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Post by wildhorseluvr on Mar 22, 2023 23:04:59 GMT
I’ve never been greatly successful at growing strawberries. I’d like to get some started this year but can’t put them in the ground. I have a retaining wall about 2’ wide along my back fence that I want to plant this year, I could put some there or in containers. The retaining wall has perennial flowers in it now, I plan to rip them all out to make room for edibles. I expect the soil has been there forever and it’s highly likely it’s not seen any additions for at least several years. Do I need to replace it? Or some of it? Can I improve what I have to make it usable? It’s impossible for me to get a truckload of soil in here and I couldn’t manage it anyway. So I will have to buy soil by the bag. I’d very much like to not have to replace all of it. So what do I need to get the soil ready? Which type of strawberries should I buy? Ideas on keeping the birds and squirrels out?
My goal for this summer is to plant various berries, grapes etc. As bad a shape as I’m in, I’ll consider it a success if I can get a few things of that nature established. Also enough veggies for daily use use over the summer and perhaps some winter squash. I plan to buy fruits and veggies for whatever freezing, dehydrating, etc. I might be able to do.
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Post by solargeek on Mar 22, 2023 23:37:24 GMT
I was never successful with strawberries until I ordered from Jung’s which is located I believe in Sun Prairie Wisconsin. A very famous tomato grower turned me onto them. I had them ship them to me and they have been spectacular. Of course the first year you get nothing but the second year I had so many that I froze enough to get me through the winter.
I’m not sure what’s the weather is like where you are but we are still having snow on the ground and perhaps more snow coming tonight. Can’t be planning for at least two months.
I mounded up the soil at least 7 inches high in the center because I can’t kneel down either. And so they trail down and I cut them ruthlessly with a weed whip between the beds.
You should get the catalog or it might be too late so go online and see for your zone what they have. I bought three different types but more of one that I was pretty sure would be good.
I wanted June-bearing as it’s never works out in Wisconsin to have the ones that are ever bearing. I only bought 10 of those plants.
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Post by solargeek on Mar 22, 2023 23:39:32 GMT
But I advise find blueberry bushes and putting them in pots.
Again ones for your climate and you want at least 3 different kinds. I do Patriot, New Jersey, and I can’t remember the other 4
There’s highbush and little bush. We are going to be buying 30 more new ones because we are expanding our vegetable garden to enclose these where they will be irrigated; as the orchard is not irrigated. I will leave the ones we have down there and trim them but the crop is declining. Watering just isn’t even enough and it’s too far to haul water. We also are tired of 800 feet of hoses and I’m not exaggerating.
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Post by Billy G on Mar 23, 2023 0:34:07 GMT
wildhorseluvr , you may have to buy a couple of bags of good topsoil to get those strawberries off to a good start. As far as turning your yard back into good soil here are a couple of suggestions, if applicable. Cease and desist all chemical applications. This can be a hotly debated topic and I'm not going to argue the point, just my humble opinion. This will lead to an increase in weeds in your yard......... woohoo! Every plant is a specialist at "mining" nutrients from a specific rock or three so the more the merrier, plus they're all green so at a distance they all look nice. Next is to mow your yard at the highest possible setting on your mower, high grass/weeds equals deeper roots which are actually what create soil. Mulches also help a ton by feeding the micro-organisms and fungi starting to return to the yard. Unfortunately this is not a fast process but it is the biological way to return soil to health, the chemical means we have grown used to 'cheating' with may not be here in a supply chain crunch. Besides who likes the taste of chemicals .
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Mar 23, 2023 0:40:41 GMT
I was never successful with strawberries until I ordered from Jung’s which is located I believe in Sun Prairie Wisconsin. A very famous tomato grower turned me onto them. I had them ship them to me and they have been spectacular. Of course the first year you get nothing but the second year I had so many that I froze enough to get me through the winter. I’m not sure what’s the weather is like where you are but we are still having snow on the ground and perhaps more snow coming tonight. Can’t be planning for at least two months. I mounded up the soil at least 7 inches high in the center because I can’t kneel down either. And so they trail down and I cut them ruthlessly with a weed whip between the beds. You should get the catalog or it might be too late so go online and see for your zone what they have. I bought three different types but more of one that I was pretty sure would be good. I wanted June-bearing as it’s never works out in Wisconsin to have the ones that are ever bearing. I only bought 10 of those plants. Had snow here a few days ago, was nearly 50* today. 😁 Thanks for the info, I’ll take a look.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Mar 23, 2023 2:01:08 GMT
Billy G, not sure if I explained myself very well. My yard is small and I’m unable to have an in-ground garden. Just can’t do it, not even a small patch. I have a retaining wall that runs all along my back fence, maybe two feet high and 2 feet wide. Soil is held in by concrete blocks, not sure how long it is. I figured it made the most sense to start out using what I already have so that’s where I planned to put some strawberries, plus some cukes, summer squash, etc., maybe even a few winter squash for this year. Probably won’t have room for more. I also have 6 or so half-barrel type planters from Costco and a variety of other large planters, those will do for my salad garden…lettuce, tomatoes, etc…maybe a few herbs. I have a couple areas in mind for limited berry and grape production, not sure how much room I can devote to them, have to leave some room for my dogs to run but will try to keep the dogs mostly in areas that are shaded by big trees. I’ll have to hire someone to dig those berry/grape areas for me as I sure can’t do it. My other goals for this summer are to get a couple of semi dwarf fruit trees planted (front yard if necessary) and to buy a few raised beds. The price for pre-made beds is astronomical but I’m having to admit I’m no longer capable of doing much of anything myself. If I buy them this year hopefully I can have them ready to plant by next year. I’m not looking to have a pretty lawn in my back and side yards, so no chemicals is fine. I need to figure out what to put in the raised beds, containers and half-barrels. Buying a few bags of topsoil isn’t a problem. How deep should the topsoil be for strawberries? Is topsoil what I need in my containers too? Most of the bagged stuff I see is like Miracle Grow or similar…either for regular gardens or for container planting. How do I fill the raised beds when I get them…I doubt most plants would need soil 2.5-3 ft deep and that would get REALLY expensive filling large beds by the bag. Don’t really want to fill the bottoms with rocks or concrete blocks. Would tree branches work…like a mini hugelkulture bed? What about maple leaves? Just trying to think of ways to fill those beds without buying a zillion bags of soil.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Mar 23, 2023 2:15:02 GMT
solargeek, I’ve been thinking about blueberries but don’t they require rather acidic soil? The soil here is more alkaline, supposedly between 7 and 8.5 on the pH scale.
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Post by solargeek on Mar 23, 2023 2:53:49 GMT
solargeek, I’ve been thinking about blueberries but don’t they require rather acidic soil? The soil here is more alkaline, supposedly between 7 and 8.5 on the pH scale. Used coffee grounds are your best friend. Easily solved. Often times the coffee shops will give you bags of used grounds.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Mar 23, 2023 3:11:40 GMT
What coffee shops? 🤣 Don’t think they have any around here, LOL. (I’m sure I can snag some from church or something.)
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Post by Jolly on Mar 23, 2023 3:19:35 GMT
IIRC, they need aluminum, too. There are blueberry fertilizers out there that have the stuff you need.
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Post by Billy G on Mar 23, 2023 7:43:53 GMT
Wood chips would probably be your best bet for filler, does your town offer them to residents? I know of a few towns that not only chip up downed branches but also compost fall leaves and have them available for the residents. I wouldn't sign up for the chipdrop program, might come home to a pile in front of the garage.
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Post by laurazone5 on Mar 23, 2023 11:37:07 GMT
You tube is a wealth of info on how to garden in small spaces!! The tower pieces you can buy at the dollar store!!
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Mar 23, 2023 12:44:26 GMT
Billy G, I’m not sure. Couldn’t find anything about it. Yeah, handling bags is extremely difficult, having a load dumped would be disastrous. Are there any wood chips that might be harmful to use? How would you avoid them if the city/county is chipping any and all trees?
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Post by laurazone5 on Mar 23, 2023 13:02:10 GMT
There is no promise that the trees shredded are not diseased, sprayed, etc.
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Post by Billy G on Mar 23, 2023 13:26:22 GMT
Likewise there's no promise that the topsoil we purchase wasn't scraped off of a Superfund clean-up site. I guess it all boils down to risk tolerance and we just do our best to avoid the things we can.
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