Toys

My wife calls them "toys," but I like to refer to them as "smart tools." It all started with the chain saw to help clear the land some three years ago.The list goes on, so I will not bore you with details, but I will say nothing is more exciting than the new "toy" I am looking at getting. There is a water conservation shop about 10 miles from my house, and as usual, I am looking out the window as I drive by the store on my way to work, but on Friday, I actually stopped at the store. After about 30 min. talking with the owner, I realized it would be a great investment. There were about four or five alternatives, but it seems like two 500 gallon above ground tanks will work perfectly. The real excitement comes from not having to convince the wife with a bunch of "If we had this ..." or "You know we could do this if ...." She thought is was a great idea as well, and she even thought we should get some for the house. So, I am glad to say that we are saving to get "our new toys" this spring. Hopefully, this will save time when it comes to keeping everything watered ... hard to explain, but our land is about 300 feet down the mountain, and we don't have water access, so we have been carrying water, as well as doing "rain dances" every other day. "Smart tools" the only way stay efficient!

Thanks to the Neighbors

As a child, you are always told to "be nice to your neighbors." I am thankful I have great neighbors because if I didn't, Hobby Berries would not exist. First of all, about four rows, 32ft long, were created with a huge "dirt pile" from one of my neighbors. He built a pole barn two years ago and saved the dirt from the excavation, so I decided to use that, along with other composted material for my raised beds. From this dirt, we have five 12x12 raised garden sections and four rows of berries, plus the pile still exists! Another kind person in the neighborhood helped dig my holes for all of my fences ... he has a tractor with an auger! As well as the equipment, he is always there to offer a wealth of information about our garden and any other problem we may encounter. This is also the same individual who helps move my compost pile when it becomes to large for my little bucket I have on the Polaris. My next two neighbors allow me to travel on their land to my land via logging road. I was allowed to extend the logging road past my house to the main road behind their houses, which becomes a huge help when traveling with my two active dogs to the bottom of my land. Moving dirt, clearing land, and picking up rocks on a mountain is time consuming and lots of hard work, but with my kind neighbors, we have been able to accomplish a lot over the last couple of years. There are a few more tasks that need to be done, and I am confident that the neighbors will help with anything needed, so I say "Thanks to the Neighbors" every time I travel the .4 miles to Hobby Berries. I am sure they appreciate my thanks, but if not, I know they really are thankful for the jelly and vegetables they get throughout the year!

First rows of blueberries

We planted our first two rows of blueberries last week. Over the last few years, we have bought blueberry plants and placed them around the house, but we really didn't put much of an effort to grow them. There are three plants we purchased three years ago in the flower bed near our driveway, and we have some in planters, but after finding the perfect spot at the bottom of our land, we decided to get a little more serious. We have about 30 plants in two rows, and we still have more room to plant more next spring. We took the time to prepare the soil, use the right mixture of dirt/peat moss, and created a "deer get out of here" area for the plants. So far, they all look healthy, and hopefully, we will get good production from them over the years. It is amazing to me how addictive I have become with the berries. First, the wild blackberries, then the raspberries, and now the blueberries. The purpose is so we can "eat off the land," which we succeed at because we eat fruit smoothies everyday. Yesterday, we mulched the rows with sawdust. That was a task because we had to place the landscape fabric down, cut the right size hole, keep the wind from blowing the fabric, and then pile on the sawdust without getting it in our eyes. Now, we must wait, which will be the most difficult part of the entire adventure.

Wood Chippings

I have been "eyeing" a huge pile of wood chippings for about three weeks, and today I was able to get a trailer load of it for the berries. The exciting part of the entire adventure is that it is about a mile from my house, and it only took me about 20 - 30 min. to pick it up and unload it this morning. I am hoping this will keep the weeds out of the berry beds, as well as help grow bigger berries. The wild blackberries love the composted logs on the side of the mountain, so hopefully, we can simulate a natural habitat when we transplant them into rows. We are not going to try and move them all, but there are places on my land that I am tired of mowing, so these will be future blackberry homes. It is amazing how simple wood chippings make me feel like I just received a bag of money. I guess the fact that I didn't have to pay for it makes me feel that way. Plus, I was able to get a little exercise while loading and unloading from the trailer. To make it even better, I ran across a guy with a trailer of "raw lumber," and I was able to make a deal with him to get about 20 of the boards, which will help me from weed eating some of the smaller berries away during the spring. If you live close, and have some free resources, let me know!

Maintenance

I can't wait until the berries just start growing, and all I have to do is water and trim a little here and there. I know it will not be that easy, but it will have to be easier than all of the mowing, weed eating, moving of rocks, moving of dead trees, clearing land, and everything else involved to keep the land prepared for growing. The good news is that it is getting close to fall and the temperature will be lower. The work will continue throughout the fall and winter, but eventually there will be more berries to prune than grass to mow. This entire process is forcing us to think, rethink, and analyze what, how, and when we are doing it constantly. Some of the decisions have been simple, but we are trying to create less work by planning ahead. Today, we realize that a chipper would be a great investment, but we will not be able to purchase it until at least December, so we have to make piles of brush near the compost pile, but not so close that it gets in the way of us doing other activities. I know, it is now "life threatening," but it does make for a busy morning. I'm open to suggestions, as well as those with a saw, weed eater, and pruning tools!

10,000 plants

We visited a blueberry farm that had over 10,000 plants and was placed on a 250 acre+ farm. The owner said he had been doing it for about 40 years. To keep things in perspective, I am just 38. It was amazing to see all of the detail he had put into the entire farm. After talking with him for about 20 min., he started sharing stories about his business, which he prefaced by saying, "Do you have time for a couple of stories?" We laughed, and replied, "Yes, but do you!" Then began to share experiences with customers, his travels, his mistakes, and other random incidents that had occurred to him over the last 40 years and more. It was safe to say that he had become "addictive" to the lifestyle of farming blueberries and any other plant. Not sure I will get to 10,000 plants, but after the visit, and the purchase of 11 plants, I 'm sure I am going in the right direction with Hobby Berries!

Building a Building

I am a few days away from finishing a building / shed for Hobby Berries. First of all, I am not a builder, and second of all, I didn't buy a "kit," so me saying, "I am a few days away from finishing a building" is a huge accomplishment. It will be a 10 x 8 or is it 8 x 10 with four foot over hangs on both sides and the front. I just completed one rain barrel as of yesterday, but I plan on making three more. Hopefully, this building will help with me getting organized a little more, as well as make the entire process easier. Right now, we are driving our Polaris, which I highly recommend, to the bottom of my land, which is less than a half a mile, but it seems like 10 miles when you forget a shovel, leave the watering bucket, or anything else you may need to work. This way, we will have a "tool shed" closer to the berries and garden. Like I said before, I am not a builder, but I do feel a since of accomplishment as I near this project. It has taken a little longer than I expected, but that is okay because I think I have saved a little money, which means more money to put into the BERRIES!!! 

Still Trimming

This weekend we continued to trim back the berries that produced this summer, as well as trim the "new canes" to about three or four feet. This is going to be a long process because we are also cutting away young saplings, vines, and other weeds from the side of the mountain. At first, we wanted to transplant the wild blackberries into rows, but we thought it would be more efficient if we just "cleaned up" the mountain side. I think it is going to work because we can see the possibility of getting even more berries once we make some paths, which brings me to the biggest danger of trimming the mountain side ... snakes and bees! I ran into a nest the other day, but luckily I saw a few bees flying around the ground before I started trimming and pulling the weeds. So far, I know of three nest, but I'm sure there are more.The other problem is going to be snakes because we are dealing with undisturbed ground, so there is the possibility of seeing a few copperheads. I just keep reminding myself that this is a "hobby," and not my real job, so it is okay to leave a few weeds and little trees.   

The "Black Gold" has arrived!

Got it! Now ... anyone have any shovels?

"Black Gold"

I just made the connection with the "Black Gold" ... a.k.a "horse manure" this morning, and I'm picking it up this afternoon. I have been using manure for years in my garden, as well as other composted material. Right now, it will help "break down" the bushes I am trimming over the next few weeks. In the past, I have used my truck, but this year, I am going to use trailer, which we recently bought last fall. This way, I will not have to rush to get it out of my truck, and I can move it around to specific areas of the land.

Transplant

We cut back some of the "tamed" blackberries and put the clippings into some good potting soil this afternoon. If we can keep these alive until next spring then there will be a good chance we will have the wild berries for about three weeks and the "tamed" ones another three weeks. By doing this, we are going to create new growth, as well as create new plants!  Our compost pile is looking pretty green right now, but not for long, I'm getting some good "black gold" tomorrow!

New Project

It will soon be fall, and I am getting a little anxious to start planting, trimming more, and creating more paths to help get as many berries as I can. At first, my wife and I, wanted to move the wild blackberries, but we think creating paths and "cleaning up" the space would be the best thing to do this fall. We will transplant the "tamed" berries to the rows, which should make better use out of the land. I hope this blog will help with the process for anyone else who is lucky enough to find an entire mountain side of wild blackberries!