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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] (NAFEX) Temperate berry crops

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  • From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • Cc: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] (NAFEX) Temperate berry crops
  • Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:13:49 -0600

Oops! I replied to this, but I didn't see that it was just copied to the list, so my reply didn't make it there. So here's a copy:


Bill, You forgot to mention blueberries or blackberries in your list.


I love blueberries, but I believe they need acid soil and wetter conditions than we have here. Yes, I know I can amend the soil, and I do water my plants (but it's usually bone-dry here in the summer, and watering barely keeps things from drying up and blowing away in our winds). I just concluded, reluctantly, that blueberries weren't a good choice here, especially for a complete novice like myself.

And from what I've heard, I didn't think blackberries were cold-hardy enough for my climate. I'm running out of room, too, so I'm not entirely sure where I'd put them, anyway (though I suspect they might do OK in partial shade).


There is little I can add to this except to say that in Tennessee's hot humid climate with it's treacherous spring frosts and wretched soil, that the one fruit that can be depended on to bear is the blackberry. ... Those blackberries grew and produced abundantly on unimproved red clay with no assistance of any sort on our part.


Sounds like my black raspberry patch that the birds planted for me. I don't do anything to it, except prune out the old canes after they've finished bearing, and I get loads of delicious berries. Talk about easy - I didn't even have to plant the things!


The fellow I quoted above failed to mention that carefully selected blackberries are among the most delectable fruits one can eat.



Heh, heh. I've had people tell me this. My only experience is buying a small (and expensive) carton of them in the grocery store. They looked nice, but it was just like eating little lemons! I couldn't tell if they had any other taste except sour. Admittedly, most grocery-store fruit is lousy, so I'm willing to believe that home-grown blackberries would be good. But I'm not really convinced they'd do well around here.


Chickasaw is supposed to be the most heat and drought resistant, which it looks like we are going to be needing.


We've been in a drought, pretty much, for eight years - and we don't get a lot of rain in the best of times. 2006 would have been the worst year yet, but it rained for two days at the end of December (rain! in December!), then dumped about 10 inches of snow. VERY much appreciated moisture! I dug out some fence posts in my yard last year, and it was just powdery dry for the whole three feet down (and I live in a flood plain).

Bill
Lincoln, NE (cold zone 5A, heat zone 7)

--
It's only when the tide goes out that you discover who's been swimming naked. - Warren Buffett





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