12:11 PM Fri, Jul 31, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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My mom called me this morning to brag about her most recent purchase...
"Cindy! Guess what I bought today! Three blueberries!"
"Gee mom, that's pretty pitiful. Usually I get more than that in a pint from the grocery store."
"No! Three blueberry PLANTS."
LOL. That's me just being a smart alek... and I know why she's bragging. I absolutely love blueberries, but because of their needs, I have so far not been able to plant them in my landscape.
The man at my mom's local nursery in Atlanta told her blueberries are good for a raised bed she has that receives mostly shade but some sun. She was sent home with compost and a soil amendment that will help turn the soil in that bed acidic.
The soil in my yard is far and away the least acidic soil you can get -- it's very alkaline. It would require a lot of work to create the perfect environment for blueberries without encouraging the roots to grow in circles.
Blueberries in Texas grow best in in the eastern part of the state -- in the piney woods where the soil is naturally acidic. I know there is a huge blueberry farm up near where my in-laws have some land -- near Jefferson, north of Longview. I remember my mother-in-law coming back with a giant bag of the hugest, sweetest, bluest blueberries I've every seen.
In Austin, I know people who've planted blueberries in their landscape -- my neighbors come to mind. Poor things are dried and withered now in the intense summer heat.
I've always wanted to try growing them in containers, which seems like the best solution. With containers, it's easier to control the acidity of the soil, and when the bushes grow, you can pot-up, avoiding a tangle in the root ball.
The worst thing you can do is dig a hole and put acidic soil in the hole. If you do that, you encourage the roots to grow in circles rather than reach out into the surrounding soil. It's the same reason why you shouldn't amend the soil for a tree. The tree should be fertilized and watered as it becomes established, but it should be encouraged to send roots out far and wide.
Here I go rambling again -- but then, again, trees are my special interest.
So, yes, I am jealous of my mom's blueberries, and if I can get my act together one day to care for container plants again, blueberries are tops on my list. But my mom doesn't have blackberries, and mine are going like gangbusters.
5:15 PM Thu, Jul 09, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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I apologize for neglecting my blog of late, but it's been so darn hot lately, that I've avoided doing much of anything outside, let alone gardening.
The only time I like to garden when forecasters like KVUE's Mark Murray say it's going to be 105 in the afternoon is in the morning. At least then, the temperatures are only in the upper 70s or low 80s.
I love it even more because the sun is just coming up, and it feels like the landscape is coming alive. The early birds have been chattering for an hour, but everything else wakes up as the sun comes over the horizon, and I can feel the energy from the daytime critters and the plants around me.
Our drip irrigation that runs through the vegetable beds comes on just before 7 a.m., and it's almost like you can see the relief in the plants. I usually break out the hose sprayer and water the vegetables by hand every other day, but in the event that I'm too busy (which happens inevitably), the drip irrigation saves me.
That's probably why only some of my plants are toasted this time of year. The beans, corn and strawberries all bit the dust -- but those tend to do better for me in the spring anyway. Our tomatoes seem to be holding their own under the bird netting, and I'm hoping that they and the peppers make it through the long hot summer.
I'm really glad I mulched, and I know that this weekend I need to feed, because all of the plants are stressed by the heat. It feels like a blast furnace! And only the sunflowers appear to relish the heat.
Yep, this is the time of year I'm striving only to keep the plants alive -- well... just the vegetables really. My woody ornamentals and perennials are holding their own, thanks to choosing drought-tolerant and native plants. So at least that's one good thing.
Which reminds me... the desert willows I planted last winter are in bloom and thriving! I'll have to take photos and share!
In the meantime, stay cool!
