Wonderful Wonderful Raspberries and More!

Raspberries and Boysenberries

It is that time of the year when fresh raspberries are available from early summer to fall when you grow them yourself.  Raspberries are easy to grow in most places. At this time I just grow the red raspberries, but plan on planting some black raspberries (which are firmer than the red) in the future. 

A year ago I attempted to transplant many of my raspberry plants to a bit shadier bed that I created under the edge of my grape arbor. The transplanted plants are growing okay (especially if I keep up the watering), but they are not producing this year. I was planning on moving some boysenberries into the old raspberry bed this year. These boysenberries where bred over a number of years for this area - in fact for my very neighborhood. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they are thornless.  

The old raspberry bed is producing lots of berries everyday (Yumm!), so I will leave them alone until the end of the season.  I have been eating them for breakfast on a little cottage cheese. Here was today's bowl of raspberries and a couple boysenberries. So wonderful as they melt in my mouth. And of course it is hard not to graze when picking a basket of them. They have such a rich delicate flavor. Raspberries are so easy to harvest and the tiny tiny thorns/stickers are almost indiscernible. The only time I feel them is when I am breaking/snapping out old dead canes. Yet, I have solved this problem by buying a new raspberry cane cutter. It is a very cool tool with a curved blade that makes it easy to snap/cut out old canes. It was a Christmas present to myself this last year. 

According to an October/November 2002 Mother Earth article, "Raspberries are high in fiber and vitamin C, and are a rich source of the anticancer compound ellagic acid. Black raspberries are especially fruitful in antioxidant and cancer preventive agents. Fresh raspberries are highly perishable and are best used within one to two days for peak quality, flavor and nutrient content. Rinse berries with cold water just before using."

This is my first year for getting a good crop from the boysenberries. I have only had them for a little over a year. I have been freezing them to bake a boysenberry pie. I am sure I have enough now, but they keep coming on, which is a wonderful surprise.

My blackberries will start later in the summer, which is nice. I have had these plants for many many years and they are thornless too! I freeze lots of blackberries every year.

I use my frozen berries in pies, cobblers and muffins. Sprinkle over cottage cheese, ice cream or pancakes and they make for a real treat.  Or one can make a quick raspberry (or any one of these berries) berry spread by mixing 2 tablespoons crushed berries with 1/3 cup soft butter and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

So, the main question I am currently pondering is what kind of berry (other than blueberries - which I have 2 plants already) will I plant next and where in my very intensively planted backyard city farm/garden will they live?

I hope you seriously entertain the idea of growing berries. They are so easy to grow and offer wonderful rewards.

The tool shed is coming along as well as the garden

During the extreme heat, I haven't gone out to the garden until the sun goes down and then have so much to do in the garden that I didn't get any pictures of the shed progress for awhile.

I planted two tomatillos (since you need two for fertilization) along the fence by the nectarine (Fantasia), the lemon verbena and the Royal Blenheim apricot.  They are finally making little paper balls after being in flower what seens like months. I had planted tomatillos in this area last year, but I completely weeded and changed the bed, as well as adding over 4 inches of mulch, so the tomatillos did not reseed here. I was surprised.

I was more than surprised when about 6-10 tomatillo plants volunteered in my eggplant bed which is across the walkway from the fence bed where the new tomatillos are growing. I guess I did not mulch this bed as deeply. These volunteers are very healthy and trying to take over the whole bed - which I guess they kind of are.  Below is a picture of the volunteer tomatillo paper balls.

I think they are beautiful!  I am going to have a lot of tomatillos this year. I will broil them in the oven on each side for 5 minutes and blend them slightly and freeze much of them in portions to use during the year as salsa, in pasta dishes and soups. Yumm!

One tip: pull the skins off as you pick them or later you may not be able to get them off because the inside skin has a sticky surface that adheres them really well. Just rinse and don't worry about the stickiness before you broil.

The tool shed now has a nice roof.  Good thing because it is really overcast today and was part of yesterday. So, that means it has cooled down too!!! Yea! 

The tool shed also has a very nice dutch door. It will be painted to match the studio nearby.

The trim will be pained gray and the center parts of the door will be light blue. I especially like the hardware.

Here the door is open. This is nice because I can reach lots of the hand tools I use just through this top part. I have a nice small, but long shelf on the right and lots of shelves on the left.

The next pictures will show big changes in the look of the tool shed when the siding goes on.  Hopefully I will have those soon!!!  I need to get this finished so I can clean out the greenhouse to make it ready for winter seed starting and keeping a few other plants happy during the winter. I will be using the solar electric for fans, lighting and a heater for warmth if need be in the greenhouse. I have more carrots starting in the greenhouse now, but need to start many more fall plants soon.

Fall is now coming on fast!

Potting Shed Construction

The potting bench is now completed. Here it is with the new canvas awning. I chose parchment for the color so light would come through and it does. It is also waterproof which will keep the area so much cleaner. Now it is fun to start seed during the hot months of the year, as it is way too hot for starting seed in the greenhouse at this time of the year.
 

So, here it is - completed and a beauty and so very functional.
Started carrot seed in six-packs two days ago because it is too hot out in the garden now and I have way too much mulch on all my beds at this time of the year for a shallow seeder.

This picture shows where the new tool shed is being built next to my potting bench.

This next picture shows the roof line of the new tool shed which matches the roof line of the studio on the left (blue shingled structure). The next set of pictures (when it gets sheathing) will really demonstrate how it is going to look. Hopefully this will be in about two days.

We had Spring in July!

Yes, we have had a mixed up year when it comes down to Mother Nature and our environment. After an extremely cool/cold/wet March through May we got sizzling temps in June and then July provided us with Spring time temperatures. It was a blessing. All those things we weren't able to do during our regular spring could be done (or most of them) in July. 

I was able to clean out all those garden storage spots with piles of old plastic pots, some full of soil and much more. Now I am looking for a home for all those pots and I mean LOTS of pots.  I cleaned out and put together all of those broken pieces of terracotta pots which we all save for planting. I am saving many of them for artistic endeavors in making homemade designer pots. Someday I will have time for those types of projects. Oh, I found all kinds of treasures in the garden and a bunch of stuff I was able to throw away too!

I designed and my dear husband built a new 8' long potting bench that is absolutely beautiful - a work of art. I already have my containers of compost, worm casting compost, seed mixture, and general soil underneath. Then there is the vermiculite, sand, kelp and other ingredients stored under the new potting bench.

The shade cloth suspended above is what is reflecting the light above. I am calling this area my potting shed because it now has a shade cloth suspended over it, but will soon have a new awning installed.

 

I have seeds starting for onions and zucchini squash, plus basil and some ornamentals too.

Soon we are building a tool closet/shed to the right of this photo for obviously my tools and all the things that help me in the garden. Then it will truly be a potting shed!!!

Of course now, it is time to clean out the greenhouse. There is always a list of chores waiting in the garden.

Finally planting a Spring garden in May and June

So we finally got some spring weather about three weeks ago, which came right after our full day of hail! Mother Nature is not happy! It sure is very evident this year with all this crazy weather and events around the world.

Alright, back to my little piece of nature. We have a city lot with some very old fruit trees and many I planted years ago. The (white) fig tree was planted in 1920 and the Santa Rosa plum was planted some time between 1920-1950. There are two Loquots, one old and another was a baby volunteer, a Meyer and Eureka lemon tree,  a pink grapefruit tree, a large Bay tree, Vitex tree, and Elder tree. There is a three year old Suncrest peach, a two year old Fantasia nectarine and a two year old Royal Blenheim apricot (replacing my old 25yr. old apricot that died a couple years ago).

We have several blackberry plants in several beds and this picture shows some of their pretty flowers that will bring fruit soon.

The raspberry bed is shown below. I have had it for several years and it is finally acting happy. Hope it bears well this year. I think I love raspberries best of all!

This next picture is of our new boysenberry bed, planted in mid April. This picture was taken 13 days ago and the plants have filled out significantly since then. I haven't built the supportive structure to hold up the vines yet. All the berries are doing well this year.

My red potatoes are looking really good in this picture. You can see the Calendula (yellow flowers) in the background. Calendula is a wonderful healing herb. Really good for the skin.

The bush beans (below) were planted as young starters. They sat here doing nothing for a couple hot weeks, but now they have buds and are happy. Since this picture, I had to separate them more, because when I planted them I thought they were climbing beans which can be planted closer together.

So this is a little abbreviated inventory of some of my sustainable urban gardens.

A very late summer veggie garden

I did not get my garden planted until the end of spring, early summer. And then I left for vacation in Sept. and Oct. Thank goodness I had a wonderful person caring for my garden while I was away and nothing died. That is a very special garden person for sure.

Oh, and Yes, I had a wonderful time in Ireland and visited many beautiful gardens. In fact, all of Ireland is a beautiful garden.

Okay, back to my garden. I planted it several months after my normal early spring plant time. First of all, the weather dictated that we plant a month late. Plants that sit in cold soil do not develop sooner, in fact they are set back behind plants that are put in soil at appropriate temperatures for spring growth. Then I was busy with college classes until June.

The surprising thing about this year's garden is that it is now (and while I was in Ireland) producing the fruits of my labor. The tomatoes are still on the vine, though I have picked all the red ones and only the green ones are left. The basil is still healthy. The zucchini is still producing. Well, two out of the three are still producing. Here is a picture of one that I will pick tomorrow. It is just above the large leaf that is closest in the picture.

So, here is a close-up of the zucchini that will be part of my steamed vegetable dish tomorrow night. Isn't that a beauty?!!!

While I was in Ireland, my potatoes decided to start growing. I must have left a couple little baby potatoes in the bed last time I harvested them in early summer sometime. I always say I should keep a garden diary and I do write down a few things, but never keep it up. Best intentions! Anyway, as I was saying the potatoes decided to grow all on their own without me even being in the country. Here they look pretty happy.

Oh I forgot to mention the peppers! There are lots of sweet peppers and chili peppers too. These pictures are only incredible because they were taken in the first week of November!!! Gardening fills the soul!

A pretty good summer!

Considering the fact that my gardens have been pretty much on their own for two months, it has been a good summer.

Why? My organic garden was mulched well in the spring and I have had time to keep up with watering mostly.

The other reason, and a very big one IMHO, is that I have insects. I have had many honeybees and other native bees, butterflies, and lots of beneficial helpers. I have seen butterflies that I can't identify, such as a very tiny (1/2") pretty black and tan shaped just like the stealth plane. This guy was in my vegetable garden and also in my frontyard mostly ornamental gardens. In fact, I saw a larger variety today with this stealth shape (1") with two very white distinctive shapes on each wing.

There are lots of birds this year. I have had hummers, mourning doves, lots of small birds, a couple hawks, crows, blue jays as usual, and nesting mocking birds with the juveniles bathing in the saucer of water on the deck and trying to jump from vine to vine in the climbing roses.

I have one young squirrel living on my deck. His mother used to be around, but for the last two-three months it has just been "little one" - his name.

So, as you can see, it has been fun watching the wildlife when I get a chance.

The harvest from the garden has been fun too! Fun to eat! Here is a fruit and veggie basket from last week. This is before the grapes were sweet enough to harvest yet and the grapefruit was a little high for me to reach. The herb in the basket is basil. Oh we love basil.

If you count tomatoes as a fruit. This is something that seems difficult for me to change my mind about - they would still be on my veggie list. But if you do, then this basket includes four types of fruit and four types of vegetables and basil to make everything taste even better!

By the way, I am feeding the neighborhood wildlife with my huge white fig tree. Actually, they are green in color. They are right ontop of the white eggplant in the basket.

The Jalapeno pepper is sitting on the figs and they are all sitting on the zucchini. I did sneak in a few blackberries in the very front of the basket. The raspberries are taking a rest and the blackberries have really come on big-time!

Now the bell peppers are starting to turn red and the tomatoes (mostly indeterminate) are ripening when I need them. The paste tomatoes (mostly determinates) are going to require processing to make sauce and then freezing within a couple weeks. And the lemons, well, I am nearing the end of the onslaught of lemons. I was getting approximately 20-25 lemons a day. Friends were finally saying, I still have plenty when I would offer more.

Since I am done with the "first" EcoLandscape California newsletter that took all of my time for two months, I am finally getting to update the various websites I have and care for and this blog.

And of course I am putting in time in the garden with some much needed maintenance, mainly pruning and volunteer and sucker removal. I am also getting a chance to feed several gardens with some newly brewed compost tea! A wonderful gift from a friend. In fact, I am going to say bye for now and get out there!

Happy July

Wow! was June a mixed bag or what? We had some unseasonal cool weather and then very hot weather near the end of the month. My plants didn't know what to think about it and the newly planted plants were not happy campers at the end of the month. It was wilt city during direct sun.

Yet, with all of these weather changes my plants grew and grew. Today I only had time to deadhead roses and prune back a tiny bit of my wild Wisteria. Well I did make time to harvest tomatoes, onions, raspberries, zucchini, plums, lemons and grapefruit.

Many things are in full bloom and I am thankful for everyday that I hear the buzzing of the bees. My Vitex tree is still electric with their sound. There are native bees flitting about and today I even saw a tiger swallowtail.

The bees are also covering my El Grosso Lavender in the front yard. The lavender is so happy that I will need to harvest it soon.

All another day!