Blueberries for Sal

One of my favorite children’s story is, Blueberries for Sal.  Not only is it a funny story of quite an unusual mix-up on Blueberry hill, but it also gets me exited for blueberry season.

Years ago, blueberries were not grown here in the Central Valley.  I remember visiting my husband’s uncle in Pennsylvania who had a HUGE blueberry field.  We crouched down inside the netting and ate blueberries (just like Sal) for at least an hour solid! 

Recently in the south valley, farmers are giving blueberries a try.  From what I have heard, the two tricks are: acid soil and lots of MULCH!  Below is a guide to help your backyard blueberries have a great year!

What you need:

·                    Blueberry plants – always plant more than one (for cross-pollination).  In fact, even better is to plant two different varieties.  Last year (my first year of attempting blueberries) I bought my bushes at Lowe’s.  They did not grow too good and I had a booming harvest of 5 berries.  This year, I visited Evergreen Nursery where I bought two varieties that have been engineered to survive our summer heat and winter chill.  These bushes were much more expensive ($25 each), but I am hoping for a much better harvest.  I purchased a Misty Blueberry and a Sharpblue Blueberry.  By the way, these varieties of blueberry plants are more like bushes.  They are evergreen (never die or loose leaves) and can grow up to 6 feet tall!

·                    Acidic Planting Mix – blueberries thrive in acid soil.  My backyard, and most basic potting soil, is that very thing – basic (or alkaline).  Time for a simple Chemistry lesson.  Plants require differing levels of acid.  Most flowers and vegetables thrive in alkaline soil (a high ph).  Blueberries and other favorites like Azaleas & Hydrangeas, propagate best in acidic soil (low ph).  Most nurseries carry acidic soil.  I bought mine at H&E Nursery.  I got a nice 2 cubit feet bag for $8.99.

·                    A place/pot to plant your blueberries.

·                    Mulch – although I have never personally bought mulch, you can ask your local nursery if they have some for purchase.  I usually create my own out of newspaper & leaves!  Remember- I believe in being resourceful (aka- cheap!).

Here’s what I did:

                After I assembled my supplies, I dumped my nice alkaline soil into my barrel.  (If you purchase a new barrel, make sure you drill holes in the bottom so your soil can drain!  I even have my barrels balancing on red bricks to keep the bottoms from rotting out.)

                Dig a nice hole for each plant (remember to purchase at least two plants).  I tucked my plant in right at the soil line. 

                My soil line is about 8 inches down from the top of the barrel.  This will allow me to mulch, mulch, mulch once our summer heat begins.  Blueberry roots do not like to be dried out! 

                Then I watered my new plants.

                If you have the capabilities to hook up a drip line or some watering device to put in your Blueberry Barrel that would be a good idea.  The roots should not ever dry out.  (Hence the trick with Blueberries in Fresno!)

                When our heat begins, tear some black & white newspaper into strips and place over-top of the soil.  Then sprinkle some yard trimmings (not weeds) onto the newspaper.  Even better are pine needles.  Pine needles are naturally acidic so are a great addition to your mulch.  It’s kind of like making a lasagna: paper, clippings, needles, repeat!  Layer to your hearts content!

                Be sure to lift the paper every few days do a visual snail and slug check.  Those rascals love the moist soil- and your blueberries!

This should get to going and on your way to a summer of blueberries.  As with most crops, the first year is the smallest harvest.  Hopefully within a few years we can experience, like little Sal, the kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk of blueberries filling our bowls!

 

Good luck and let me know how it grows!

Planting Tomatoes

Tomatoes are my family’s most favorite garden crop.  The selection for tomatoes is huge!  For those of you just starting out, you might be overwhelmed with the variety available to you.  Below is a list of my family’s favorite varieties as well as some helpful tips to get your tomato plant off to a great start this spring!

If I could only plant one tomato plant, it would be the Super Sweet 100.  This tomato is a tiny, bite-sized, cherry tomato that is loaded with zip and flavor.  My kids eat these like candy!  We even take them to the movies (instead of buying popcorn)- seriously!  Super Sweet 100 is an indeterminate variety which means it grows wide and tall.  Determinate varieties stay smaller and do not “vine” out so much.  I would encourage everyone to find a 2’ x 2’ square piece of land where you could plant just one of these delectable sweeties in the ground!  They require very little care, can handle our Fresno heat quite well and produce abundantly all-season-long.

My second favorite is the Yellow Pear.  These are also small, cherry-like tomatoes except this is yellow in color (obviously).  I have found the Yellow Pear is a bit more  tangy than other varieties (like Sun Gold).  These plants grow the same as the Super Sweet 100 and are just as easy to get a bountiful harvest.

Those are my top two favorites.  Other tomato plants require more time and care, but will bring you great results!  I don’t have “favorites” per say.  I tend to experiment with different large tomatoes and have not found a favorite as of yet.  This year I am growing Early Girl (which will provide me with an early harvest), Big Boy (these are a “hamburger-sized” tomato – if all goes well), Roma Toma (great for salads and sauces), Fresh Salsa (they hold their form so you can chop them up easy for salsa- yumm!),  and Tye-Dye (just for fun I grow a crazy one).

Planting Tips:

1. Lots of Sun!  Tomatoes need a HUGE amount of sun!  The more sun, the more tomatoes!  Plant them in a very sunny location.
2. Tomatoes take up an approximately 2’ x 2’ square.  Be sure you have enough room for the amount of tomatoes you want to plant.
3. When you actually plant your plant, I plant mine nice and deep.  My tomato plants right now are about 4-6” tall.  When I planted my tomatoes this weekend, I dug a nice deep hole and then stuck my plant in.  When your plant is covered, you should only have the top part of your plant showing.  The deeper your plant is planted, the stronger your roots will develop.  All along the stem of your tomato plant, more roots will shoot off once it is planted.  This will also give it more support.  Make sure enough of the leaves are above ground so they can photosynthesize! 
4. Tomato plants DO NOT like standing in water.  Your soil (whether in the ground or in a pot) needs to be porous enough it can drain.
5. I have found my tomatoes prefer a nice long soak twice (3x in the summer months) a week compared to being watered every day.  They actually seem to enjoy drying out a tad (not dried out) between watering.
6. Tomato plants prefer to be watered from below.  You can stick a metal pipe or cut off a piece of PVC pipe to stick down deep into your tomato hole.  Then, when you water, send your water down the hole so it waters your plants down deep.  As your plants are small right now, be sure to water from the surface too.  Plants have a way of finding their water source.  If you train them at this early stage to go down into the ground to find water, you will have a stronger, healthier plant.
7. While your plants are small, be sure to purchase some kind of tomato cage to give them support.  It is easier to train your branches and direct them while they are new and green than try to shove mature, hard branches into a cage.

Those are a few basic tips I do with my plants.  If you have any questions, just ask!

Soil Preparation & Planning

With more rain and cool weather in the forecast for the Central Valley, be sure to keep busy with soil preparation and garden planning.  I have already begun planting my plants in the ground, but March and April are considered the months to plant- so you are not too late!  If you have already started planting- good job!  If not, be sure to read below on how to prepare your soil for planting.

Wherever you plan on planting your garden (no matter how big or how small) your soil composition is one of the most important ingredients (the other two being sun and water!).  If you are new to planting, you might want to consider a soil-test kit available at a local garden-supply store.  These inexpensive kits can give you a gage as to the characteristics of you soil as well as what your soil is lacking (or if your soil is too high in a certain element).  Years ago during my “baby-stage” of life, when my days were filled with laundry, nursing & diapers, I loved to watch on PBS the Master Gardener, Jerry Baker.  One thing I remember him saying over and over again was, “You don’t feed your plants.  Your soil feeds your plants.”  Those two sentences have stuck with me since that time.  One way, in fact, that I literally “feed my plants” is by composting.  My soil health has increased dramatically the last four years since my family began composting.  Composting adds organic material to my soil.  I toss all my vegetable scraps, bunny droppings and plant trimmings (pesticide & disease free) into my compost bin.  This keeps my soil free of disease, plus recycles our “trash” back into a renewable source of food for our family.  I will blog more about composting once our gardens are healthy and growing well.  Common problems in Fresno County with soils: soil is overly acidic, lacks nitrogen, hard pan (too much clay), too sandy (for my Caruthers friend!) or too alkaline (opposite of acidic).  Each of these problems can be solved by adding missing elements to your dirt.  So, first figure out what kind of soil you have and then we’ll troubleshoot soil that needs extra care.

If this is your very first year to stick a vegetable plant in the ground, here are some good tips.  First, purchase some basic soil mix.  I have seen soil mixes specifically for vegetables, which work good too.  When I start a new garden bin or work on a new plot of ground, I will add a nice big bag to my dirt and then till it under.  You want your soil to be light and easy to work in.  I usually try to turn up about two feet in depth.  You can add green material (leaves, clippings, etc.) as long as they are clean.  In the Central Valley especially, the next important factor in preparing for a garden is a watering system.  I try to hand-water most my garden (since it is so small), but I still have a watering system set up for those times when I am just too busy to get outside and water (or we go out-of-town).  I never depend on my sprinklers for watering.  For me watering is my chance to say, “hi” to each of my plants, troubleshoot impending problems, watch for the first sign of pests, divide plants, help trellis my plants and adjust water basins around the plants themselves. 

Same holds true if you plan on sticking a tomato plant in a barrel/pot.  Be sure you fill the barrel with good soil and attach a drip-system sprinkler into the bucket for those days when you can’t seem to get outside to water.  Depending on the plant, our lovely Fresno heat can kill a plant in just one day. Our sun dries up the soil in a barrel/pot much quicker than the plants in-ground.  Make sure your barrel has a hole (or two) in the bottom for drainage.  Your plant will rot at the roots if it sits in water.  I actually set my barrels on bricks to help the water drain.

Another early-spring activity is to sketch out your garden.  A technique (and book) I have used for years (and another PBS special) is called Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew.  My garden is very small and limiting.  To optimize my space, I draw out my garden space onto graph paper (bird’s eye view- from above).  Then, I estimate how much space each plant will take.  This gives me a good idea how many plants to plant/buy as well as provides an opportunity for me to think through my garden height demands and water drainage issues before putting an actually plant/seed in the ground.  For example, my gardening boxes are 4’x 8’.  An average indeterminate tomato plant takes up a 2’x 2’ square.  So in one of my garden bins, I can only plant 8 tomatoes.  I have learned the square foot gardening specifications are not “if you feel like it, plant tomatoes this particular distance apart.”  Planting much closer inhibits airflow through and around your tomatoes and keeps plants from getting the sunlight and water they need. 

If your soil is healthy and your garden is planned out, you are sure to have a bountiful year in vegetables this summer!

Conquer Plant Intimidation

I began gardening as a stress-reliever when I was in high school.  A friend of mine would laugh at me as I saved my lunch money to buy plants on the way home from school.  Since that time, I have gradually added a new plant here or there.  At this point in my gardening “career” I have a good handle on the summer basics: tomatoes, beans, peas, squashes, cucumbers and berries. 

Recently a friend mentioned she planted broccoli, brussel sprouts, swiss chard and beets.  I was amazed at how intimidating those four plants sounded to me.  Those “cool weather” plants are strangers to my world of gardening.  The thought crossed my mind that I could plant them too.  At first I dismissed the thought but then, after more consideration, I decided to not let a plant intimidate me.  What’s the worst that could happen?  The plants die and I wasted $4.  So…today I bought four broccoli and four brussel sprout plants.  (Lowe's is selling a nice, healthy four-pack for about $1.69.)  This is my first year to grow these.  Time will tell if we will be friends or foes.  Perhaps next year: swiss chard and beets? 

All that to say, we are never too old to try something new!  If you have only grown tomatoes, this year plant a few bush beans.  If you only grow yellow crook-neck squash, branch out this year with some carrots.  You will not know unless you try!  Walk on the wild side and plant something new!  I did!

Happy Gardening!