Tomatoes are a ways off, but Berries and Fruit are BOOMING!

[bvar22]

So far, this Spring has been fantastic.
Just the right amount of rain and sunshine, no late April frost, everything growing like crazy.
This is our 4th season here, and the best one yet so far (fingers still crossed).

Fruits and Berries are off the dial.
It seems like every single Peach Blossom on our 4 year old trees is trying to make a Peach.
We have already culled hundreds, and need to cull hundreds more.


The disappointing Strawberry harvest last year prompted an increase in the size of the patch (4X), and some experimenting with spacing and mulching.
They've gone crazy this year.

Already eating the front runners.
The crows like them too.
The streamers, and pans were effective this morning, but the crows learn fast.
We have some netting ready, and are working on another scarecrow.
(Upper right corner is 2nd year Asparagus.)


This is the overcrowded original raised bed. Scary.
I've thinned and thinned this bed, and it just explodes back.
This should be way too crowded for good berry production, but decided to let it go after it started making berries.
I can't bring myself to pull up plants with green fruit on them.

The young Blueberries (3 years old) are doing their part too, thick with fruit.


Looks like we are even going to get some Boysenberries.

I've never seen or eaten a Boysenberry, but it looks like this 2-1/2 year old plant is trying to make some for us this year.

The wild Blackberries and Dewberries are covered in blossoms look promising too.

We're excited!
We have most of the garden planted, and things look promising.

Peace, Good Fortune, and Fertility to All.

bvar22 & Strakraven
Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas



Last Year
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x2601

[beac]

1. Looking good!

We had boysenberry TREES in the yard at my last house. They'd make an utter mess of the patio for about two weeks every summer, but they sure were tasty.

My strawberries are making fruit too and we've forgiven each other for last year's unpleasantness (them under-producing and me tossing them aside to fend for themselves in their pitiful clump of potting soil all winter.)

My experiment this year was using peat pellets in a little mini-greenhouse to start some flower seeds. I planted celosia, french marigolds, hollyhocks (allegedly a first-year blooming variety... we'll see), moonflowers (the evening version of morning glories) and sweet peas. The germination times on the various flowers were from 5 days to 21 days, but the marigolds jumped up within two days and everything was up within ten. Amazing.

I am going to cut away the netting b/c I know it doesn't really biodegrade the way they promise.

My tomatoes, etc arrive next week. Can't wait!

[wildeyed]

2. Looks amazing!

How are you going to preserve your amazing bounty? Maybe next year I will add a strawberry patch after seeing yours shape up so nicely. Having some regular rain is really helping here, too.

[bvar22]

3. We freeze, can,....

..and hopefully, make preserves.
We've never had enough Strawberries to make preserves....maybe this year.

We would also like to try drying Blueberries, but we won't have enough berries to do that for a couple of years.

[Denninmi]

4. I've got some bad news for you --- Not a boysenberry.

Sorry, the plant in your one photo isn't a boysenberry. It's a viburnum, probably a V. dentatum, something like the variety 'Blue Muffin'.

It may have edible berries, some viburnums do. Or, they could be inedible (but probably not poisonous, just bitter).

But, it's definitely NOT a boysenberry. They look like blackberries -- divided compound leaf, large white flowers about an inch across, and definitely would have thorns.

[bvar22]

5. I think you are right.

We got them from a reputable mail order nursery (Starks? maybe), now backtracking the order.
Its a little frustrating finding out after 2-1/2 years.


We'll let if flower and see what it looks like.
Thanks!

[bvar22]

7. Possibly be an Elderberry?

That wouldn't be so disappointing.
We ordered from a reputable nursery that also sells Elderberries.
I hope it was just a mix up.

[Eyerish]

6. I'm jealous...your garden looks lovely....

I'm not a frequent poster here in the gardening group, but I love looking through your Garden Porn threads. It's truly inspiring. Enjoy! :hi:

[japple]

8. Beautiful, just beautiful! Your strawberries are so thick and lush.

I "harvested" the first of our strawberries yesterday = 11 berries!

[bvar22]

9. Thanks.

It looks really pretty, but when they get that thick, it causes problems like fungus, mold, and damp rot when they crown over and the sun doesn't reach the ground and the air can't circulate.
The ones on mounded rows on open ground are producing much better than the crowded raised boxes.
We may discontinue the Strawberries in Raised Boxes next year.
Some things just do better in mounded rows.

[hippywife]

10. Yaaaaaaaa!

Those look wonderful! As I expect they would.

I was looking for you here. Hope you and Starkraven have weathered all the storms we've had the past couple of weeks, coz I know they headed your way when they were done here.

Our strawberry bed survived the winter and ice storm beautifully under a thick layer of straw and is producing wonderfully! And lettuce is going crazy out there so we need to be eating more salads! LOL

The tomatoes and corn are definitely a ways off. The eggplants might make it this year and there are some volunteers from last year that are coming up that we are waiting to identify.

Hubs is planting six blueberries today. Each in their own box with about a half bale of peat moss mixed in. Wish us luck!

I'm not including pics, at least not yet, because we are such sloppy gardeners and yours always looks so organized and beautiful! I wish we had more time to dedicate to it, then it might look better.

Wishing you and K. all the best for this growing season. :hi: :hug:

[bvar22]

11. Starkraven was outside Oklahoma City for the BIG one a couple of weeks ago.

She was on the road to West Oklahoma to stay with her sister who had lost an 11 month old grandchild to an accident. She was on I-40 at Shawnee when all the hell broke loose. She called me on her cell...quite shaken up, which is rare for her. She doesn't scare easily. She managed to get into a motel and ride out the night.

The recent storms have dissipated as they approached our area, and then reformed on the other side of the mountains. The rising terrain from the Oklahoma plains to our little mountains combined with the normal night time cooling effect seems to have chilled the power of these storms. The ones we have to worry about are the ones the cook up in Mid to Eastern Oklahoma and hit us before sunset.....but there are exceptions to this rule.

Glad the storms missed you, but it might be a bad year.
Keep your heads down if something heads your way.


So far, this Spring has been fantastic.
All the right conditions for fruit and berries.
We (along with everybody else) have had a Strawberry Bonanza.


Starkraven has been very busy making Preserves and Sorbet.

About 20 pints of Candied Preserves, Freezer Preserves, 1/2 gallon Sorbet, and we are still picking a bunch of berries every day. She is getting tired of "all the damned Strawberries"...(said with a smile.)
I'm developing a new respect for the migrant pickers.
30 minutes of picking berries is about all I can stand (lower back pain). I can't imagine 10-12 hours of this.

I still think that Strawberries are very High Maintenance, but if we can get a harvest like this every few years, they are worth it. This was our last shot at Strawberries. If they didn't do well this year, I was going to give up.

It looks like the Blueberries and Raspberries are going to ripen about the time the Strawberries give out. The wild Blackberries are looking good too.
...Great Year for those who love sweet berries, fruits, and Preserves....ME!


Congrats on the new Blueberries.
Unlike the Strawberries, the Blues have been very low maintenance, and keep well in the freezer. Very healthy too.

We got three new Copper Marans chicks about 1 month old, and Starkraven bought a dozen fertile Welsummer eggs on E-Bay which are now in the incubator. We're excited about the new birds.

Skunks and Possums are also having a good year here. We've live trapped and relocated a bunch...a couple we've had to shoot....no choice when a skunk is acting strangely out in broad daylight.

Anyway...great to hear from you..Sounds like you are well, and also having a good year.
I pray it continues.
Most of the locals are saying it is because of light, regular Spring rains (not torrents) combined with no late April frost.
Whatever it is, we'll take it!
:hi:

[hippywife]

12. I am so sorry to hear why she was over this way.

That must just be such a horrific thing to endure and my condolences to everyone effected by such an awful loss.

We haven't done anything with the strawberries yet but eat them. LOL We just have one full box of June bearing plants that are spilling over one of the sides and just a few ever-bearing plants in another, smaller box that almost died out last summer but made it through winter okay. Hoping they'll also spread out nicely this year. May have to put in a handful more from the next coop order.

Bill's put in tomato plants today, too. I ordered about 10 different kinds from one of the coop growers. They were all marked but of course, he didn't mark them when he put them in the ground so we'll know which are which. :eyes: Like I said, sloppy and haphazard, but what the hell. LOL He's planted corn and tomatoes in just about every box. He just went out there one weekend and planted without marking anything! I'm just glad he does it. He's building more smaller boxes today for the remainder of the blueberries. They are two year old plants so I'm hoping they will do well.

Well, we've had the torrential rains the past couple of weeks so we'll just see how it goes. Even tho we're kind of half-assed about it, the harvest gets better every year, so I'll take that, too.

:hi:

[hippywife]

13. I do have to add, though

the man does more work out there in one day than I do all weekend in the house. I don't know where he gets the energy or strength to do it.

:hi:

[wildeyed]

14. I would love to have some Welsummers.

I like the look of them and the speckled dark brown eggs look divine. Oh well, maybe next year. I am over my chicken quota for this one.