May 6, 201412 yr I assume you've grown blueberries in the past. How'd they do? Those are my next attempt. I considered buying them from one of the big magazines I constantly get. My grandmother used to grow them and she had success. Are they finicky? This. Blueberries can be productive, but in this area (at least in Northern KY), you have to do a little extra work. You'll have to acidify the soil on a regular basis. And you'll need a ph tester to make sure it stays in the proper range. I usually add Miracid 2-3 times a year. I also keep the bushes mulched with pine straw/pine nugget mulch which helps maintain the acidity and helps the soil retain moisture. Also, when the bushes are small, you'll need to protect them from rabbits in the winter (I found out the hard way that rabbits love young blueberry bushes).
May 6, 201412 yr We always say we are going to put in a garden, but never seem to get to it. Someday when we are not gone every weekend with soccer and basketball....
May 6, 201412 yr Author Blueberries can be productive, but in this area (at least in Northern KY), you have to do a little extra work. You'll have to acidify the soil on a regular basis. And you'll need a ph tester to make sure it stays in the proper range. I usually add Miracid 2-3 times a year. I also keep the bushes mulched with pine straw/pine nugget mulch which helps maintain the acidity and helps the soil retain moisture. Also, when the bushes are small, you'll need to protect them from rabbits in the winter (I found out the hard way that rabbits love young blueberry bushes). Well all of ^this seems to be a great explanation for this: I've tried getting blueberry plants to take several times over. I've never gotten a single stinking blueberry off of one of them.
May 6, 201412 yr Well all of ^this seems to be a great explanation for this: It's not really that tough, or that much work. I have my 4 bushes growing in slightly raised beds which makes the soil a little easier to maintain, but raised beds do need to be mulched otherwise you're watering every day. It does take about 3 years for the bushes to become fairly productive (4 if you don't protect them and let the rabbits eat them to the ground after year 1).
May 6, 201412 yr Last Fall I planted a few pansies for the first time. Lo and behold they are back, bigger and more vibrant than before, even after the horrible winter. Does anyone know if they will resurrect again in the Fall, after a hot summer?
May 6, 201412 yr We built two 4 X * raised beds this year. We have a couple of tomatoe plants, watermelon, beans, lettuce, strawberry's, onion, brockley and turnip greens. Mrs. Doomer picked out the plants, and started the seeds inside...I am just trying to keep them alive now that they are outside. Otherwise, in the yard, I planted a Magnolia, 3 Cleveland Pear trees, and three knock-out Rose bushes. One of the Rose bushes is struggling maybe because it is the "site of choice" of our male lab.
May 13, 201412 yr Author We've got a pretty large 8'x15' balcony with plenty of sun, so we've got a couple roma tomato plants, as well as a green pepper plant, and a purple bell pepper plant in pots, then we've got some Kentucky Blue pole beans started in a planter, and a couple of different potatoes (King Edward and Adirondack Blue) growing in 35 gallon trash cans, as well as a good number of flowers to boot. Man....the blue potatoes are KILLING IT right now. They're supposed to be a mid-season harvest potato, but holy moley, I've had some days where the shoots have grown up 4-5" in a single day. It's nice seeing the little romas start popping up on the vines too. I'll bet between my two plants, there are probably 13 little young green tomato buds.
May 13, 201412 yr Author Did someone ring for me? You using your green wiener....err....thumb for anything productive this spring/summer?
May 13, 201412 yr You using your green wiener....err....thumb for anything productive this spring/summer? Just the usual garden stuff, I did redo one of my landscape beds a few weeks ago and finally have it looking like it belongs.
May 13, 201412 yr Wife and I did enough gardening/farming to last a lifetime as kids. We hit the farmer's markets now although with the kids gone we have started to talk about planting a garden but it's as much for the excercise as for the produce.
May 13, 201412 yr Wife and I did enough gardening/farming to last a lifetime as kids. We hit the farmer's markets now although with the kids gone we have started to talk about planting a garden but it's as much for the excercise as for the produce. This is our first garden in many years, and since we moved on a farm, it only seems like we should have a garden. :lol2: However, it is nice now that the plants are growing everyday, and we can see the progress. Now, I think we didn't plant enough stuff yet. We will have about 200 acres of corn starting about 100 feet from my house (leased farmland), but I am not sure it will be good for eating.
June 8, 201511 yr As we approach "fresh" season, I like to hear what others grow and what recipes they use to prepare. At the BirdNest this year, we have: Green Beans (Ky Wonder) Lima Beans Pickling Cucumbers Okra Banana Peppers Zuchinni Yellow Squash Cayenne Pepper Pumpkins Our tomatoes are a project as we were late getting them out, so we'll see, but Beefsteak and Rutgers are the plan.
June 8, 201511 yr I've got a postage stamp garden which consists of 6 tomato plants and 2 hills of cucumbers. My brother-in-law has 3 gardens with tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, green beans, lettuce, onions, bell peppers and potatoes. I love fresh veggies!
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