The Berry Business

Things started out great this year with the berries and our small garden.  We had a great harvest of raspberries and were just starting to get some really nice and plump blackberries.  We had Bell Peppers, Jalapenos and Tomato's growing in pots.  All had fruited and almost ready to be picked.

Then one day we get a hail storm and it just beat the shit out of everything. Maybe next year.

How things have changed

Last year around this same time I planted five new blackberry bushes and four new raspberries.   I am happy to report that they all came back this year. We are going to have a bumper crop this year.  New shoots for next year are coming up strong.

Berry Madness

Last year's berries plants all came back this year and it looks like it will be a record harvest.  We should hopefully have enough to be able to make raspberry and blackberry jams.  Jam making will be a first for me.  The grouping on the left is raspberry's and the flowering plant is the blackberries.  You can't see it from this picture, but further down there is another raspberry bush and another blackberry. 

Being that plants are doing so well, I decided to start two new garden area's and add some new plants.   Along the fence, I planted five blackberry's, two red raspberries and two yellow raspberries.   I planted them two weeks ago.  Been a while since I have made an entry in the blog.  I added some edging and mulch and it came out really nice.  Mowing along the fence was always a pain in the ass.  So with the new garden, we won't have to deal with mowing on the slope and the fence.  Better yet the sprinkler system will keep them wet, so I shouldn't have to hand water them.  From the time I planted to today, they have really taken off.   I won't expect much out of them this year or next, but year three they will really start producing, that is if I can keep them alive.   They get good sun for most of the day.

Then I moved my attention to our rock wall.  They are hard to see, but behind the berry plants I expanded the garden and planted five jalapeno and four tomato plants.  They are doing well and hopefully will take off and produce some fruit this year. 

In another area of the yard, I planted eggplant and squash.  They are growing but they only get a little sun, so not sure they are going to do so great.  We will see.

Candy made Clark and me hats to commemorate our hike in Phantom Canyon.  They are pretty sweet and a very thoughtful gift.  Here I am, posing for a picture with mine.

So the last couple weeks, we have just been working around the yard each weekend.  It has been really hot.  I blew up the pool and filled it with water and placed in in the only flat area that we have in our yard.  

When I needed to cool off from planting I would hop in the pool.   Yes, I am such a goober, but what can you do.  It was hot.

The yard is looking pretty good this year and excited about all the berries.  Hopefully all the new plants this year will take.   

More time on the trail

This week I have been trying to make a real effort to walk to work.   I did great on Monday, walked to work and got a ride home because we had lighting and showers.  Tuesday was a no go because I had a 7 AM face to face meeting and had to be in early.  Today I managed to walk to work and back home.  This helped me to get a little more distance, bringing me up to 9.79 for the week.

Candy and Pebbles both walked half way with me on Monday and Wednesday.   We have been able to get Pebbles off the leash a little and she loves that.  We have had a bumper crop of grasshoppers so Pebble is bouncing all over trying to catch them.  It's actually pretty funny.

My wrist band on my fitbit blew craps so I started using my GPS again.   The above are the routes that I have taken the last couple of days.

This evening I put the sprinkler on the garden and let it run for about an hour.   For about two weeks we were picking a bowl of raspberries everyday.   Well the first round of raspberries are done and now the black berries are starting to ripen.  I have two plants and they are both exploding.  The picture below is a close up and you can see how big they are getting and they are just starting to turn from red to black.

We picked one this evening and oh man it was good.   Going to be having some of these on my ice cream and cereal.

Last night I made plum icee's.  We bought some plums at the flea market and they were huge and ready to eat and they were awesome.   Several of them had really started to ripen and were getting soft.   I cut the core out and threw them in the blender and then added ice and a little honey.  Oh they were good.

While I was in the yard this evening I snapped a few other pictures of some of the plants we have growing.

Tiger Lilly

Yarrow

Daisy

I had some help in the yard this evening.  Pebbles was following me around and keeping and eye out for any wildlife.   I have to say this picture of her, looks like she may have gotten into some brownies.

Weekends Over

On Saturday we got up and went out to the flea market.  That’s always a good time.  We walked around and checked out the booths.  Came across some cool stuff but didn’t buy anything.  One thing that did catch my eye was an old wind generator.   I took a picture and will add this to the list of things I would like to make.  Mine would be for decoration, but I think it would be pretty cool.

Then we headed over to the farmers market and walked around.  We grabbed some lettuce and a few other items.  From there it was off to Wal-mart to pick up a few other items.  It was hot out on Saturday, so when we got home I aired up the swimming pool and filled it with water.   It sure felt good to jump in off/on and cool off.  This is the third time this year I have done this and if the heat keeps up I will be doing it again.

We are in what they call here the monsoon season.  It is warm during the day and we get some rain in the late afternoon that helps cool things off.  It rained on Saturday afternoon and started early today and has been overcast.

I wanted to plant another raspberry plant this year so I ran over to Home Depot this morning and bought the saddest looking plants.   I knew it was late in the year but these looked pretty bad.  I talked them into 75% off so I they were a $1.50 each.   I bought two raspberries and one blue berry.  The  blue berry plant was much better looking.   We also picked up some Shasta daisy’s.   We brought everything home and I went to work planting.

The raspberries are looking a little better now that they are in the ground and have gotten some water.   I cut off the dead leafs and cleaned the plant up.  Hopefully they will take and produce next year.  While planting Candy grabbed a picture of me planting her daisy’s. 

This evening we were sitting out back and we had a really nice red finch on the feeder.  I have been keeping the camera on the porch so that it is close and I can capture some of the wildlife.

More Stuff

Got some catching up to do.  Been super busy at work, as always and I am not complaining.  I have really been lazy on my walking as of late.  I did walk to work and back on Monday but found excuses the rest of the week to not do so.

We have been eating raspberries like crazy around here.  Candy likes her with her cereal in the morning.  I like mine with ice cream.   I had planed several plants last year and the year before.  They all came back and we have and are having a full harvest.  I also have blueberries and black berries but they are not ready yet.  Most likely another week or two.

This raspberry plant has had all kinds of new starters coming up.   In a couple of years we are going to have a very nice garden of berries as long as they can make it through the winters.  Each year I have covered them in mulch to help to not freeze the roots.

Today was our company picnic.  We had a great turn out and some really great food.  This year it was on the far north end of the Springs and the food came from Rudy's BBQ.   We got to play some corn hole.  It is a game like horseshoes, but with corn feed bags.  I am thinking about making up a game for us.  Candy will sew up the bean bags.  We have a great spot in the backyard to play.  With my creative skills I think I can make the platforms look pretty cool.  I may do this tomorrow.  We will see.  I need to get out and walk and I have been thinking about going fishing again.

After the picnic I headed over to the shop and was looking for something to do.  Candy had shown me a video of a humming bird water fountain.   I didn't have what I need to make it, it also requires a pulp with electricity and I am pretty much tapped out outside on outlets.  One of these days I need to run a power line under ground up to the back of the yard.  This would give me a few more options on things I could do.

I did have an old ashtray stand that I had picked up.  I think my Dad gave it to me on one of our last visits.  It was in pretty rough shape, rusty and dirty.   I took the grinder with my wire brush to it.  cleaned up all the rust and then started painting it.  I used what I had at the shop.  Painted the base in a brass color and then the rest in silver.   Painted the handle red so that it would hopefully attract the Humming birds.  Well this is the finished product.  Came out pretty nice.