Gardening

How to Grow a Berry Patch

Phew! It has been a busy week here! The weather is FINALLY warming up, which means I was able to get outside and do some much needed gardening. We just moved into this home a little over a year ago, and the previous owners had built planting beds all around the house, but they were neglected and just plain ugly! So I knew it was time to build a berry patch!

Doesn’t it just look lovely? Over grown weeds, and missing rocks!

When planting anything, there are a few key ingredients to having a successful garden.

• Choose your planting area and watch it throughout the day. How much sun does it get? Is it a shady area?
• Prepare your planting area. You can read more about that here.

It took two days to remove all of the rocks, but it was worth it. I was even able to salvage a strawberry and blackberry plant that was already there!

• Choose your plants. Since I already have blueberries and blackberries planted on the other side of the house I decided to do strawberries and grapes in this planting area. Be sure to read about the different verities of plants and decide which plants will work best for you. We chose Ozark, Quinalt, and Guardian strawberries for this project.
• After  getting the area prepped for planting decide on how many plants you want. This is where researching comes in handy. Measure out the area and read about how close each plant can be planted together. This will help to decide how many plants can fit in the area and reduces the chance of over or under buying plants.
• Before planting, stage the area. Place each plant where you want it while it is still in the pots. That way you can make changes without stressing the plant.
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• Finally, get to planting! I like to lay down a weed barrier to reduce having to go out and pull weeds. Do not skimp on this, or you will be replacing it every year, which is a pain!
• Be sure to water the plants well after planting, to help them get settled and rooted.

After we planted, we put all of the rock back that removed and ended up with extra rock some how.

So, now that you have your berry patch planted there are some things to keep in mind. First, during the first year, remove any flowers from the plants. I know… I know. It will be hard. But by removing the flowers you are allowing the plants to concentrate on growing stronger and larger. If you allow it to flower, then it will use all of its energy producing fruit. Second, keep the area watered. Plants are fragile after being planted, ensure they have plenty of water and don’t dry out.

What are you planting this year?

Jafar always gives me funny looks when I am gardening.

Preparing Your Soil for Planting

Spring is here! Spring is here… or at least it should be. The weather here has been CRAZY! Today it is 75 degrees and sunny, but later this week they are talking snow in the forecast?!?! Well, I took full advantage of the amazing weather today and was able to get out in the yard to finally till my garden! YAY! I must say though, I have a love/hate relationship with my tiller. I have a Troy-Bilt TB146 EC 12-Inch 29cc 4-Stroke Gas Powered Garden Cultivator/Tiller that I love, but it gives me a workout that is for sure! We have a larger tiller, but that monster will pull me around the yard like a rabid dog, so I like to stick to the little one. It gets the job done so I don’t mind the extra few passes I have to make.

So last year I decided that I was going to move my garden to another place in the yard. It was inside the fence line, so it was a hassle to keep the dogs out and chase the goats away from my precious tomato plants. So, this year I moved it to an area outside of the fence line, now all I have to worry about are deer, which shouldn’t be to hard right? Ok, to the point… Because I was going to move it, I had to preparing the soil for planting this year. The soil in the area was not the best to say the least but because I prepared for it, this year my soil is awesome! Don’t worry though, if you are starting out this year, and don’t want to wait an entire year, these tips are for you too!

Prepare the year before

If you know where you are going to place your garden a year in advance be sure to prep the ground. Last year I marked off where the garden was going and tilled the soil. I then tilled in leaves, compost and rabbit poo. Yes, I said rabbit poo. If you don’t have any, it is ok, stick to compost. I raise rabbits so I always have an abundance of poo, if you want some, stop on by and grab it (use gloves though).

By tilling the year before I am allowing the soil to absorb all of the nutrients that it needs for the following year.

Last minute preparations

If you didn’t have a chance to prepare the garden the year before, there are steps to help improve your soil this year. I would recommend starting off by checking the PH level of your soil. This will help determine what you need to add in order to improve your soil. I recommend taking the completed test to your local nursery and talking to a professional about what is needed.

Turn baby turn!

This can be a difficult task without the right tools, but can be done. It is important to remove the grass and weeds from the area you plan to garden. This can be done with a good ol’ shovel, or a tiller. It is recommend to turn 12 inches of soil when tilling. This is the time to add any extras that your soil might be laking as well.

The waiting game

Once you have added in your compost and tilled your garden, wait a few days to allow the soil to absorb any of the additives that you have mixed in.

Remember next year

At the end of each planting season, remember to remove any dead plants from the garden. Do not leave them to compost down in the garden. Doing this can promote bug infestations and disease. Pull em’ up and tear them out!

What are you most excited to plant this year in your garden???