Perennials

These are the perennials I am trying out in my front flower bed.  We're north facing, so it gets sun until about 4pm (part shade.)

Heucherella - 'Solar Eclipse'

Veronica - 'First Love'

Veronica - 'inspire blue'

Evening Primrose - 'Siskiyou'

Geum - 'Totally Tangerine'

Stokes' Aster - 'Blue Danube'

Penstemon - 'Riding Hood Purple'

Fertilizer - Organic

Gordon Wells recommends applying fertilizer before you plant your vegetable garden, in February / Early March.  He mixes 3/4 qt of 16-16-8 soluble fertilizer and 1/4 qt Ironite. 

The numbers on fertilizer are the parts of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. 

Because I wanted an organic garden, I put thick compost on.  Technically you shouldn't have to apply fertilizer to good, rich soil.  However, I don't think my soil is as rich as it should be as I don't have enough organic material, so I purchase some commercial organic fertilizer.  I mixed it up applied it.  

Miracle Gro Organic Choice 7-1-2
Bone Meal - 6-12-0
Ironite- 1-0-1

In 1 quart, I put 1 cup Miracle Gro, 1 cup Bone Meal, and 2 cups Ironite.  That gives me 15-13-4, which is close to the 16-16-8. 

Apply at a rate of 1 quart per 180 square feet to vegetable gardens.

I have 270SF of gardens, so I make up 1-1/2 quarts of fertilizer.  

No matter which kind of fertilizer you are applying, you still need to add organic matter to your garden, or else salts will build up and plants will never be really healthy. 

Sulfur

If you are starting a new garden, work in 2 quarts of sulfur per 180SF right after tilling.  The next year, work in 1 quart per 180SF.  Each year after that, you just need to work in 1/2 quart per 180SF.  Berry beds, on the other hand, like 2-4x that much.   

Natural Bug Control - Diatomaceous Earth

Use diatomaceous earth for a natural bug killer! It's effective against most insects and even slugs and snails. It is not a chemical. It is diatoms (a type of phytoplankton algae) that have been ground up. The edges are very sharp and will puncture the insect's skin or mess up the insect's breathing, digestion and reproduction if eating.

Diatomaceous earth is safe for humans, but you shouldn't breathe it in. Take precautions such as using gloves and wearing a mask. Keep out the reach of children.

To apply, your plants must be wet. So do it first thing in the morning or after watering. Put diatomaceous earth in a jar with holes in the lid and shake a thin layer onto the leaves. Repeat as necessary.

Blackberries

Recommended varieties:
~western trailing (ripe June/July)~
*Siskiyou
Boysenberry
~eastern erect (ripe July/Aug)
Apache
Arapaho
*Navajo
~eastern semi-erect (ripe August/Sept)
**Triple Crown
Chester
*Prime Jan

Not recommended: Marion

Planting:
Plant in early spring. Space western trailing plants 4-6 feet apart, rows 8-10 feet apart. Erect types should be spaced 3-4 eet apart, rows 8-10 feet apart.

Trellising & Trimming:
Western trailing type - Set stout end posts between each plant. Place top wire 5 feet above ground, the next one 3 feet above. New canes grow for one year, overwinter, grow fruit the next summer, then die. Cut out the canes that bore fruit at ground level . Train new canes singly in a spiral, fan shaped wrap on two wires. Put longest canes on first.

Erect type - Cut new canes to about 40" as they develop in the summer to promote lateral branching. After the harvest, kep only 3-4 of the strongest new canes. During the following spring, cut back lateral branches on floricanes (canes that bore fruit last summer) to 12-18" to improve fruit quality.

I planted 1 Triple Crown plant this year.

Getting seeds up & Watering

To get seeds up, you have to keep the garden moist. Water with an impact-head sprinkler until seedlings all emerge. For a spring garden, you can probably get away with daily for a few minutes, summer gardens will need more.

After seedlings emerge, water with soaker hoses or other drip system. The best system (and most cost-effective one) that I've seen is sold locally by a man out of his house. His website is www.homegardenirrigation.com.

Spring & Fall garden - needs to be watered 2x a week
Summer garden (all but tomatoes, melons, cantalopes, butternut/hubbard/banana squash) - water 1x a week
Tomatoes, melons, cantalope, squash - water every 10 days to 2 weeks.
Fruit trees - water every 10 days to 2 weeks

Strawberries

Strawberries

Recommended Varieties:
~June Bearing~
*Ventana
*Sequoia
Oso Grande
Camino Real
Camarosa
Tioga
~Everbearing~
**Albion
*Diamante
Aromas
Seascape
Eversweet (Hecker/Fern Cross)
Selva
Hecker
Fern

Varieties to Avoid
Benton
Shucksham
Tribute
Tristar
Quinault
Fort Laramie
Ozark Beauty
Whopper

Planting (year 1):
Plant in spring or early summer, they will produce a small crop the first year.
Work organic material into the top 8-10 inches of the soil.
Work in a complete fertilizer along with the organic material, strawberries love nitrogen (but need complete fertilizer like 16-8-8)
Plant in rows, staggered 10 to 14" apart. (1 per square foot)
Immediately after planting, thoroughly soak (impact sprinkler 1 hour on quarter circle.)
If planted in the spring, water every other day for a few minutes for a week, if planted in warm summer weather, water for a few minutes every day for a week

Watering:
Water strawberries regularly to keep even level of moisture -
During 2nd week of planting, water every 2-3 days, depending on weather
After two weeks, water 2x a week. (Impact sprinkler, let run to soak root zone - 12" deep. or do soaker hoses in furrows = preferable to avoid fungus.)

Growing:

Within 4 weeks of planting, clip all the flowers. Let the next set of flowers grow.

Remove all runners to encourage plant to produce berries (instead of new plants) Do through October on everbearing berries.

Fertilize once every 6 weeks lightly, rather than a lot at the beginning of the year (example: ammonium sulfate at a rate of 1.5 cups per 30 feet row that is 36" wide)

Mulch - Strawberries love mulch. put grass clippings 4" deep after they are vigorously growing - about 3 weeks after planting in late spring.

renew mulch in the spring

You can leave runners that grow after fruiting season (oct for everbearers). Direct them where you want them to grow.

In october when the strawberry plants are dry, mow them down or clip to 4" and then re-mulch. Or leave plants and renew mulch in spring.

Harvesting:
When berries are fruiting, pick three to four times a week. Pick ripe and refrigerate immediately.
If you follow these methods, you should get 150-200 berries per plant!

Following Years:

year 2 - don't clip flowers at all, do clip runners all season
year 3 - repeat
year 4 - repeat

After the fourth season is done, you'll need to replant new plants the next year. (unless you had new plants grow.)