adirondack chair kits at Costco last year before we moved. I painted and built one. Now I have to do the other. and I can't WAIT to be able to use our DECK!

I have a couple extra tomato plants (I always over-plant seeds b/c I'm so excited about spring being on its way!) so I put them out yesterday with a couple Cozy Coats (http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10535&cat=2,2030,33141) around them, and they seem chipper and happy this morning, despite a fairly heavy frost.

We'll see how they do in comparison with the plants I've kept inside for longer. It's SCIENCE!

Last week I had a doctor's appt. in my old town so i drove by my old house, the place where I lived for 30 years. My roses are green and doing fine. Whoever lives there now has them pruned and well kept. It was a relief. The people who lived there before were negligent. The house is a light dreamy blue and in the spring the roses are a showstopper next to the house. I try to drive by every spring to see them, even if the house is sixty miles away. They are mainly old roses so they bloom only once, but hey, my birthday is in June so I consider the blooming a personal birthday card from Mom Nature. I only have one rose here because this garden is not situated well for roses.

I still remember their names: Mdm. Isaac Perrier; Abraham Darby; Gertrude Jekyll; Mdm. Hardy; Ferdinand Pichard; Zepherine Drouhin. Does anyone else love roses?
--s6

I had a Zephirine Drouhin climbing over a big metal arbor I bought when we were in Texas. It killed me to leave that thing behind. It would look SO good in our current garden!

They really are a beautiful colour. But MAN the thorns on that one were brutal!