The raspberry patch after:
I can hear you saying, WHAT HAPPENED???? Well me, my dad and dh decided as I don't have time to prune everything by hand and clean the patch out, I would put the lawn tractors blade as high as possible and mow them for this year.
They are so overgrown and full of weeds, we figured it wouldn't do any harm for one year. This way come Spring, I can start and thin them out and dig out the weeds etc, and make a fresh start on the patch.
Only one small problem I went and got a puncture in one of the tractor tires, so that sucked!!
I mentioned yesterday I would like to buy "The Backyard Homestead," by Carleen Madigan, well the book is published through Storey Publishing, and when I looked at their site I couldn't get over what a great variety of books they have.
They even have a blog called Inside Storey which is really intersting. I found all this by googling Carleen Madigan's name, and up she popped with this blog entry about Fiddleheads.
8 comments:
the before and after... it looks like a totally different landscape!
I have been wondering how your raspberry patch was going. It is spring here, and we cut out the dead canes.
My Dad used to run the tractor between the rows each year, moving slightly further each autumn to cut more old growth; he didn't prune them at all. The old canes don't bear well and this is one way to ensure that your new growth thrives and that you can actually walk between the rows to pick!
a huge difference. you've a lot of yard to keep up. don't think i could manage. i have enough work trying to keep up my little herb/veggie garden. i always have the best of intentions come Spring and they seem to fall by the wayside as time progresses. i need to get into it and weed and cut back stuff.
have a wonderful day .
WOW, I'd never do that with my raspberries. Even hubby tells neighbours that he wouldn't dare touch my raspberry bushes. I wait till spring and then cut the dead canes. I usually have quack grass grow amongst them...I just pull what I can of that and leave the rest. You definitely are braver than I am.
I'll check the link out shortly. Thanks for posting it.
Did you chop down the trees?
fiddle heads are very popular here, we harvest them in May right after the spring flooding. you can even blanche them
Hello Gill
As Jo said - it looks like a different block.
I always thought you left everything as it was till spring and cut the old back then, as the old protected the new growth during the winter, but if it was such an overpowering and daunting job as you say it was going to be, maybe it was the best thing for you to do
Take care
Cathy
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