Spring into Gardening 👩‍🌾

[Buttnuggettsforever]

New Gardener …I live in zone 7 I’m an Okie
I grew tomato plants last yr that’s as far as I’ve ventured lol
This spring I wanna really DIG in!
No really!
Green onions, spinach, tomatoes, various onions,carrots, herbs ( to share with our chickens too) baby bell peppers…
Strawberries..strawberries…strawberries , blueberries,, raspberries
My husband is building me some raised beds … I have plenty of ground as well.
Tips trick’s advice on getting this ready for the Spring? Much appreciated

 

[Sally PB]

Lots of topics you can look up.

Look up hugelkultur.
Look up companion planting.
Look up this way of making compost fast.
https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/2010/05/08/hot-compost-composting-in-18-days/

Come hang out with us on one of the garden threads.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-did-you-do-in-the-garden-today.670277/page-6789

 

[Acre4Me]

Strawberries..strawberries…strawberries , blueberries

Nice. Strawberries take about a year to produce a decent amount. And they need to be moved after about 4 years bc they often get diseased. So, on year 3 or 4 start a new patch elsewhere so it is ready when you remove the old. You can use the new small plants from old bed to begin new bed if you like that variety.

Cane berries, like raspberries or blackberries can become invasive (I think blackberries are the more invasive ones though), so pick your berry plot with this in mind. We have put our raspberries in raised beds between our young fruit trees to help minimize spread. But a relative just lets them grow into huge wild patches and just mows them down to the ground every few years …which means no berries that next year bc they typically fruit in last year’s canes. But, this can work for have the space.

Blueberries: I don’t have experience here. But, they can be persickity with soil pH- they like it more acidic…but not too acidic. So you may need to prep an area a year or two before you want to plant blueberries so you can test the soil and amend it accordingly. However, some areas of the country are well suited to blueberries, and it’s less complex to do.

I found soil testing very helpful. I went through my county ag extension office and they were helpful here.

Good luck!

 

[Sally PB]

Blueberries: I don’t have experience here. But, they can be persickity with soil pH- they like it more acidic…but not too acidic. So you may need to prep an area a year or two before you want to plant blueberries so you can test the soil and amend it accordingly. However, some areas of the country are well suited to blueberries, and it’s less complex to do.

I found soil testing very helpful. I went through my county ag extension office and they were helpful here.

Blueberries like soil more acidic than most plants: 4.5-5.5 pH.

Ditto on the year or two prep. I wish I'd tested my soil to know that it was just under 7 pH; I would have been adding soil acidifier from the first year. When I started that, my 5-6 year old "just getting by" bushes started producing a LOT more berries.

I agree: test your soil.

 

[Buttnuggettsforever]

Thank you all for these tips!!! I appreciate you guys!!
I’ll let ya know how it goes in the Spring