PM project: the fruit bed

This afternoon I turned my attention to our fruit bed.  I had already laid down the soaker hose so I pulled the strawberry starts from my fridge.  I was having a hard time visualizing 50 strawberry plants one foot apart, so I snagged 50 toothpicks from my baking supplies and spread them around to help me with my spacing.

I left the hairy mess of starts out on a plate between damp paper towels since it was short-sleeve weather and I didn't want the roots to dry out. 

Raintree Nursery (where I got them) says that strawberries are very flexible: they can be planted in mounds, beds, rows, containers, etc. -- but their root tips should be straight.   Now the rest of what I show you I might have gotten wrong.  I am NOT an expert.  I did what seemed right for me -- it may or may not be right, it may or may not be right for you. 

Disclaimer complete, I will now share my process: when I planted my starts I would flip the berries upside down and open up their root skirts.

Then I would place them in a prepared hole.  I prepared the holes by shoveling out a spadeful of dirt, then crumbling most of the dirt back in careful to be gentle with the worms.  Then I would shape the crumbled dirt in the hole into a mound that was essentially soil level high before setting the strawberry start on top so its skirt would fan out.

Then I would cover the roots with the remaining soil.  If you look around you can find a lot of pictures like this one from Ask The Berry Man that give a visual of the level at which the crown should be planted.  I hope I got it right. 

For the most part though I didn't worry much about planting my strawberries because I knew that the area would be covered with compost later this afternoon -- and that made me feel like I had backup.  So by day's end, with the help of a neighborhood teenager who hauled all the compost, my fruit bed looked like this.

I can't wait to see what it looks like this summer!  But for now, with an achy back and a mild fever, it is time to get myself to bed so I can recuperate for tomorrow.

Blueberries are in the ground ...

I ran out of time today but I am feeling pretty pleased.  I have a good start on my fruit bed.  Below are my four new blueberries straight out of the box. 

 

The biggest had amazing roots.  And three cheers for my soil -- a few years back worms were a rarity.  Now I run into them all the time.  You can spot at least 3 in this picture.*

I didn't get as far as I hoped.  My strawberry starts are still in the fridge and the soaker hose is still a figment of my imagination -- but the blueberries are in the ground and stepping stones have been placed so I don't crush the strawberry plants in the fall. 

And though everything is so pale in this picture -- where was the promised sun?!  You might have noticed that my new blueberry is as tall as my columnar apple and espaliered pear tree.  It must be feeling pretty proud of itself.  That's okay, cause I am feeling pretty proud too.

*If you are looking but can't find the worms, there is one off the right side of the root ball and a cluster in the upper left of the photo.  Perhaps, like me, you can be amazed by the presence of small, good things.

A sunny Sunday for yard chores

We had a wonderful mild and sunny day today.  And although I could only find a couple hours to get out into the yard, it was a delightful and productive time. Not only did I get some plants moved and pruned -- I managed to murder 7 snails in the process.

So far I am nervous about pruning my existing fruit trees so I have left them alone (though they have only been in the ground for a year so I think that is okay.)  But I do find it incredibly satisfying to clean up my perennials like the hydrangea below.  In turn I removed dead wood, long-spent flowers, and old/mis-shapen canes to set the plant up for its growing season.  I imagine once I overcome my ignorance of fruit pruning and gain some experience, I will feel the same way about tending to my apples, pears, blueberries, and kiwis as I do these inedible plants.

 

Somehow the trim makes the yard look so much spiffier -- and that much readier for spring.

The warm weather is supposed to hold for tomorrow.  And with the help of a neighborhood teenager this afternoon, my soon-to-be-updated fruit bed is weed-free and ready for planting.  I am hoping to take advantage of tomorrow's weather (forecast says 60 degrees and sunny in Seattle) to get my blueberries and strawberries into the ground.  Since it is also predicted to start raining again on Tuesday, this is about as perfect as I could have dreamed.

Fruit starts force a jump start

... and all is good.  UPS dropped a 5 foot long, triangular tube shaped box on my doorstep right before dinner.  The kids were so busy pretending they were animals that I was able to wrestle it into the garage with minimal fuss.  And now I have the promise of summer fruit stashed in various places: strawberries in the fridge and blueberries and kiwi in the garage.  (Thanks Raintree for the owner's manual with the tips on what to do if you are not ready to plant.)

There is nothing like having too much to do to help a person prioritize. Suddenly I know that I am not going to mess with a fancy drip or emitter watering system.  In fact, I think I will water most of my vegetables by hand this year -- which will probably turn out to be a very popular decision with the kids once things warm up.

More work arrives tomorrow

Today I got an e-mail from UPS that my fruit starts will arrive tomorrow.  TOMORROW! 

But luckily, I got that message right before a nearby teenager stopped by to see what yard work I had to offer -- and I added weeding the fruit bed to the list.  He might even take care of doling out compost to all my beds when the yard and I are ready.