Protecting & Pruning Blueberry Bushes

So, after a week of working and a week of catching up, post-Christmas season, and a week of heavy rains I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things here.

In my area of the South, we had A LOT of rain this past week followed by freezing temperatures at night.  Since I have 4 blueberry bushes, I became concerned with these low temperatures and the fact that it could possibly affect my harvest this Summer.  Since our weather has been swinging since Christmas from Spring-like temperatures to very wintery freezing temperatures, I've already got these pretty red buds (which are somewhat normal for winter), but I'm concerned my bushes are thinking it's Spring!

A few things I've learned in my research...

1)  Rabbiteye Variety of blueberry bushes (which I have) are quite hearty.  However, they should be
     covered if the temps get down below freezing, which is 32 degrees.  The Highbush Variety are even
     heartier and probably don't need concern until temps get below 0 degrees but have survived temps as
     low as -20 and -30 degrees!

2)  When covering my bushes, one layer will increase temperatures by about 2-3 degrees, while two layers
      can increase temperatures underneath by nearly 10 degrees.  This is handy information since one the
      upcoming nights, it will be as low as 18 degrees (at least that's what has been forcast).

3)  If there is a constant temperature below freezing, more drastic measures must be taken--like portable
      heaters and the like to help keep the temperatures up.

I've included this link to The University of Georgia's College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.  This was a GREAT article!  Click HERE to read all about Blueberry Bushes and Freezing Temperatures!

As I was continuing my research, I was thinking about pruning, too.  Winter is the time for pruning bushes and I've always been sort of confused about which branch to trim.

So, I found this great video link from Growing Wisdom with David Epstein, NE Meteorologist I'm posting here and I hope folks will find it useful!  It sure was helpful for me!

Enjoy!

http://on.aol.com/video/how-to-prune-blueberry-bushes-10022990

What Should I Plant?

Courtesy of Free-Extras.com

So, I'm thinking about WHAT to plant in my garden this year.  Since I'm thinking about this in January and have a goal to "ramp up" my efforts to improve my gardening skills and garden more frequently, I've decided to try and garden in every season.  Now, if you're just starting out---it's not too early to be thinking about the Summer months!  I don't want to overwhelm you with my personal goals, but I do want to testify to my experiences, so don't bite off more than you can chew!

About two years ago, I planted Green Peas toward the end of February.  Since that was the only thing I was planting, I planted my entire garden in Green Peas!  Crazy idea but I was hoping to freeze some!  Having never grown Green Peas before, little did I realize the need for support for these plants.  As they grew taller and taller, and I did my research as I went, I realized I needed to create some kind of support for these babies.  After trellising 5 or 6 rows of these peas, I was tired of it and just let the rest go.  Needless to say, this poor planning on my part created quite a mess for me in the end with a small harvest after all my hard work.

What did I learn from this experience?

1)  Research and plan first!  I will save myself a huge amount of grief and extra work!  Can you imagine 

     how hard it is to trellis something that has already trellised itself on whatever is around it?

2)  Don't plant more than you can care for.  Since I had never planted Green Peas before, it would 

     have been better for me to research this plant and its needs BEFORE planting my whole garden in 

     them!

It didn't help that tornadoes blasted through our area and laid them all over with their high winds.  The entire crop wasn't lost, but it sure compounded my problem.

Having shared all of this, I have decided I'm going to give Green Peas another try!

This time, though, I'm smarter and I've done my homework ahead of time.  I think Green Peas are an easy veggie to try during these Winter months and I'm only going to grow what I can manage, which is about a 5'x5' space.  

So, back on topic--what to plant?  My goal is by the end of January to sow Green Pea seeds directly into the soil along my trellis.  I'll update this and keep you posted on how it goes for me.  This Summer my standard garden includes:  

Yellow Squash

Zucchini Squash

Roma Tomatoes

Regular Tomatoes

Green Beans

All 4 colors of Bell Pepper

In the Fall, I want to attempt onions and garlic along with a few salad greens.

What about you?  What do you think you'll be planting this Summer?  Or maybe you've got some goals to expand in other seasons, like me.  I'd love to hear what folks are doing out there!

Where Should I Plant?

This is a pretty cool idea for container gardening or gardening in small spaces, don't you think?

Planning the location of your garden is a great place to start when trying to come up with a plan.  It's even more important than WHAT you're going to plant!

In a nutshell, no matter where you live on this earth, sunlight and water are the two most important ingredients for your garden.  Select a garden spot where the sun shines at least 6-8 hours per day and you have relatively easy access to a water source.

Sunlight is a SUPER important factor to consider when it comes to the placement of your garden.  Your veggies need lots of sunshine to grow.  Poor placement will yield poor results to a lot of very hard work!

Here is a quick check list of things to consider when finding a place for your garden spot:

1)  Look for the sunshine in your yard.  Where does it spend most of it's time?

2)  Check for trees nearby or possible "shade-makers."  If you're observing in the Spring, 
      remember that when the trees fill with leaves there will be shade areas you will need to 
      consider before placing your garden nearby.

3)  Where is your water source?  Can you drag at least one water hose to your potential 
      garden spot or will you need more than one?  Or maybe what you're growing will only 
      require a watering can.  How far will you have to tote that can?

4)  Do you have animals?  Our large English Setter toppled my tomato plants--all 8 of them 
      until I was able to fence in my garden area to prevent this!  Consider if you'll need some 
      small fencing to prevent your pet from invading your garden space.

5)  Does your subdivision or apartment complex have any restrictions that will limit your 
      ability to have a garden?  What about the neighbors?  Will they have a problem with your 
      plans for a garden?  Remember gardening can get a little smelly at times and this might 
      not be the best way to "win friends and influence people."  Bottom line--be considerate of 
      others around you.  

Don't forget, the sun's location changes throughout the year!

Any other ideas out there to simplify this process of "location selection?"

My experience growing berries...

Ok, so this is my last post today.  I'm just inspired right now and hope I don't lose interest when the goin' gets tough! :))

So, I wanted to share my experience growing strawberries and blueberries.  It seems that when I talk to people about either of them, folks are really excited about them, but when I tell them it will take a few years to get a strong harvest, it's deflating for sure.

However, growing fruit of any kind is worth the wait!  And it's possible to take it with you if you'll grow it in a pot!

Our son LOVES blueberries and since they are SO expensive in the grocery store, it was always difficult for me to purchase them as frequently as he would want to eat them.  So, when we moved into our house nearly 6.5 years ago I was determined to have blueberries for him whenever he wanted them--or almost.  We purchased two different varieties in the same family.  I learned from an article in Southern Living that the Rabbit Eye variety was great for growing in a pot but they required cross pollination.  We purchased 2 of the Tift Blue and 2 of the Premiere bushes within this "Rabbit Eye" variety for cross pollination.  I called someone who raises blueberries and was advised that around the 6th and 7th year of having blueberries, I would have a huge harvest--as much as 20#'s per bush!  So, we invested the time and patience required--mostly patience for waiting and this past year (our 6th year) of having these bushes and had our largest yield yet!  We really enjoyed our blueberries this Summer!

Now, a word about Strawberries.  It's about as easy as what you see here in this picture.  Though my strawberries are in the ground, I would like to think that there's no difference in how they grow, whether pot or ground as long as you take care of them--which doesn't require as much care as one might think.  I began 4 years ago with 13 strawberry plants in my front landscaping.  I planted them like a border, set in just a little bit deeper into the landscaping, since strawberries have shoots that come off the main plant.  This is how they multiply.  Four years later, my strawberries have more than doubled themselves and we had more 6#'s of strawberries to enjoy.  That translates into about a month's worth of strawberries for our family.  

Once you establish your plant in the ground or pot, simple watering is mostly what is needed.  Once these fruits are established the main ingredient to a good production (based upon my experience) is making sure there's enough water and sunshine available.  Of course, fertilizing about twice a year will also make the difference.

If you haven't grown a fruit/berry of any kind, I would encourage you to give them a try!  There are so many benefits to having them in your garden!  And they're pretty easy to maintain!

Anyone out there want to add anything to this?    

So, Let's Start Planning!

Starting with a plan helps you stay organized and keep you on track with anything you want to accomplish.

Your plan may be as simple as seeing something sprout--if you feel your thumb is less than green.  Or, maybe you've decided you're crossing over into the land of backyard homesteading and have found a way to grow a grain in a corner of your lot--sounds crazy, but it's possible!!

Having a plan to simply start something and see it to the finish is so important to having a productive and successful garden!  And I want to encourage you along with myself to get that plan started now!

This past issue of GRIT Magazine (Nov/Dec 2012) issue gave me some great ideas about placement and trellises. In my garden I like to grow green beans.  In my 5 years of gardening, I have only grown one kind of green bean--Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans.  These beans are the absolute easiest thing to grow.  Just stick them in the dirt and give them a little water and off they go!  The only challenge is support!  Pole Beans need support--something to climb because that's what they do!  They climb as high as the trellis you give them goes.  So, I need some good ideas to create better support for my beans and in this issue of GRIT, they suggested cattle fencing as a semi-permanent form of support for my beans!  What a great idea!

So, what is my plan for this year?  I'll give you a brief summary:

1)  I want to improve my soil and ammend it with some mushroom compost and manure.
2)  I want to start turning my compost so I can use it.  (I've just been dumping stuff in there.)
3)  I want to grow green peas and start them at the end of January.
4)  I want to start tomatoes, bell peppers and squash from seedlings instead of buying the plant to grow.
5)  I want to build a chicken tractor with my son this Spring. (I'll get into that more at a later date.)

There are more details to some of these, but it's my start.  What's something you want to accomplish in your garden this year?  Leave a comment and let's talk about it!

Happy New Year! Here's to Starting Fresh!

So, since the last post a few things have changed and I've decided to make some changes of my own!  That's what a New Year is all about, right?  Out with the old and In with the new!

My tiller was fixed, to the tune of $40!  But, hey!  It works, now!

My goal for this 2013 year is to blog at least weekly about my gardening experiences and to ramp up my efforts on having a more productive and fruitful garden this year and make it as organic as possible!  I also want to grow SOMETHING each season, even if it's just one vegetable or herb in a corner of my space.  This means expanding out of my Summertime comfort zone of Summer veggies and branch out into peas in February, broccoli and salad greens in the Fall!  I'm not sayin' it's gonna happen!  I'm just sayin' I have a goal!

I think the most important thing about having a garden is having a plan!  It's like anything else, if you don't plan it, there's very little chance it will actually happen.  In the day we live in, I think having a garden is essential to healthier eating.  Becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on grocery stores is also becoming more important--we just don't know how it's being grown--or do you?

So, what's your goal for your garden this year?  Are you just starting out or do you have lots of advice to give me?  I know I could sure use the camaraderie of other gardeners!  We can help each other!

Happy New Year!  And here's to a Fresh Start!

My tiller is broken!

Booo!  My husband was helping me till our garden and the Mantis has quit.  My sweet husband says the carburator needs to be cleaned.

So, in conversation with our auto repair friends, Brent and Sonya Crago at Top Tech Automotive in Cleveland, TN, their son asked if my Mantis would fit in his chicken coop--and, well if you know how I feel about the Mantis, the Mantis can go anywhere!  So, of course, my answer was that it would work perfectly to till his coop!

So, this is how we barter!

They will fix my Mantis (and who better to repair a carburator than an auto mechanic) and I will let them use it to till their chicken coop and turn the soil.  In addition, I will get 4 large bins FULL of chicken scrapings, for lack of a better term.  This will work beautifully in my composter!  I'm so excited I don't have words to express my excitement!  What makes it even more exciting is this "chicken run" provides their chickens with enough space to peck and graze without feed containing hormones of any kind or antibiotics.  Thus, these chicken scraps will be very close to organic.  Very exciting!

So, hopefully, I'll be back in business working my garden again next week. 

Happy gardening and make sure to send us your garden photos!