At the beginning of September I pledged to complete Four Simple Goals by the end of the year. I've been a bit slow getting started but this weekend I finally cracked Goal no. 4 - ressurect the vegie garden. Taking advantage of this weekend's glorious Spring weather weekend we traipsed off to Bunnings to buy some seedlings, seed raising mix and compost. I wanted to plant an edible garden so we only bought things we love to eat - tomatoes (Grosse Lisse, Sweet Cherry and Roma), strawberries, blueberries, rocket and dwarf lemon and orange trees. We also planted lettuce and beetroot seeds and added mint and parsley to our herb garden. The kids had a great time planting the seeds in yoghurt pots they'd been saving all week and I'm very excited about the possibility of keeping us in blueberries over Summer. Have you ever grown blueberries before? Any tips?
I'll be keen to hear what people say about blueberries. I have a sheltered spot that I've been looking at because I had read/heard that they could cope with shade. This spot is shady but in summer gets the end of the day western sun. Spot faces south though, so no northern light. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteLooks like a perfect day...........I planted a tiny blueberry bush this year and it produced about four tiny berries.....like you I need a bit of advice....
ReplyDelete....I vaguely remember my favourite TV and garden writer Alys Fowler who has actually written a book called 'The Edible Garden' saying that they need lots of water....but rain and not tap water and they like acid conditions, but can grow them in containers.....
Maybe I should check my soil to see if it's acid enough for them....
Deb
I've thought about growing stuff too but not got around to it yet. I've only ever been blueberry picking, have never grown them, but am looking forward to a bumper crop of mulberries this year after all the rain (although will have to put the net up over the tree soon so the birds don't get to the fruit before me!)...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, I saw Lisa Lang's first book about Cole in the museum book shop but it's tiny and was $14.95.. not much, I know, but a lot for such a little book!! I do want to read the new one though... will have to see what my sister who works in a book shop can do about that!
Hi Caz! I've never grown them before but I love to eat them, especially with some yummy cream or yoghurt! It'll be interesting to see how they go for you.
ReplyDeleteI'm just about to try and grow a herb garden in some half barrels that I bought a while back from a winery. Should be fun! I'm not really a gardener, so I thought I'd start off reasonably small and see if I can avoid killing everything (I seem to either over or under water my indoor plants, so I hope outside is easier!)
NIce to *meet* you and find your lovely blog!
Linda. x
I'm sorry to say that I can't offer any blueberry tips, so any success you have I'll be happy to share from.
ReplyDeleteYAY for attacking your 'four simple goals'. I really should do an update on mine sometime too.
Edible gardens are fantastic and it seems you're off to a wonderful start! :)
Seems I'm not the only intrigued by blueberries! Deb, I think you are right about the acid soil
ReplyDelete(you can create this by using azelea potting mix if you are planting them in pots) but I didn't know about the rain water - it's absolutely bucketing down here as I write so I hope my little blueberry is enjoying it.
Katie, I'm not sure about the afternoon sun/ shady spot. I've go my blueberry in just such a spot (shade in the morning with afternoon sun) which I think is good for now but I may have to move it when the sunny really starts to heat up. Another piece of information I've gleaned is that they need a few really cold nights during Winter to guarantee fruit (not sure why) but apparently one plant can supply 3-4 kg of fruit in a good season!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Fourth Daughter, and Heartfire at Home it's always nice to make new friends - thanks.
Tracey I'm looking forward to your Four Simple Goals update - I'm sure we'll get there in the end!
Heh, we purchased a little blueberry bush over a year ago, and so far, nada!
ReplyDeletePoor little thing, maybe he craves warmer weather? He's shed and regrown his leaves twice now, so seems to be doing okay, but no sign of berries yet, or much of an increase in height/size... :-p
Also- what's your username at the Yates Challenge? I'll log on and give you some votes, if you vote for my posts too ;-) (I'm currently the top-vote-holder for our district, yay!)
Manu, I'm not actually bloggin over at Yates Challenge - I've got my hands full as it is but I'll pop over and vote for you again!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it does take time to take photos and create entries!
ReplyDeleteI finally sowed some corn today, so have a shiny new entry.
Thanks in advance for the votes! Someone else has caught up to me (noooo!), so I need more votes on my posts to keep my top spot... :-p