Organic berries
Mother natures candy.
I guess I have a sweet tooth, if there is one organic food I like to eat al the time it is berries. Perhaps this is natures reward for treating the earth correctly.
With many people the berry season is a tad bit to short so to start this section out I wanted to let show you an excellent article by Jim that helps extend your growing season.
Note This technique can be used with any outdoor plant.
Extending your Berry growing season.
Today I want to assist many of you who are wondering how to extend your
growing season for a few more weeks. For some it may be too late, as in
Randolph, Utah, where it was below freezing more than one night in August, but
most of the lower elevations in Utah and around the country are still frost-free
as I'm writing this column.
How can you deal with the special challenges of living in colder climates?
Several difficult weather conditions make successful vegetable gardening an
"iffy" proposition, unless you learn how to protect your plants
against them. The Mittleider gardening books, available at our organic
gardening website , are excellent sources of information on this topic. Let's
discuss briefly what these challenges are, and how you can successfully mitigate
their negative effects.
First off, many places have late spring frosts, which keep us from getting started in our gardens - often until mid or late May. Second, many of us have strong winds throughout the growing season that buffet our plants and dry everything out. Third, others of us face the scarcity and cost of water. And finally, we often have early crop-killing frosts, usually followed by several weeks of mild weather that could support continued growth and harvesting.
So how do you handle the shorter growing season with unseasonable frosts, the
constant drying winds, and the lack of water? Let's deal with the wind first,
since the solution to that also helps reduce the other problems. To protect your
garden's tender plants, build solid fences or plant trees and shrubs between
your garden and the prevailing winds - but put them far enough away that you do
not shade your garden! Always remember that growing vegetables need direct
sunshine all day long. This means that you also want to place your shade trees
so as to leave the garden in full sun.
Some of you grow in container gardens, or raised boxes. When these are
subjected to hot winds they are difficult to keep cool and moist. Consider
either larger Grow-Boxes - we recommend 18" or 4' wide and up to 30' in
length - or growing in the regular soil. Remember that Dr. Mittleider promises
"a great garden in any soil, in almost any climate."
Next is watering. You will save ½ or more on your water usage by following
these procedures . And it's amazing how much heat and wind plants can handle if
they are properly fed and watered. First, make certain your Grow-Boxes or raised
Soil-Beds are accurately leveled, and that Soil-Beds have a 4" ridge around
them. Then apply 1" of water right at the soil surface (not by sprinkling!)
before your soil becomes the least bit dry - even every day in the heat of
summer if needed. This will place the precious water right at the plant roots,
and waste none. Finally, automating your watering using ¾" PVC pipes, with
3 tiny #57 holes every 4", will make watering fast, easy, and efficient.
Extending your growing season is accomplished in two ways. Next February and March we'll discuss the first, which is how to grow healthy seedlings in a protected environment and transplant them into the garden after the danger of frost is past. The second thing you can do, even right now if frost hasn't already killed your garden, is to make "Mini-Greenhouses" for covering your plants. By themselves they are good, but with a small heat source they can extend your growing season in both Spring and Fall even more, often by 4-6 weeks. Use PVC pipe, bent in a capital "A" shape, but with a 6" flat top, to fit your bed or box, and covered with 4 or 6 mil greenhouse plastic. This provides some protection against frost at night, and will warm the plants on cold days. Cover the edges with dirt all around when frost threatens, and open up when it gets warm. More details are at www.foodforeveryone.org in the Gardening Techniques and FAQ sections.
| Blueberries | Blackberries | Strawberries | Blackberries | Rasberries |
| Elderberry | Mulberry | |||
Purchase the digital Books and Manuals.
Additional resources
Cornell guide to growing fruit at your home (Fantastic resource)