Growing berries, vegetables and herbs organically at home

[Astronuc]

I bought a plastic compost bin from the county extension service (only $35), and I may have to get another one. We are getting quite a bit of organic material, with leaves, grass clippings, scraps, weeds, and the volume is not reducing quite as quickly as we are adding to it.

We did the same - two bins. But we have more compost than that. I build a couple from wooden pallets, which were free from a local hardware center. One pallet on the bottom and four on each side. This allows for aeration, but the pile still has to be turned. Lot's of interesting critters in there, and earthworms are huge.

 

[turbo]

I just took a walk down the trail out back, and in about a distance of 50 feet I gathered a big handful of wild raspberries. Time to head out there with a bucket. I transplanted a clump of cultivated raspberries we got from a friend, and the berries are still green. It's hard to beat the taste of the wild ones, though, and they're free.

 

[turbo]

Our spinach started to bolt, so we pulled it all, harvested the leaves, and planted collards in their stead. Next year, we will not bother with spinach, but will plant extra Swiss chard, that can be cut over and over all season, and don't shrink as much during blanching for the freezer. We also pulled a batch of "spicy greens", which have been quite unsatisfactory this year and replaced it with a nice organic Mesclun mix from Burpees. The string beans will need to be picked tomorrow - the nasty humid hot weather is flogging them into maturity and there are some that are already bigger than we prefer (smaller than most folks accept). The tomatoes and hot peppers are setting on in pretty good size, so we have just planted a good crop of cilantro in preparation for the canning of salsas.

 

[Astronuc]

Our lettuce looks like it's about to bolt. The weather has turned much warmer. The heads are huge - about 12 inches (30 cm) across.

The tomatoes are slowly coming in, as are the hot peppers. I really need to make some hot sauces this year.

I harversted a few more squashes and zucchinis. One zucchini is 10+ inches long and 2.5 inches wide. It seemed to grow rapidly overnight.

I also harvested a couple of pounds of raspberries tonight, and there's still more. I going to have to expand the patch.

The cultivated blackberries are finally starting to ripen, as are the late-bearing blueberries. I've already picked several pints of blueberries. I'll be expanding the blackberry patch as well.

Rhubarb is doing nicely, but those Japanese beetles have been going after the leaves. I wonder what those beetles do with the oxalic acid from the leaves? No wonder they have no natural predators. We just catch and dunk them.

 

[turbo]

I just picked a pint of wild raspberries down back - tiny, but tasty. There were lots more available, but it's currently 92F in the shade and at least 75% humidity and the horseflies are viscious, so I cut it short for today. We're supposed to get more of the same weather for the next 5 days - muggy and mid-90's. That's great for the garden, but it's tough on the gardener - we try to get everything done early in the morning.

 

[Astronuc]

The wild blackberries are much smaller than the cultivated (domesticated) blackberries, and the wild berries are mostly seed and very tart. They also propagate like weeds! I am thinking about fertilizing them and trying to cultivate them.

The cultivated blackberry fruit can get as large as 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length and maybe about 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) in diameter!

 

[turbo]

Our wild blackberries are a bit tart, but generous in size - many are close to an inch in length. The wild canes are loaded with green berries and if the weather cooperates, we will get enough to eat fresh, with extra for the freezer. They should start ripening in a couple of weeks - they overlap for a while with the wild raspberries and blueberries. When there are more than one type of berry in season, I pick them all in the same bucket - we like them mixed, anyway. Judging from the tracks on the trails, we are getting regular visits from a black bear, a large moose, and quite a few whitetail deer. They have stayed out of the garden, thanks to the infrared motion-detector sprinklers.

 

[turbo]

We have one thick row of string beans, about 8" wide and 15' long. The beans are coming so fast that we now have to pick every day, and each day, we get at least enough for 3 meals, so the freezer is seeing a lot of action. The bean plants in the replacement row are developing nicely - I just hope their production of beans does not overlap with the first, or we'll have to work to stay ahead of them. Cucumbers and zucchinis are in harvest, and we had some of our fresh jalapeno peppers sliced and sauteed with onions and potatoes for breakfast. My wife stopped at the local greenhouse yesterday - they were selling flats of hot pepper plants for a dollar each. She got 30 plants (already producing peppers and still flowering) for $5. Those now reside in a big pot on the back deck.

 

[Astronuc]

The seranos continue to do well, and I checked last night and found fruit on the habañeros, hot Portugal, and kung pao peppers. Finally. I am looking forward to the habañeros, and I am curious to see how hot each is. The hot Portugal is a new one for me, so I am interested to see what it's like.

Oh, yeah - I found a couple of relatively large wild blackberries yesterday. They were growing in the underbrush, so I think if I irrigate the wild berries, they should be larger. The cultivated ones are getting watered every other day now, rather than every third day, and after the berries are picked, it'll be time to propagate them. I'll double the size of the patch.

 

[turbo]

Our habaneros are Red Caribbeans - I hope they're really hot, because our home-made habanero sauce is a staple ingredient in our BBQ sauces and my home-made pizza sauce, as well as everything else that might benefit from a little heat.

Speaking of heat, it just hit 95F in the shade and still rising with over 70% humidity. Pretty soon, we'll be able to grow palm trees in Maine. I planted peach, apricot, and plum trees, along with the traditional cold-weather apples and cherries. Perhaps I should have planted mango and banana...

 

[Astronuc]

Speaking of heat, it just hit 95F in the shade and still rising with over 70% humidity. Pretty soon, we'll be able to grow palm trees in Maine. I planted peach, apricot, and plum trees, along with the traditional cold-weather apples and cherries. Perhaps I should have planted mango and banana...

It's 96°F (35.6°C) here. I'd like to plant some pear trees, or may be cherries is the way to go.

My habañeros are green at the moment, so I don't know what color yet. The ones in the next door neighbor's garden were orange. I am still waiting for the peppers to ripen.

 

[larkspur]

Do any of you grow peaches? I have a three year old Alberta Cling peach tree that had about thirty peaches on it earlier this summer. I just harvested my ripe peaches and I ended up with only six on the tree. The rest of them just fell off before they were anywhere near ripe. Is there anything I can do like fertilize or something the rest of the summer to make the harvest better next year?

 

[Evo]

Do any of you grow peaches? I have a three year old Alberta Cling peach tree that had about thirty peaches on it earlier this summer. I just harvested my ripe peaches and I ended up with only six on the tree. The rest of them just fell off before they were anywhere near ripe. Is there anything I can do like fertilize or something the rest of the summer to make the harvest better next year?

Peaches are tough. This is the first year I got to them in time to get a significant amount (it's a dwarf, don't rememebr the variety, but excellent). I noticed huge ants would show up each year when the fruit were ripe. If I don't pick the peaches within 24 hours of when the ants show up, they will mold.

My pear tree is so overladen with fruit that I noticed today that a huge branch broke. I think it's too early for them to ripen on their own and there must be a hundred just on that one branch.

 

[turbo]

Do any of you grow peaches? I have a three year old Alberta Cling peach tree that had about thirty peaches on it earlier this summer. I just harvested my ripe peaches and I ended up with only six on the tree. The rest of them just fell off before they were anywhere near ripe. Is there anything I can do like fertilize or something the rest of the summer to make the harvest better next year?

There might be a good reason why the fruit fell off. My father has an apple tree that routinely over-produces and drops fruit in the unripe stage. If every apple stayed on that tree every year, it wouldn't survive even a small wind-storm. One year, most of the fruit stayed on, and dad had to brace the limbs with boards and ropes for fear of losing them. My uncle put manure around his plum tree one year and it produced so much fruit that the weight of the fruit caused the tree to split. If you look around at orchards, you'll see that the trees are pruned pretty aggressively, encouraging the growth of a few sturdy branches instead of lots of lighter ones. You may have to prune the tree and give it a bit more time to mature before you get sizable harvests.

 

[Astronuc]

Do any of you grow peaches? I have a three year old Alberta Cling peach tree that had about thirty peaches on it earlier this summer. I just harvested my ripe peaches and I ended up with only six on the tree. The rest of them just fell off before they were anywhere near ripe. Is there anything I can do like fertilize or something the rest of the summer to make the harvest better next year?

From - http://www.greenwoodnursery.com/page.cfm/5667

Apply 1/2 pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer or its equivalent 7 to 10 days after planting and the same amount again 40 days after planting. Broadcast the fertilizer evenly, 8 to 12 inches away from the trunk. In the second and third years after planting, the tree should receive 3/4 pound of 10-10-10 in March and again in May. Mature peach trees (4 to 10 years of age) should receive 1 to 2 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer each in March and May. If the tree is vigorous and there are no fruit expected, only the March application is necessary. Broadcast the fertilizer around the outer edge of the tree keeping the trunk area free of fertilizer.

Peach trees need to grow 18 inches of new growth each year. Remove the sod from under the tree, mulch and/or irrigate as needed. Irrigation will increase yield particularly if it is applied three weeks before harvest.

http://www.michiganpeach.org/facts/Peachesculturebackyard.htm
http://extension.unh.edu/pubs/HGPubs/growpech.pdf

My father had loquat tree that had variable production, which depended a lot on the weather and irrigation. Make sure the soil is loamy, well drained and irrigate modestly. The number of fruit is determined by the number of flowers. I'd recommend following the instructions in the articles regarding fertilizer, but perhaps use slightly less. As Evo and turbo-1 indicated, one wants to avoid over-production, which can be controlled by removing flowers on the outer ends of the branches.

 

[larkspur]

Peaches are tough. This is the first year I got to them in time to get a significant amount (it's a dwarf, don't rememebr the variety, but excellent). I noticed huge ants would show up each year when the fruit were ripe. If I don't pick the peaches within 24 hours of when the ants show up, they will mold.

I have not seen any ants but the some of the fruit was beginning to rot while it was still green...

 

[larkspur]

There might be a good reason why the fruit fell off. My father has an apple tree that routinely over-produces and drops fruit in the unripe stage. If every apple stayed on that tree every year, it wouldn't survive even a small wind-storm. One year, most of the fruit stayed on, and dad had to brace the limbs with boards and ropes for fear of losing them. My uncle put manure around his plum tree one year and it produced so much fruit that the weight of the fruit caused the tree to split. If you look around at orchards, you'll see that the trees are pruned pretty aggressively, encouraging the growth of a few sturdy branches instead of lots of lighter ones. You may have to prune the tree and give it a bit more time to mature before you get sizable harvests.

That makes sense that the fruit fell off because the tree is too small to support all of it. I guess if they had all ripened it would have torn the little tree in half.

 

[larkspur]

From - http://www.greenwoodnursery.com/page.cfm/5667

http://www.michiganpeach.org/facts/Peachesculturebackyard.htm
http://extension.unh.edu/pubs/HGPubs/growpech.pdf

My father had loquat tree that had variable production, which depended a lot on the weather and irrigation. Make sure the soil is loamy, well drained and irrigate modestly. The number of fruit is determined by the number of flowers. I'd recommend following the instructions in the articles regarding fertilizer, but perhaps use slightly less. As Evo and turbo-1 indicated, one wants to avoid over-production, which can be controlled by removing flowers on the outer ends of the branches.

Thanks for the advice and great links!

 

[turbo]

Saturday we tore out two rows of peas (will never plant them again - too much work, too few peas) and planted a row and a half of Swiss chard, and a quarter row each of organic red radishes and lettuce. I picked well over a quart of wild raspberries on Sunday (although without the heat, the flies, and the garden-time I could have picked several quarts) and a few fore-runner blackberries. Last year, the grape vines on the border of our lawn seemed dormant. This year, they are loaded with huge bunches of grapes and the vines are trying to invade the lawn and the field below. Is there anything that I can do to encourage these grapes? The underlying stock (primary stems coming out of the root stock) are huge and well-developed, and if these grapes are good to eat, I would love to keep them producing.

 

[turbo]

A couple of days ago, I went to the garden and picked a couple of modest-sized zucchini and my wife stuffed them with sauteed onions, mushrooms and bacon topped with tomato sauce and cheese and baked them. We have had torrential rain showers the past couple of days and I have been trying to get my firewood taken care of and under tarps, so I haven't checked the zucchini. This afternoon, my wife took a trip to the garden (when the shower let up) and brought back 15-20 lb of the squash and many of them were huge. Our patch of the Z-vermin is tiny and we are getting swamped - I just took 3 of the biggest ones and gave them to our next-door neighbors, who love to make bread out of them. I hope the buttercups come in that kind of quantity. They keep really well and last year's crop was very dry and fluffy when baked and mashed. Mmmmm.

 

[turbo]

Being nice to the neighbors paid off well. I just answered the door and have a great-smelling loaf of zucchini bread cooling on the counter. That nice lady is going to get some more zucchini - no worries. I gave her 3 big ones, and she sliced, breaded and fried part of one for their supper last night, cubed some and froze it, and shedded the rest. Some of the shredded squash is in this batch of bread and she has several bags in the freezer for making bread this winter. If she keeps bringing fresh zucchini bread, she might have 100 lbs of that squash in the freezer before summer is over. They are older retired people and don't want to bother tending a big garden, so they're sticking with staples like tomatoes.

 

[Astronuc]

Today was a good day - like old times. After I finished some calcs and a presentation, I spent the afternoon in the backyard hacking up several cubic yards of clay soil mixed with rock in order to triple the size of the blackberry bed. While I was away, the blackberry plants have surged with new growth.

I had a great time with my pick breaking the sod and digging about 8 - 12 inches. It was a mild 96°F (35.6°C) with about 65% humidity. I was caked in mud from the dirt and my sweat.

Chugged plenty of lemonade and Gatorade.

What a great way to spend the afternoon.

 

[turbo]

Today, my wife and I picked and froze at least 3 qts of raspberries and blackberries (combnined), and earlier she she had gone to her sister's and picked a couple of quarts of blueberies. While she weeded the garden later, I picked and sliced cucumbers, onions, and red and green and red peppers to make another 7-8 quarts of bread-and-butter pickles - my favorites! I love summer!

I can't imagine swinging a pick for long at those temps, although I had a bit of a battle with my Troy-Bilt today, and had to drain and replace all the gas in the tank before it would run properly. By the time I figured that out, I had pulled that starter cord about 100 times and had gone through a number of of kick-backs,so my right arm was"just" a bit sore. Today was the most comfortable day in almost two weeks - it just barely missed 90, and the relative humidity was low enough that when the breeze came up (from time to time), you might actually experience a bit of sweat-evaporation. On the up-side, the grapes are growing like crazy, and I have what looks like at least 50-100# of them in bunches on the tree-line. I hope that they are table grapes, but if not, I will turn them into something...wine, anyone?

 

[Astronuc]

I also have a Troy-Bilt tiller, but the ground is so hard and there are mighty big rocks, so I usually have to use the pick first. The first time I used the tiller on unprepared ground, one of the shear pins sheared. I had to use the pick first to remove the rocks first. One the ground is broken, and especially after the first season in which it is amended, I'll use the tiller.

Our backyard is on a rocky hill (mostly shale) and most of the ground is clay, except for areas under various trees which have a few inches of soil from decayed vegetation. When dry, the ground is hard like concrete - I know from falling on it a couple of times . Our property sits atop an iron and manganese ore deposit. I found this out by digging out the foundation of the house in order to seal the basement walls (cinder block).

 

[turbo]

If there is anybody lurking on the gardening thread that has experience with grapes, I could use your expertise.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=1050537&postcount=1

I wandered through the woods today and noted dozens of thickets of blackberry canes that I had not found previously. They are in shaded areas, so the blackberries will ripen off gradually. Last year I was picking them right through September. The organic fertilizer, peat moss, and composted cow manure really kick-started the winter squash. I planted a row of buttercup squash near the edge of the garden, and they are vining so heavily that they are over-running the cucumbers over 3' away, and they are clumbing up my asparagus bushes outside the garden. Of course, they are setting on fruit up there, and when the squashes start to weigh a few pounds each, the asparagus is going to get crushed - they are wispy-looking bushes, and aren't designed to carry that weight.

 

[turbo]

I have not seen any ants but the some of the fruit was beginning to rot while it was still green...

I have a problem similar to Evo's with my cultivated raspberries. The wild raspberries don't get bothered, but I recently planted some cultivated raspberries and if I don't get them picked as soon as they are ripe, they are eaten by hornets. I imagine the hornets have some kind of enzymes in their mouth-parts, because once they have bitten into a raspberry, it spoils very quickly.

 

[turbo]

My (24-years-younger) brother left about an hour ago after stopping by to pick berries. We picked at least 2 quarts of mixed wild rasberries and blackberries in about 1/2 hour, and then laid into nice BBQ featuring baby back ribs, fresh garden salad with cherry tomatoes from our deck, and a nice potato salad. When he left, we gave him several quarts of wild frozen blueberries, a gallon of frozen cultivated strawberries, a dozen fresh cucumbers and some zucchini. Summer is good. These are the things we cherish all winter in hopes of experiencing them again.

He now has his first house and he wants to start a small garden next year. I'm going to till up his garden spot with my old cast-iron Troy-Bilt Horse in the spring, and give him my little Murray front-tine tiller to keep up with the inter-row weeds. He has tasted a few of our jalapenos from this year's early crop, and is receiving some inspiration. The stuff from the supermarket is crap - home-grown and garden-ripened is killer.

 

[Pythagorean]

I grow plants indoors with a high pressure sodium, does that count?

 

[Astronuc]

I grow plants indoors with a high pressure sodium, does that count?

Sure. We didn't specify location or method. Basically this is about growing plants any which way. Hydroponics counts too.

a dozen fresh cucumbers and some zucchini.

Hey, turbo, I've been meaning to ask about the squash vine borer and your plants. Is that pest a problem up your way? If so, how do you deal with it? I'm losing a few zucchini to something, and it might be the borer.

 

[turbo]

Hey, turbo, I've been meaning to ask about the squash vine borer and your plants. Is that pest a problem up your way? If so, how do you deal with it? I'm losing a few zucchini to something, and it might be the borer.

No problem, here. Nothing eats zucchini. That is a vegetable that needs absolutely no attention. If I were having that type of problem, I think that I would take my losses this year, and instead of composting the squash vines and zucchini stalks, I would try to completely remove them and the roots shortly after harvest and burn them. I haven't had to deal with a bad infestation of insects, yet - lucky, I guess.