So although we are now without a buck, we've been promised access to him come breeding season. Deal of the century if you asked me!
My Mom and Stepfather cleaned out their strawberry bed to make room for other berries (raspberries or gooseberries I think) and look what I ended up getting:
Two buckets of strawberry plants!!
Some of them already had berries on them so I'm not sure if the plants will continue growing berries after all the stress of being uprooted and transplanted. But even if they don't produce again until next season I'm still thrilled! I had bought some cheap'o strawberry crowns from Walmart a few weeks ago (why, why, WHY??) so I planted them near the back of the bed hoping that some of them will come up. They looked pretty pathetic, but I put in a handful of homegrown compost in with them hoping that would help.
So our berry garden is actually starting to look like a berry garden. The past two years were dreadfully hot here so I lost ALL of my raspberry and blackberry bushes (ten total) and about half (another six or so) of the blueberry bushes. We've replaced the dead blueberry bushes with new ones this spring and the bed that used to contain the raspberries now have grapes planted there. There is still one area that can be made into one large or two small beds. I'm not sure what other berry type of plant I want yet, so that area may just be used for the tomatoes and peppers this summer.
Our gardens are ever-changing, ever-growing, ever-evolving, aren't they? Each year I learn something (or I should say several things!) new and make changes. It's hard to believe you've had such hot summers that you lost so many of your berry bushes/plants. How hard (and expensive) that must have been. You wonder why I live where it's so cold; I wonder why you live where it's so HOT! But I guess it's a good thing we all don't want to live in the same little part of the country! We'd be wall-to-wall people and then where would we garden??
ReplyDeletePeace Pan! Time for you go stink up and head butt some one else!
ReplyDeleteNice berry bed. Damn I wish I had more space...
I'm glad you can "rent" Pan this fall when you need him! ;~)
ReplyDeleteLovely strawberry plants, they should get you off to a good start!
Grapes? One step closer to making your own wine!
ReplyDeleteMama Pea, I like your explanation on the distribution of the population.....where WOULD everybody garden then??? Always thinking of the veggies, ain't ya?
ReplyDeleteTiny Gardener, space is always needed, especially when it has the potential of holding berries!!
Candy C., I'm thrilled that we still get to use Pan, but don't have to take care of him. I actually feel a bit guilty about sending him off to Paul's friend. Just a little.
Chai Chai, no wine, they are eating grapes. I actually don't care for wine although Paul wants to try making some one day. Maybe I'd like an elderberry or blackberry wine; it would have to be REALLY sweet for me to even sip it.
I love freebies! I wish I had room for strawberries, although some I know grow them in hanging baskets...
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing like your own strawberry bed! I had hoped to send the last two lambs off to their new home yesterday, but, alas, I was stood up. I think the 'rent-a-buck' idea is by far the smartest way to raise goats!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I have abandoned the strawberry beds here just because they are a big cash crop here so we are headed to the fields to pick on Saturday. Can you believe they have been open for 2 weeks already! So strange this year... and makes me think the annual Strawberry Festival here this year will be well after the berries are done LOL at least there will be funnel cakes :)
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