If you can find any wild ones they are going to be even more tasty than usual with the drought! Wild or feral blackberries are doing ok here despite the lack of rain so it might be worthwhile to have at least a look.
Hasn't rained here fo 50 days but I am watering the garden as long as it is still legal.
Northern Ireland had a hosepipe ban for a while now and from next month the northwest of England will have one too.
Hasn't rained here fo 50 days but I am watering the garden as long as it is still legal.
Northern Ireland had a hosepipe ban for a while now and from next month the northwest of England will have one too.
All of our wild black berries are green and waiting for rain to fill them out.
I have found a few respberries that are very nice by an old railway.
I will be back later in the year for a couple of roots for my garden.
I will leave most of them there as they are strong and will grow well and make a good row after a year.
I have found a few respberries that are very nice by an old railway.
I will be back later in the year for a couple of roots for my garden.
I will leave most of them there as they are strong and will grow well and make a good row after a year.
Many years ago I planted some raspberry canes next to the fence on the "west" side of my back yard (more like south-west by the compass). They have been slowly marching across the lawn (an exaggeration, there is no actual lawn). I was worried this year because we had some hard frost in early June; it wiped out >70% of local wine producers' crops. However my raspberry canes are heavy with fruit which is just starting to ripen. Cherries are about two weeks late this year.
Took me three attempts to successfully plant raspberries.
If you buy canes with bare roots they need a lot of looking after and watering in the first year.
My raspberries are summer-fruiting varieties ie they fruit on last years growth but this year was rather good and some are fruiting on this years early growth!
Blackberries are not quite in season yet, it'll be another 4-6 weeks or so but what is there looks very promising.
If you buy canes with bare roots they need a lot of looking after and watering in the first year.
My raspberries are summer-fruiting varieties ie they fruit on last years growth but this year was rather good and some are fruiting on this years early growth!
Blackberries are not quite in season yet, it'll be another 4-6 weeks or so but what is there looks very promising.
Luckily I didn't know they were hard to grow and just stuck them in the ground, where they grew like weeds. In fact the neighbours later also planted some on the other side of the same fence, which then migrated under and through the fence, so now I don't know which variety (both?) is slowly filling my back yard. Ironically the space by the fence is now bare, because a grape vine is growing there, and pulled down the lilacs so they are growing at a weird angle and shading that space. I am constantly pulling up and cutting back the raspberry canes, which even choke out the sumacs that would otherwise fill my yard ( we have one sumac tree and scions keep popping up everywhere).
Anyway we are still gorging on strawberries here, the raspberries are just starting, and blackberries won't ripen until late August or early September in cooler areas near the ocean.
Soil in NE Ohio is the same -- heavy clay -- requires a lot of peat moss and rotted horse poop.
Roses love fish emulsion!
I will try the raspberries again next year.
The heirloom tomato farm is coming along, despite the cooler temperatures and the many days with overcast or fog. One plant dead so far, 27 plants still alive.
Ripe fruit on about five or six plants, quite a few others starting to show color. The current first place winner for best tasting tomato in this year's crop is "Stupice", an heirloom from Czechoslovakia. But I expect that the late season plants will take over the lead when they eventually ripen. I'm rooting for the Carolyn Male / Craig Lehoullier "On The Vine" strain of Brandwine and have put its self watering planter box in a best-sun location.
Ripe fruit on about five or six plants, quite a few others starting to show color. The current first place winner for best tasting tomato in this year's crop is "Stupice", an heirloom from Czechoslovakia. But I expect that the late season plants will take over the lead when they eventually ripen. I'm rooting for the Carolyn Male / Craig Lehoullier "On The Vine" strain of Brandwine and have put its self watering planter box in a best-sun location.
Growing up we'd do a couple weekends each summer where we'd go crazy canning tomatoes. Nowadays, both my mom and I have converged on freezing cherry/pear tomatoes (just rinsing) and using them to augment commercial cans through the winter.
I've never made sauce with the heirlooms I've had. Never lasted long enough to accumulate.
I've never made sauce with the heirlooms I've had. Never lasted long enough to accumulate.
If instead of sticking the fruit of your labours in bags and freezing them you can fill them in pickle jars or whatever, stick'em in the oven, heat and then put the lids on.
No need to fill the freezer, fill the garage instead!
Which ever way you do it, if you have stick some sprigs of fresh basil into the portions.
No need to fill the freezer, fill the garage instead!
Which ever way you do it, if you have stick some sprigs of fresh basil into the portions.
