I'm skipping the winter/fall season as I'm revamping my garden a bit; but, will be wanting to try something new this fall and would appreciate any advice and suggestions here. First off, I've never grown raspberries, blackberries or grapes before. I have about 40 self watering 5 gallon container buckets I would like to use but have some questions first? I notice it says in these plant descriptions that they have quite a spread? I was thinking of planting the Heritage Raspberry, the Triple Crown Thonless Blackberry, and a variety of grapes. I was also intending on putting them in the self watering containers which are about 9-10 to a row, with about 1 1/2" space between all the way around the buckets. Is that enough space for these plants? I was going to plant about 10 grape plants, 5 raspberry plants and 5 blackberry plants. I was going to put a self made trellis up along the last row for the grapes to climb up? Oh, and I am planning to put PVC pipe around my garden this year and then cover the pipes with light weight bug cloth leaving a flap that i can close with a clothes pin as I need to enter and exit the enclosure, the plants don't need any bugs to pollinate them right?
joy
Comments please?
New project to attempt this fall
Here is what my garden area looks like; so that everyone can get an idea of the buckets and rows:
Joy, I hate to dampen your enthusiasm, but I think you need to do some serious research before you try these plants. They are all real estate hogs, and I may be wrong, but I don't think any of them bare fruit until they are quite large, which takes several years. I would suggest you google grape culture, rasberry culture, etc. before you purchase any of them. I,m pretty sure they all need the bees to pollinate them, but you could cover them after bloom to keep the birds and bugs away, I suppose.
Carol
OCCarol: I have been researching them and they seem to all be self pollinating. My grandson said the same thing you did though, as he doesn't feel the 5 gallon containers are big enough, he said they get really big and spread out quite a bit. He also has me researching a new fruit I've never heard of that he saw and wants me to try, it's a tropical fruit called Pitahaya fruit or better known as the dragon fruit. I have done some research on what it's benefits are, as it is a healthy for you fruit; but, still don't know what it's supposed to taste like. LOL
joy
The dragon fruit I've tasted were kind of like a sour watermelon. Quite pretty fruit, but they grow on a big ol' cactus that I sure don't want in my yard. Also, I'm pretty sure dragon fruit aren't self-pollinating so you've got to count on bats and moths to whiz around and do that job. How about a Passion Fruit vine instead? They're quite pretty. Like just about all of those other things on your hit list, it's a real estate hog too.
I just can't believe you're not going to grow all the good cooler weather stuff! **shakes head** :)
Don't worry, Beaver,
I'm gonna be growing it in Joy's place. Fall/Winter is the BEST season there is! I can hardly wait!
I have 14 tomato seedlings from seeds that I pulled from a tomato that a co-worker grew from seedlings that I grew from seeds. How KEWL is that? 2nd generation seedlings!
Also, I'm trying my hand at starting my cabbages from seeds, but I didn't get them under enough light before they got really leggy, so I'm just gonna start all over again soon.
Between the two of us, I'm sure we can male up for her....uh.....lack of fall growing interest. Your little circle of (tomato) life you've got going is great! When do you try to get your winter crops in the ground over there. Gymgirl? I'm thinking I need to get my seedlings started inside mid August, and planted outside in early-mid October. It's about time for me to take my tomato cuttings so I've got big healthy starts ready when the weather becomes tolerable again.
I'm tomatoes, snow and snap peas, green and purple broccoli, maui and red torpedo onions and assorted greens this winter. Squash would be nice, but the vines always rot for me. I've been surprised how well leeks have done in e-buckets in this super-heated sticky summer. Congrats on living in the ONE location in this country that is more humid than my little island here! :)
(no hurricanes this year, please)
Beaver,
Looks like we're on the same proposed schedule, except I'm feeling I'm already overdue to have my tomatoes out. August 14th is my target for getting stuff in the ground. That's after moving out this weekend, and getting my raised beds moved to another location, and prepped for seeding. I had hoped to start my own seedlings, but looks like I'm gonna have to go with direct sowing and see what happens.
It's just that DSing here means keeping that soil moist until germination, which is hard when you work a day job...
Although, I DO have all the components for an auto drip system that could be outfitted with a gentle misting/sprinkler head. Hmmmmmmmmmm?
THANKS FOR REMINDING ME!
Bocabob's AWS System - Discussion Thread
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/917064/
Bocabob's AWS System - Araness's EZ Sheet Instructions
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=5804801
Wow, you do have a lot on your plate. You know, those hokey looking mini-SIPs made from water/soda bottles (cut, inverted) work real well for seed starting and keep things nicely moist... just a thought. They go together much faster e-buckets and the like.
I wonder if I could put my tomatoes out as early as you if I shaded them better. Getting anything out before mid-Sept seems like begging for rot to me. SOOO hot.
LOVE my Bocabob watering system! There is no wiser move for gardening in locations like ours.
Gymgirl,
Thanks for the links back to the AWS system! I'm sure I could hook it up to my water barrels. Will bookmark it for next spring...
Fall crops I've planted so far are Broccoli. Maybe I'll buy some brussel sprout seeds and do those too, not sure yet.
OK--you all are making us "northerners" envious. It's been so darned warm this summer, our first spring-planted crops are barely surviving the heat and humidity. I tried planting my first "fall" crop of seed potatoes--the darned chipmunks dug up and chewed on almost every one of them. Does that tell you how our season is going?
We midwesterners will just watch these posts and enjoy your gardens vicariously. I'm especially anxious to see if raspberries can grow in EBs or SWB. I would love to have some, but no ground space for them in my yard!
Yep, Joyce got overwhelmed this Spring/Summer and is having to miss the best season (my favorite) of all, the Fall/Winter; but, it's for a great and reasonable venture. My brother and I cut up the old swimming pool and it will be a great barrier cloth on the ground, not to mention the plans for the PVC pipe house with bug cloth to go over my garden with a door that closes with clothespins, via, keeping lady bugs that I put inside inside and bad bugs outside. LOL Hopefully, andyways right? This will be permanent fixture in my garden and I need to have the time to do it.
joy
Joy, I love watching you grow and experiment in your garden. Keep it up--you are definitely an inspiration to all of the "newbie" gardeners here. I think the most important thing is it keep trying what works best in your situation. Hopefully, we can all learn tips from everyone here, and we can try some new things that will work for us.
Post photos as you can in your new set up, please. Can't wait to see.
mom2goldens: Sure, I've learned a lot about ideas from others here, and will be happy to post pics once I get the project going. I'm learning a lot from my grandson about gardening, he sure is smart when it comes to plants, uhmmm, or maybe I'm just really dumb, either way I'm learning. LOL
joy
Ok, the measurements of this thingy will be 16' wide x 30' long x about 8 ft high. I've decided to make it out of PVC pipe and will try and find light weight bug cloth that I can get on a roll to clamp to the PVC pipe structure. Anyone know where to buy bug cloth like that?
joy
Joy,
Is your "thingy" a hoophouse or a greenhouse?
Gymgirl: It will be like a greenhouse, only huge.LOL I found the perfect cloth to go over it also from grower's supply, it comes on rolls. This thing will be made of PVC pipe and I will use clips to hold the cloth on. I will also make sure it is anchored well. With the recycling use of the pool, I can have a floor that will not allow bugs to come up into the thing either. I also discovered that they make a female cuke that doesn't need pollinated either, so now I can grow cukes in that thing also. Too bad they don't make self-pollinating melons right?
joy
Great link gessie violet. I'm going to try that with my summer crook neck squash next Spring/Summer inside the PVC pipe bug cloth covered enclosure I'm making. It will be 30' long x 18' wide x 8 ft tall, so should accomadate most of my garden that way. I'm going to be growing about 20 tomatoes in there, pepper plants, eggplants, cukes and squash, later will add grapes to the mix.
joy