Backyard Re-Design: Planting Blueberries

As I've mentioned before the 4 year old is a picky eater. One of his favorite fruits is blueberries and he can eat them by the bucket! I learned this when he helped get them ready to sell last year.  To the left of the new children's play area we are going to start with 3 bushes and today we are going to pick them out.

Blueberries like well drained, acidic soil, high in organic matter. The ideal PH is between 4 and 5. I don't think we will test the PH level unless we have some difficulties down the road.

For best results use 1 to 3 year old bushes and plant in early Spring, so now is the perfect time. Holes need to be 20 inches long and 18 inches wide. I'm going to have the 4 year old help by using the measuring tape to be sure we have the right dimensions.  He won't even realize we are working on number recognition.  Space the bushes about 5 feet apart.  Blueberries are partially self-fertile. To harvest more and larger berries it is best to plant 2 or more varieties so we are going to get 3 different bushes.

They need to 2 to 4 inches of mulch in order to keep their shallow root system moist. Either wood chips, saw dust, or pine needles work best.  We are not going to mulch this weekend since the ground is pretty saturated and we will be adding some dry Fertilome to the soil (which is always my preference since our soil tends to have a little too much clay.) They only need one to two inches of water per week so once we hit that dry July and August weather we will run our hose over there a couple times a week.

We will have to pinch the blooms back the first couple of years or there will never be much fruit and what does produce will be bitter or tart.  I sure hope these little boys understand and wait patiently.  It looks like this year we will have to pick up our berries at the store.

After 4 years the plants will need to be pruned in late winter just before growth begins. Pruning important to stimulate growth.

Pruning High Bush Varieties: Start with large cuts and remove wood that is more than 6 years old, drooping to the ground or crowding the center of the bush. Also remove low growing branches whose fruit will touch the ground, as well as spindly twigs.

Pruning Low Bush Varieties: Prune by cutting all stems to the ground.

NOTE: PRUNED PLANTS WILL NOT BEAR THE SEASON FOLLOWING PRUNING, SO PRUNE A DIFFERENT HALF OF A PLANTING EVERY OTHER YEAR OR A THIRD EVERY THREE YEARS.

Fruit is ready to harvest between late July and mid-August. Don't rush to pick the day the berries turn blue. Waiting just a couple of days will ensure the berries are sweet, tender, and juicy.  Full production will be reached after 6 years.  Again, it is recommended to pinch the blooms off at least the first to second year to stimulate plant growth and better fruit production.

High bush varieties will reach about 6 feet and are adapted for zones 4-7. Low bush varieties are best for colder climates and are creeping plants only a foot or so high and spread by underground stems. Low bush varieties make a nice ornamental fruiting ground cover. Half-high bushes were developed in Michigan and can be anywhere from 18 inches to 4 feet tall producing a grayish looking berry. Some are tart and great for pies.

We are picking out 3 different high bush varieties today. I can hardly wait to get them in the ground and in just a couple of years the boys (and their granna) can go out and grab a handful of these rich in antioxidants, super fruit!

Hankering for Spring

With daylight savings time this Sunday and spring officially less than three weeks away my hibernation is quickly coming to a close. The threats of more "winter" weather this coming Wednesday doesn't have me too excited about donning my work boots just yet. Though the last shot of warm weather and sunshine had me and the 3 and 4 year old outside cleaning our raised beds and making plans for planting.


It won't be long and we will have our carrots, sweet peas, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, and salad onions planted. We are going to make a couple of potato towers we saw on Pinterest and plant them as well.  They can grow up to 25 pounds of potatoes each. I'm thinking we are going to start with three.

The 4 year old is fascinated with both flower and vegetable gardening.  My goal is not only to raise enough food to eat and some to put up for the winter, but to entice him to eat more vegetables...let's hope it finally works.This year we plan on adding some blueberries and grapes. We are all kind of excited about that.

Of course a winter of scrolling Pinterest, browsing gardening magazines, and reading flower and plant books gives a person tons of ideas. Especially when there is such a big back yard available. We have an old galvanized water trough that's been in the back yard some fifteen years. This is the year we are going to turn it into a water feature and the surrounding area into a court yard. I have a drawing, a list of plant and landscaping materials and a detailed to-do list. It includes a children's play area complete with music/noise making area, checker-board, club house (you know cause we have boys) and some whimsical pathways. I love the alphabet pathway but instead of using the flat stones we are going to pick up some of those round concrete stepping stones so the 4 and 5 year old can paint them. It will be the major path leading from the court yard area to the play yard.


We have a stack of these square stepping stones down by the barn and now I know what to do with them! We are going to use Frisbees for the game pieces and probably paint the squares red and black. I'm not sure if we will try and build some benches or just pick some up ready-made. We have to keep in mind that it will be plant season at the store and there is plenty of work to keep us busy there. The hop scotch game will make a perfect path from the swing set to the club house.

I think a pallet fence between the court yard and vegetable garden will be a nice addition and give me another place for flower beds. I really want to add a couple of Jane Magnolia trees.  They are one of my favorites and bloom early giving us the first hope of Spring.

Along the base of one of our huge old oak trees the four year old wants to make a fairy garden.  I love it! I think it will be just the touch of "magic" to keep both boys interested.


Poor Uncle Bubba keeps listening and looking as I show him all these pictures and talk about what we are going to do "just as soon as the weather breaks" but I think I might see a trace of fear in his eyes.  It's going to be a huge endeavor and of course, the vegetable garden comes first...so we are going to break it off in chunks and work it like that. Hope you enjoy this journey with us.  I will post before and after pictures, tips and advice and everything we learn along the way.  Until then...enjoy the last bit of winter weather, make your plan, and we will see you back here soon.

Aunt Theresa

FALL IS IN THE AIR AND THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR SOUP!

I am so ready for the cooler weather. I'm not a big fan of rain, but I'll take it if it means Autumn will finally arrive and stay! Days like today are perfect for a hearty soup and I know just what I am fixing for dinner tonight! ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SHALLOT SOUP...one of our family favorites! The good thing about this soup is you can cook the ingredients in advance and pop them in the refrigerator and use the next day or later in the week.

Ingredients

4 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

4 large shallots peeled and quartered (I use jumbo green onions)

1/2 in peeled fresh ginger sliced thin. (Use powdered ginger if necessary, just wait till everything is in the pan and sprinkle lightly)

2 1/2 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp fresh chives (I use the green part of the jumbo green onions)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine first five ingredients in a roasting or jelly roll pan, toss well and bake 50 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.  Let cool ten minutes.

Place 1/2 squash mixture and 1/2 the broth in the blender. Remove the center ring and place a fresh, clean towel over allowing steam to escape.  Blend until smooth and place in large sauce pan. Repeat process until all squash and broth are used. Cover and heat 5 minutes until heated through. Top with chives and fresh ground black pepper.

Variation

I have used sweet red onions in place of shallots/jumbo green onions and thyme instead of ginger. Its delicious! I cube the butternut squash and place on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, then a couple pinches (or more) of fresh thyme - then thinly sliced purple onion on top and bake until tender. This soup is a little sweeter and I sometimes use less chicken broth and add a little heavy cream once it is heated through in the sauce pan. Either way it is the perfect fall soup.

Happy Eating!

Aunt Theresa