I used my spiffy new pack basket to bring in all the remaining green tomatoes with a cold night forecasted. Trough of greenSquash vine ran all the way across the top of the chicken runBaby squash, too late for themFall pea flower with red clover in the backgroundGrape leaves in autumn sun
Turning the corner, greeted by a grove of volunteer sunflowers in the “early potato” raised bedNelson blackberry just starting to show some colorStrawberry bed, being tenderly nursed back to health after a rough bout with leaf blight last yearRaised bed of fingerlings, just starting to fall backRaspberries. We’ve been eating a small handful every morning. Some of the dye plants, getting ready to bloomGrapevine Concord grapes, still green
Two big improvements so far in the fruit yard: a new raised bed and a thick cover of wood chips for weed control. We got two huge dumps of wood chips free from a local tree service looking to get rid of them. Then Sam made many trips to deliver them over the fence into the fruit yard with the tractor, and raked them all out.
Sad strawberry bed. This was newly planted “Albion” in 2018. A leaf blight killed most of them. I’m not sure what to do with this bed. Just leaving it as is to see what happens. Two raised beds, back one with frost bitten fingerlings, front one (new this year) with early varieties of potato. From left: rhubarb, blackberry, gooseberry. We moved the rhubarb from the corner trellis area into this bed built in 2017. Planted the blackberry “Nelson” in 2018. Inherited the gooseberry. These back beds are competing with wild blueberries and raspberries, among other things.
We inherited these next three long rows. They are so narrow – lots of wasted planting space 🙁
This area needs attention but it’s making slow progress.
Raspberry row replanted in rehabilitated bed in 2018. The Boyne in front are doing well, the August Red in back (can’t see them in above photo) are stunted but surviving.Middle row. First three beds will be dye plants. Not sure what the early arrival is – garland serrated chrysanthemum? Next bed is under black plastic to try to kill pernicious grasses; will rehabilitate it next year. Last bed is a weedy mess of grass and unproductive raspberries, will go under black plastic next year. One bed at a time because it’s a lot of labor.Grape vine leafing out. Lots of blackberry buds
We don’t spend a lot of time in the fruit yard, but we do enjoy it. Maybe the wood chips under foot will make it less weedy, more pleasant. I’m really looking forward to a lush crop of berries someday.
