Yeah, it’s great growing berries till you find that the second they are ripe enough, the birds and squirrels steal them out from under you. Frustrating. So good luck with that. I used to work on a farm in NH where blueberries were one thing we grew, and they were soooooooooo delicious. Very tedious picking them though.
A couple months ago, Costco had citrus trees for like 18 bucks. I couldn’t resist buying a lime tree because I love limes, and I’m trying to grow it in a pot on my deck. We’ll see. All the blossoms set fruit, so there are now dozens and dozens of tiny limes 1 cm long. But one day I’ll go out and find some insect has chewed some leaves, or other leaves are showing some nutrient deficiency…argh
Avocados are fruits right? My dad has a pretty good avocado tree and his neighbor has a bomb ass avocado tree that produces like none other. Man i love avocados.
The hardest part about the wine is have the patience to wait 6+ months until it’s ready before you drink it. I do sell alot, but that just covers costs of making it.
I do miss having fresh veggies out of garden, but the damn deer put me out of business there.
I have a yard for the 1st time and want to start growing food. The old lady who owned the house before me planted flowers all over the place. It’s crazy how much sprouts up. Every week some new form of tulip I’ve never heard of blooms. I’m guessing this a sign the soil is good. I want to replace those flowers with veggies and fruits. I love berries. It’s alot of area behind a retaining wall. Like 75 ft long, 4 feet deep and at least 4 feet high.
Problem is I know nothing about gardening. Does any one have a website or book to get me started?
There is a vacant field near my house that has some wild berries that are red and look like round strawberries, not heart shaped like regular ones. The berries grow very low on the ground, they actually wind through the grass. Sorry I don’t have a pic but anyone have an idea what kind they are? Raspberries maybe. Seem like I should harvest some, the price is right…free. There is also alot of blackberries bushes along the edges of the field. This field also produces these mushrooms that are as big as an atlas stone.
I have a huge yard to grow shit but I can’t stand gardening lol. I would love a peach tree though. I worked with a kid who lived on a farm and when peaches were in season he would pick them on the way into work and hand them out. Nothing from a store has ever come close to those in flavour and juiciness, you had to eat them hunched over cause of the juice dripping down to your elbow and off your chin.
And Sam_Sneed…I moved into my house fifteen years ago and tore out a bunch of perrenial beds and planted grass…those fuckin’ things are still coming up lol. I guess I didn’t dig deep enough to get all the bulbs. My yard looks ridiculous right now.
Our agriculture Agent has been trying to get more of us to plant something called “Service Berries” that he came across in Alberta Province of Canada. He found that during certain time of the year people who ordered blueberry pies at stores, were actually getting locally grown service berries. He gave me a number of sprouts. Being an organic gardener/farmer I used a post hole digger to make a 2 1/2 ft deep hole for compost and ground leaves, then planting the seedling. I over watered them for a year, and they have really taken off. The owner of a nearby garden store asked what I had done to get such results.
This is an easy food source and and you know how healthy they are, because they are what you put into them. Every one should have a variety of owned berry sources.
Isn’t Jersey infested with deer? They decimate vegetable gardens whenever they get the chance.
I tell you it’s no picnic growing stuff. Between the animals and birds, insects and diseases, and bad weather (too much rain, not enough rain, too hot, too cold, too much wind, etc). . .
Edit: I fuckin love black raspberries. Best thing to ever happen in my life was discovering wild black raspberries. I came.
I did my final project for my sustainable agriculture class on fruit trees and bushes. Specifically raspberry bushes, blueberry bushes and apple trees.
I would definitely routinely trim those raspberry bushes to think hedges to prevent diseases because of excess moisture and lack of air ventilation.
Apple trees are pretty simplistic. They all come grafted to a root stock. A root stock is made from a tree with desirable traits (every new tree directly from a seed has its own characteristics) and a new sapling is cut then put onto the root stock. Since every commercial nursery usually does this…apple trees are easy just pick the kind of apple you want (get at least 2 because they will not self pollinate) and choose how large you want it to be. Different trees depending on the root stock will grow to different sizes and produce apples at different times.
If you plant apple trees they want a lot of sunlight and dont plant them within 600 ft of a. vegetable garden to prevent diseases from attacking them. Raspberries and blue berries also like plenty of sunlight and water
I currently grow a pretty big veggie garden (lettuce, kale, collards, mustard greens, spinach, turnips, beets, radishes, peas, beans, squash, tomatoes, peppers), a small herb garden (rosemary, oregano, thyme), and a very small berry patch (strawberries). I got my first tiny strawberry crop this year, but bunnies stole the rest of my un ripe fruit. I want to plant a hedge of raspberries, a couple blue berry bushes and a couple cider apple trees. I make mead and wine, so more fruit in the yard would not be a problem at all.
Blueberries are a way of life here in Maine. The lowbush variety is native and has replenished me in the wild on hiking, hunting, and fishing excursions many times.
We have no end of edible landscaping and it’s wonderful.
Keeps the birds around, too (for better or worse).
I haven’t grown edibles for 7 years. Had some big evergreens removed this year due to snow damage. Left me with a big empty space. Have planted red and black radishes, peas, lettuce and kohlrabi so far.
Have had trouble with a groundhog in the past that lives under one of my decks. Shot the fucker point blank with my red ryder. Just laughed at me. I’m contemplating getting a 22 just to kill his fat ass.
May have to hire someone to build me a ground hog resistant fence. I’m miserable with chicken wire.
I’m planning on getting a fig tree and maybe a kiwi tree in the future. I’m in Maryland and figs do pretty well from what I’ve seen in my neighbor’s yard. They do bring a lot of ants, but I’m cool with ants. I’ve read some kiwi varieties will work also.
As far as gardening books pretty much anything by Rodale or Ortho is good for general info or even one of the “…for dummies” books. I would check your local library for books before buying any. There’s literally millions of books out there all saying pretty much the same thing…
Specific good titles:
Designing the new kitchen garden : an American potager handbook
Rodale’s vegetable garden problem solver : the best and latest advice for beating pests, diseases, and weeds and staying a step ahead of trouble in the garden
The vegetable gardener’s book of building projects : raised beds, cold frames, compost bins, planters, plant supports, trellises, harvesting and storage aids
Gourmet vegetables : smart tips and tasty picks for gardeners and gourmet cooks
I have lemon tree, pomegranate tree, pear tree, kern grape vine, rosemary freaking bush eating up the yard, some wimpy basil plants, and garlic growing in with the rose bushes.
My problem is tough clay soil so I have to pretty much dig up the soil I have and replace it or I turn it over with a lot of sand and ash and bone meal.
Then here in San Diego we have a drought so watering is a chore.
But it sure is great to go pick the fresh stuff. My mom makes pomegranate jelly and grape jelly and I freeze the lemons in ice cube trays.
I would love to grow berries here, but besides strawberries I am not sure they would grow. It just doesn’t get that chilly.
[quote]sen say wrote:
empty space. Have planted red and black radishes, peas, lettuce and kohlrabi so far.
Have had trouble with a groundhog in the past that lives under one of my decks. Shot the fucker point blank with my red ryder. Just laughed at me. I’m contemplating getting a 22 just to kill his fat ass.
May have to hire someone to build me a ground hog resistant fence. I’m miserable with chicken wire.
[/quote]
After seeing this thread back in May, I was inspired to plant some spinach, herbs, strawberries. My yard gets great sunlight. Fuckin groundhog ravaged all of it. I buried his hole with stone, brick and whatever spare shit I had around the yard and he dug around it. I live in a crowded part of NJ, so it’s impossible to fire a .22 around here without the cops getting involved.