What’s ready to harvest? Raspberries!
These ruby jewels are coming at a good pace these days…the real challenge is getting to them before the birds do.
Graham and I have been astonished at how aggressively our raspberry plants spread. We knew they would spread, but we are constantly pulling young raspberry plants from the surrounding lawn and perennial garden. Our plan is to move the patch from the back of the yard into our vegetable patch, where we will be able to monitor the plants more closely and keep the runners in check (or move them or give them away). I’m sure that by now, our neighbours’ yards feature a small patch of raspberries, too!
I love to eat fresh, homegrown raspberries with granola and yogurt, tossed into a salad, or simply by the handful.
We’re behind your season, but any day now….. I will have to go out to the berry patch in chain mail and body armor as I didn’t have time to clean last year’s canes. but it will be worth every scratch. DH won’t know if I’m bleeding or dripping fresh raspberry juice.
)
@Sigrun, wow, now THERE’s an image! We didn’t clean out the dead canes last year, either, so it’s a bit tricky to find the good stuff. You’re right, though, TOTALLY worth it!
I’d suggest NOT giving prime veggie-growing soil to raspberries, if you can help it! They don’t need anywhere near as much light as veggies, plus they’ll grow in any old yuck for soil. My overgrown patch is in the shade of the garage, gets a lot of water running off the driveway, but nothing really by way of attention… and it’s doing great!
http://ronypony.blogspot.com/2009/07/july-garden-highs-and-lows.html
Jennifer´s last blog ..Ottawa Summer 2009 Slideshow
@Jennifer, thanks for the raspberry advice…I need to find a place for them where they are closer to the house. Right now they are at the very back of the yard so I rarely get back there to pick them. It’s really all about my laziness.
[...] growing closer to the house, I really think it will be harvested more regularly than oh, say, the raspberries, which are currently at the very back of our [...]
[...] (grown within 100 miles of our house), strawberries (sadly, not locally grown) and from our garden, raspberries, blackberries and some coarsely chopped Candy Lime Mint. We ate it with our lunch that day, but [...]
body armor is the next killer ap. Definitely worth the investment. body armor is great. I don't know what else to say.