It's still berry season and the blueberries at my farm are plentiful and ripe for the picking!
Plump, juicy, and sweet, blueberries are one of nature’s finest treasures. I love to use them for jams, jellies, and pies, but they’re also wonderful with cereal, in pancakes and cobblers, and of course, in handfuls on their own. Low in fat, yet packed with vitamin-C and antioxidants, it’s not surprising they’re one of America’s favorite fruits. I also grow raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, strawberries, and currants.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
My blueberry bushes are laden with delicious fruits – they’ve never been so full. My blueberries are all from these bushes located between my flower garden and large Equipment Barn, next to a stand of quince trees.
The posts are the same 18th-century Chinese granite uprights I use for the clematis pergola, my apple espaliers, and my raspberry bushes.
Standard blueberry bushes grow about six to 10-feet tall. New shoots grow from the crown under the soil.
At the base, blueberry shrubs have multiple canes growing directly out of the earth in clumps. The canes or branches are smooth and thornless. These bushes have done so well here at the farm. I am always so pleased with how prolific they are every year.
Blueberry bushes have glossy leaves that are green or bluish-green from spring through summer. The leaves are ovate, in an irregular oval or slightly egg shape that is wider at the bottom than the top. Blueberry leaves can also be harvested and dried for teas.
And do you know… blueberries are among the most popular berries for eating? Here in the United States, they are second only to strawberries. There are two types of blueberries, highbush and lowbush. Highbush blueberries are the types you commonly find at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Lowbush blueberries are smaller, sweeter blueberries often used for making juices, jams, and baked goods.
Blueberries are pale greenish at first, and then reddish-purple and finally dark purple-blue when ripe for picking.
Here, one can see the colors of the berries as they develop – green, then red, then blue.
And blueberries don’t actually reach their full flavor until a few days after they turn blue, so a tip to know which ones are the best – tickle the bunches lightly, and only the truly ripe ones will fall into your hand.
Each of these fruits is about five to 16 millimeters large with a flared crown at the end. They were once called “star fruits” by North American indigenous peoples because of the five-pointed star shaped crown.
Blueberries are covered in a protective powdery epicuticular wax known as the “bloom”. Blueberries are high in fiber, high in vitamin-C, and contain one of the highest amounts of antioxidants among all fruits and vegetables.
Many blueberries also fall to the ground. All those picked are carefully inspected – only the best are saved. The rest are enjoyed by the birds.
Here’s Enma with a full box of berries – picked in just a few minutes. I grow many blueberry varieties, including ‘Bluegold’, ‘Chandler’, ‘Darrow’, ‘Jersey’, and ‘Patriot’.
These boxes were all picked in under an hour. Blueberries produce from early summer through late fall – we will pick lots and lots of berries before the end of the season.
Not far from the blueberries is my raspberry patch. I have several rows of raspberry bushes. Summer-bearing raspberry bushes produce one crop each season that lasts about one month.
One plant can produce several hundred berries in a season. Raspberries are vigorous growers and will produce runners that fill up a bed.
Once raspberries are picked, they stop ripening, so under-ripe berries that are harvested will never mature to the maximum sweetness. Only ripe raspberries will come right off the stem. The black raspberry plant is a high producing early variety whose upright growth makes it easy for picking.
These are red raspberries. These must be picked and handled very carefully as they are very delicate.
I also have blackberry bushes. This is one of the fruits. The blackberry is packed with vitamins C, K, and E, rich in dietary fiber, and low in sugar. Blackberries are juicy and delicious eaten raw.
I always grow strawberries. Strawberries are among the easiest berries to grow. They are cold-hardy and adaptable, and can be planted in both garden beds and containers.
Gooseberries are native to Europe, northwest Africa, and all regions of Asia except for the north. Gooseberries grow best in areas with cold, freezing winters and humid summers.
And of course, currants. I grow red, white, pink, and black currant varieties. Currants are still largely unknown here in the United States. They are well-loved in many other countries, and here in the US, they are slowly gaining popularity, especially because of the high antioxidant content. They are now more prevalent at local farms and home gardens. What berries do you grow?
Here at my farm temperatures today are expected to be in the 90s, with possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. It's been very hot and humid, but work must continue to keep the gardens looking their best.
Despite the uncomfortable summer weather, my vegetable garden is doing great. To keep it thriving, it must also be carefully maintained. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, visits my large half-acre patch every single day to check on what's growing, harvest what is ready, pull any weeds that emerge, add support stakes or ties where necessary, plant seeds for new crops, and of course... water, water, water.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I am so pleased with all the wonderful produce that’s coming out of the garden this year. There’s something to harvest every day. This basket is filled with artichokes, and more continue to grow. The globe artichoke, Cynara scolymus, is actually a flower bud, which is eaten when tender. Buds are generally harvested once they reach full size, just before the bracts begin to spread open. I like to harvest them when they are still small.
Do you know what this vegetable is? It’s kohlrabi. Kohlrabi is a cruciferous vegetable related to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. It’s also called a German turnip. It has long leafy stems and a round bulb that’s usually purple, pale green, or white and all with white-yellow flesh.
Here is white kohlrabi. Kohlrabi tastes similar to broccoli stems and cabbage, although it’s slightly sweeter. The bulb is widely used in salads and soups, but can also be roasted or sautéed.
And look at this bounty of green peppers and eggplants. It’s good to pick eggplants when they are young and tender. Pick a little early to encourage the plant to grow more, and help extend the growing season. And I love making stuffed peppers – it’s so easy and so delicious.
Ryan is holding one of my beautiful Savoy cabbages. The right time for cabbage harvesting depends on the variety of cabbage planted and when the heads mature. Look for heads that are firm all the way through when squeezed – that’s when they’re ready.
In another bed, my tomatillos. The tomatillo, also known as the Mexican husk tomato, is a nightshade plant that bears small, spherical, and green fruit commonly used in Mexican cuisine for making salsas, sauces, and soups.
And all around the perimeter of the garden are the growing pumpkin vines. We’ll have many pumpkins this season. And, to keep the area neat and tidy, I put down this landscape weed cloth. It works excellently.
As for the asparagus, the last of the stalks have been harvested, but it’s important to allow the fern-like foliage to grow through the remainder of the season. The foliage makes carbohydrates and sugars that get stored in the plant’s roots and crowns to help generate next year’s crop.
At the south end of my garden are my tomato plants. I use bamboo stakes to support the vining plants. they were put up just in time – the plants are growing so fast.
Norman is securing ties around the plants to keep the vines up and the tomatoes off the ground.
I like to use natural jute twine. Every plant is checked and secured. It is a time consuming process, but very crucial to good plant growth and performance.
As crops are picked and beds are cleaned, more seeds are planted. I use lots of seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in central Maine. Johnny’s Selected Seeds offers a wide selection of products and provides practical solutions for both the home gardener and the professional farmer.
I’m a firm believer of succession planting, the practice of following one crop with another to maximize a garden’s yield. It is a very efficient use of gardening space and time. Here, Ryan makes furrows for the next crop using Johnny’s Bed Preparation Rake.
Up next for planting are the soybeans. These Karikachi soybeans produce tall, upright plants that are sturdy and vigorous, producing large, plump soybean, or edamame, pods that are delicious steamed.
He also plants bush beans from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. This variety is ‘Maxibel.’ Bush beans are green beans that grow in a compact, bushy form.
The brown mottled seeds produce slender, seven-inch green pods, which will be ready in 50-days.
My long center trellis bed is also seeded with a variety of pole beans.
These green beans grow vertically and need to be supported in order to thrive.
These are cilantro seeds. Cilantro and coriander are different terms for the same plant. Here in the US, cilantro is the leafy green part and stems, whereas coriander refers to the seeds.
The seeds are planted a couple inches apart in the furrow. Cilantro isn’t for everyone – some abhor it. Those who dislike cilantro tend to have a gene that detects the aldehyde part of cilantro as a soapy smell and taste. Do you like cilantro or hate it?
And in this bed Ryan plants radishes. Have you ever tried radishes with butter and salt? Peppery, crispy radishes with butter and a pinch of flaky sea salt is a popular French snack.
After planting, Ryan uses a soft rake to gently bury the seeds and smooth out the beds. Sprouts should start to emerge in about a week or two. Before finishing for the day, sprinklers are turned on to give all the beds a good drink.
It’s a busy time in my garden, but everything is growing so well. How is your garden doing?
Adding one type of bush, shrub, tree, or plant can totally transform a space.
I love lilacs and have enjoyed growing them for many years. At my farm, I have an allée of lilac hedges that explodes with gorgeous, sweet-smelling flower clusters every May. Not long ago, as part of a delivery of plants from the wholesale nursery, Monrovia, I received 100 Little Darling® Lilacs. This variety is perfect for smaller spaces. It stays more compact, about four feet tall, and it re-blooms - one big flush in spring and then another in autumn. I decided to plant them around my studio guest house mixed in with the pachysandra - they'll add beautiful purple-lilac color to the beds.
Enjoy these photos.
This is my lilac allée located behind my chicken coops and near my tennis court. This allée bursts with superlative color every spring. Lilacs are easy to grow, and can reach from four to 20-feet tall or more depending on the variety.
This is a collection of Little Darling® Lilacs exclusively grown by Monrovia. All 100 are in such excellent condition. I decided to plant them near the lilac allée around my studio guest house.
The area is at the edge of my Japanese Maple woodland and gets full sun for at least six hours of the day – perfect for lilacs.
My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, is in charge of placing plants in their planting locations. Since these lilacs are more compact, they are positioned about three to four feet apart. Before digging the holes, the distance between each plant is measured accurately and the pots are lined up straight.
The plants will look nice as a border for the pachysandra and smell so sweet when in bloom.
Once all the plants are in place, the digging begins.
Any pachysandra that needs to be moved is carefully transplanted elsewhere – no plants are ever wasted here at my farm.
When planting, the hole should be at least twice the size of the plant. Lilacs thrive in well-drained, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. For best growth, the soil should also be enriched with organic matter.
Lilacs have green foliage and a slender, upright growth habit.
Lilac leaves are simple, opposite, ovate, about two to four inches long, and usually shaped like elongated hearts.
As with any new specimen, before it is planted the root ball is scarified. Essentially, one breaks up small portions of the root ball to loosen the roots a bit and create some beneficial injuries. This helps the plant become established more quickly in its new environment. Arnold does this to the bottom of the root ball.
He also does this on the sides. these roots will be more happy loosened up after being in the pot.
Remember what I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants.” Fertilizer is mixed in with the soil.
I feed with Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Plant Food – a dependable fertilizer that feeds for up to three months.
The planting depth for most lilac varieties is approximately two inches above the crown. This allows for any gradual settling of soil around the roots once watered.
Arnold carefully backfills the lilacs and tamps the surrounding soil lightly for good contact.
The lilacs look so pretty with the pachysandra. When choosing companion plants for pachysandra, consider bloom time, texture, and growth habits to complement the color and shape of the pachysandra.
Here’s Chhiring giving all the newly planted lilacs a thorough drink. We did get a lot of rain the night before, but we’re expecting very hot and humid weather for the next few days. Check your plants – they can dry up so quickly in summer.
I use Gilmour hoses, wands and sprinklers all over the farm. I especially like that its hoses are gray, but all Gilmour supplies are dependable and durable.
Little Darling® Lilacs will flower with large clusters of dark-purple buds and then open to classic lilac-hue blooms.
These plants are just a foot tall now, but in general, lilacs typically grow about six to 12 inches each year. I’ll be sure to share more photos when they are flowering. Keep following my blog for gardening tips and ideas.
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