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How to grow a blackberry garden?

Homegrown fruit always beats market fruit for freshness and taste, but not everyone has the space to grow a fruit tree or a melon vine. For that reason, berries are the gateway fruit for many gardeners, and none are easier to grow in the home garden than the blackberry. As native North American plants that can typically be harvested from June to August, they are primed to grow in your yard with little extra maintenance. All you need to grow summer blackberries for your pies, jams, and smoothies is a spot with full sun and a good supply of soil amendments like compost or leaf mold.

• Botanical Name: Rubus Fruticosus • Common Name: Blackberry • Plant Type: Perennial Shrub • Mature Size: Three to five feet • Sun Exposure: Full sun • Soil Type: Rich and loamy • Soil pH: Slightly acidic; 5.5-7.0 • Bloom Time: Spring • Flower Color: White • Hardiness Zones: 5-9 • Native Area: North America, especially the Pacific

Northwest

Caring for Blackberry Plants

• As members of the Rosaceae family, the cultivation of blackberries resembles that of rose bushes. Fortunately, blackberries are closer to wild roses in their ease of care than they are to a hybrid tea rose. Blackberries will tolerate many growing conditions, but the harvest of a struggling blackberry plant will be disappointing compared to the harvest of a pampered plant. Plenty of sunshine, regular irrigation, and rich loamy soil will give plants the energy and nutrients they need to yield sweet, jumbo blackberries. How to Revive An Air Plant https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-revive-an-air-plant

Light

• Sites with full sun are best for productive blackberry bushes. Some afternoon shade is tolerated, especially in areas with hot summers.

Soil

• Careful site selection will ensure a long life for your blackberries, which usually live for about a decade with proper care. Soil should have good drainage. An elevated site or raised beds will not only help drainage but will also prevent late spring frosts from damaging flower buds. Remove all weeds that might draw nutrients or water away from your blackberries, as their shallow roots are susceptible to this competition.

Water

• Blackberries need moderate amounts of water, around an inch a week provided either by rainfall or from drip irrigation. Blackberries do not fare well in wet soils.

Temperature and Humidity

• Because of their shallow root systems, blackberries don't do well in areas where temperatures go below zero degrees routinely. Cold winter temperatures combined with wet spring soils may lead to plant death. The reverse environment of hot, dry winds are also unfavorable for blackberry growing and may result in stunted, seedy fruits. How To Get Rid Of Bugs In Houseplants Soil https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bugs-in-houseplants-soil

Fertilizer

• Fertilize your blackberries in the spring when plants are emerging from dormancy, using a balanced 10-10-10 formula. Fertilize plants again in the fall with an application of manure and compost, which will also suppress weeds and improve soil tilth.

Propagating

• It's easy to propagate blackberry plants from stem cuttings. Cut a four-inch piece from the end of the stem in late spring when temperatures are mild and rainfall is plenty. Plant it in the soil, and keep it moist. Roots will form in two to four weeks.

Varieties of Blackberries

Blackberries fall into two categories: primocane, which produce fruit the first year and are fall-bearing or ever bearing, and floricane, which produce fruit the second year and are summer-bearing. Gardening Tool Set for Mom https://www.justhomegardening.com/best-gardening-tool-set-for-mom-delightful-gift-for-mom-gardener

'Shawnee' is resistant to cold, and has self-supporting thorny canes. 'Natchez' is thornless and erect, and will form a hedgerow as it spreads by suckers. Semi-erect thornless varieties like 'Chester' and 'Triple Crown' grow as a clump, and benefit from a trellis. Primocane varieties like 'Prime-Ark Traveler' produce fruit on new and old canes throughout the season.

Toxicity of Blackberries and Its Leaves

Blackberry leaves are edible and are sometimes dried for use as a tea ingredient.

Pruning

Pruning keeps blackberry plants a manageable size and improves fruit quality. Prune old canes that have previously born fruit to the ground to make room for young canes. In the spring, prune trailing young canes back to about three feet to reduce tangling. Prune erect varieties back to about three feet in the summer, in a process called tipping.

Harvesting

Because they are highly perishable, it's important to follow the development of your ripening blackberries carefully. Immature blackberries start out green, then transition to red before maturing to a deep, glossy black. Blackberries do not continue to ripen after harvest, so only pick the berries after they have turned completely black. Berries last about seven days after harvest in the refrigerator.

Being Grown in Containers

When growing blackberries in containers, choose a compact cultivar like Baby Cakes™ that does not need pruning. Choose large containers that hold at least five gallons of soil to prevent drying out.

Growing From Seeds

Blackberries are sold as dormant bare roots or as potted plants. If you have the patience to grow blackberries from seed, plant them in the ground in the fall. They require a period of cold dormancy to germinate.

Common Pests and Diseases

Blackberries are prone to anthracnose, stem blight, and crown gall. Prevent disease by purchasing disease-free plant stock from reputable nurseries, and planting your blackberries away from areas with wild brambles. Insect pests include stink bugs and raspberry crown borers. Healthy vigorous plants are less attractive to insect attack. dr pye's scanmask https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bugs-in-houseplants-soil

Blackberries vs. Raspberries

Both blackberries and raspberries belong to the Rubus genus. Blackberry and raspberry plants look very similar, both featuring thorny canes and compound leaves with toothed edges in groups of three or five. One key difference between the fruits of blackberries and raspberries is the way the fruits are formed. The tiny globes of the fruits, called drupelets, are attached to a white core in blackberries. Raspberries, including black raspberries, form drupelets with a hollow core.

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Tips to make butterfly garden

You’ve planted things with the word “butterfly” in the name: butterfly bush, butterfly weed, and the pincushion flower ‘Butterfly Blue.' A few butterflies do seem to flit by, but what if your garden is still more of a stopover than a destination? By learning more about butterflies, the plants that attract them, and their survival needs, you can increase your garden’s butterfly allure considerably.

Plant Butterfly Friendly Flowers

The flowers you choose to install in your butterfly garden are likely to be classics that your parents or grandparents grew. Growing these heirlooms preserves genetic diversity, honors old-fashioned garden style, and connects you to your ancestors. It also allows you to propagate your garden by saving seed. How to Revive An Air Plant https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-revive-an-air-plant

Traditional flowers that you will see repeatedly in butterfly gardens include brightly colored plants with shallow blossoms that allow easy nectar access. Popular butterfly perennials include milkweed, coneflowers, hyssop, asters, and liatris. Shrubs add a structure to the landscape while nourishing butterflies, so include some viburnum, sweetspire, and elderberry. These plants and shrubs all thrive in full sun, which butterflies need to maintain their metabolism.

Use a mix of annuals and perennials to prolong blooming time. Flowering containers allow you to exchange plantings during low-blooming lulls in the garden, like late spring and late summer. Use a combination of window boxes, patio containers, and hanging baskets to help create staggered blooming heights in the butterfly garden. Stick to nectar-rich flowers like pentas, cosmos, lantana, petunias, and zinnias instead of sterile hybrid flowers to ensure a steady supply of nectar.

Include not only a variety of colors, but plants of differing heights to attract more butterflies. A short row of flowering bedding plants may look attractive to homeowners, but it doesn’t satisfy the needs of some butterflies. In nature, butterflies fill specific feeding niches by focusing on flowers at certain heights. By including flowers that grow at a range of heights, you can not only achieve a professional-looking border, you will attract a greater variety of butterflies. For example, Tiger Swallowtails seek tall flowers like Joe Pye weed and honeysuckle vines. The Least Skipper and Little Yellow butterflies prefer flowers closer to the ground, like lavender, dianthus, and asters. How To Get Rid Of Bugs In Houseplants Soil https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bugs-in-houseplants-soil

Add Plants for Butterfly Caterpillars

Many butterflies are very specific about which host plant they will lay their eggs on. Sometimes they seek out plants in a particular family, and sometimes their caterpillars will dine on one plant and one plant only. If you intermingle attractive host plants with nectar rich plants in your flower garden, you may find yourself fostering one butterfly generation after the next. Don’t worry about extensive caterpillar damage on your host plants; unlike some caterpillars that are voracious garden pests, butterfly caterpillar feeding rarely causes death or stunted growth on healthy host plants.

Aster flowers are an important source of nectar for migrating butterflies in the fall, but before that, the larvae of the pearl crescent butterfly feed on its foliage. Monarchs depend on butterfly weed and other plants in the milkweed family to provide them with the toxins that make them unpalatable to birds and other predators. The showy zebra butterfly, a Florida and Texas resident, feeds its babies exclusively on the foliage of the passionflower. If you reside in the Eastern half of the United States, you may attract the iridescent Eastern tailed-blue to your garden with a host planting of sweet peas. Gardening Tool Set for Mom https://www.justhomegardening.com/best-gardening-tool-set-for-mom-delightful-gift-for-mom-gardener

Include Butterfly Shelter Areas

Butterfly houses look like wooden blocks punctuated with tall, narrow slots, presumably to shelter butterflies from predators and bad weather. Have you ever seen a photo or video of swarm of butterflies emerging from this butterfly apartment house in the morning? Probably not. Unfortunately, a prefab butterfly house is more likely to become the future home of a paper wasp colony than it is to shelter butterflies. Butterflies do need shelter from wind and rain, but you don’t need a fancy shingled house to protect them. Take your cue from nature, and provide them with a simple log pile in a corner of the yard. Butterflies will use this natural shelter to roost at night, or even to hibernate over the winter. In addition to the spaces between logs, small butterflies can creep between gaps in the bark. If you wish to make the shelter more cozy than a rustic log pile, you can cover the pile with a tarp, which will help the insects stay dry during downpours.

Offer Alternative Butterfly Foods

In spite of your best efforts to maintain a garden that blooms from spring until frost, there will inevitably be some times when a butterfly’s favorite flowers are scarce. You can continue to draw butterflies to your garden during this time by focusing on species that spend little time seeking nectar. Hackberry butterflies in particular relish overripe fruit, so you can attract them with dishes of peaches, pears, and bananas that are past their prime.

Fermented beer or molasses can act as the condiment on the fruit main dish, proving irresistible to species like the Question Mark and Red-Spotted Purple. Replace the fruit frequently to discourage wasps and ants from taking over the buffet. You can also cover the fruit with a window screen, which butterflies can bypass with their proboscis but will block wasps.

Provide Butterfly Puddling Stations

Butterflies seek shallow puddles in the garden not only as a source of drinking water, but also as a way to obtain vital minerals. In fact, the Cloudless Sulphur and the Sleepy Orange butterfly may congregate en masse in muddy areas or bog gardens. Look for this puddling behavior in the hottest part of the day, and keep your soil free of chemicals that can harm sensitive butterflies. A shallow dish filled with pebbles or sand and water can act as a valuable drinking station on hot days. dr pye's scanmask https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bugs-in-houseplants-soil

Avoid Pesticides That Harm Butterflies

When it comes to pest control, butterfly gardeners must tread lightly. Most pesticides will harm or kill butterflies (as well as other beneficial pollinators like bees and parasitic wasps). Even organic pest control options like insect soap or neem oil can kill butterflies or disrupt their feeding and mating habits. However, this doesn't mean you have to hand your flowers over to the aphids. Minimize pesticide effects by shielding flowers from sprays and powders. Only use pesticides to treat insect outbreaks, not as a preventative treatment. Finally, try non-pesticide insect controls, like floating row covers, jets of water to blast away small insects, and hand-picking for large insects like beetles.

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How to make vegetable garden layout?

Learn how to lay out a vegetable garden for your space and the plants you want to grow—from super-fresh lettuce to juicy tomatoes. In this video, we discuss the benefits different styles of garden beds. We’ll also demonstrate how to position your vegetables for a better harvest. How to Revive An Air Plant https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-revive-an-air-plant

Site Selection

Before we get started, let’s consider the location of your garden. • Where do you get the most sun? Ideally, choose the sunniest part of the garden for your beds, away from frost pockets. Most vegetables need 6 to 8 hours of direct sun a day! Note that the south, east, and west sides of your home will get more sun than the north. • How far away is the water? Make sure you have easy access to a hose or water source! • Is there a spot near the house? The ideal garden is one ou can see outside your door or window so it’s easy to water and keep an eye on! • Is there a nice clearing? If you have too many shrubs or trees nearby, they may compete with your garden for nutrients and moisture as well as sunlight. • How large do you want your garden? It’s better to start small! If you’re new to vegetable gardening, a 10’ x 10’ garden (100 square feet) is a great place to start.

Which plants do you want to grow?

• For a beginner, perhaps pick 3 to 5 plants that you would like to grow, and buy 3 to 5 plants of each one. See the most popular vegetables, herbs, and fruit here. • Here’s a good article and list of vegetables for the beginner gardener. • If you’re growing annual plants (most vegetable seeds need to be planted each year), then look at dedicated vegetable beds. • For the perennials (such as asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries), you may want to dedicate a separate space. • If you have our Garden Planner, we make it easy to plan where to grow your fruits and vegetables. Select a crop from the plant selection bar and add it to your plan. Use the corner handles to extend the row or expand it out into a block, and the Garden Planner will automatically calculate how many plants can be grown in that space. How To Get Rid Of Bugs In Houseplants Soil https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bugs-in-houseplants-soil

Plan Dedicated Vegetable Beds

Growing in dedicated beds reduces soil compaction, helps to simplify crop rotation, and makes weeding and protecting your crops a snap. A simple bed system in your garden will make it easy to plan, tend and harvest your crops.

You can lay out your beds on paper, but today, we much prefer to lay them out on the computer with the Almanac Garden Planner. It automatically calculates how much space each plant requires, your frost dates, your planting dates, and so much more.

• Beds can be laid out at soil level or raised, and should be no more than 3 to 4 feet wide to make it easy to reach into the center without stepping on the soil. • The length of your beds should take into account how far you are willing to walk to get around to the other side. • A narrow bed also enables you to grow plants in blocks rather than rows, which helps suppress weeds and maximizes the number of plants you can grow in that space. • Make each bed the same size to make it simple to move crops, row covers, and cloches from bed to bed as required. (Note: On the Garden Planner, mark out your beds with the rectangle tool. Switch your tool to Garden Objects to select a particular style of raised bed.) Gardening Tool Set for Mom https://www.justhomegardening.com/best-gardening-tool-set-for-mom-delightful-gift-for-mom-gardener

Design Your Paths

• Make access paths between beds at least 2 feet wide to enable easy access for weeding and harvesting. • Paths can be made of grass if they can be easily mown. • Alternatively, lay cardboard and cover it with a mulch of wood chips, or pour a loose material such as gravel over weed-suppressing fabric.

• For a more permanent path surface, consider using brick or pavers.

If you’re using  our Garden Planner, there are a number of path types to add to your plan. Irregular shapes can be created by selecting a texture from the Palette, then adding solid shapes.

Positioning Vegetables in Beds

1. Tender Plants Grow tender plants such as tomatoes and peppers in the warmest, sunniest parts of the plot, so add these to your plan these first.

2. Sprawling Plants Next, consider plants such as squash that need a lot of space. Add these near the edges of beds so they don’t smother neighboring plants.

3. Climbing Crops Tall-growing climbers such as peas and pole beans should be located where they won’t shade lower-growing vegetables. You may want to take advantage of potential shade to grow cool-season crops like lettuce and spinach, especially in hot climates.

4. Quick-Access Crops Plants that are regularly harvested and which don’t need to be included in crop rotation, such as herbs and salad leaves, should be positioned in beds nearest to the kitchen.

5. Pollination and Companion Planting Consider pollination requirements. Corn, for example, is best grown in blocks rather than rows, as they are wind pollinated. Include pollinator plants and plenty of flowers such as calendula to attract beneficial insects to your garden and help improve pollination of fruit or pod-bearing crops!

6. Thirsty Plants Thirsty plants such as salad leaves are likely to need regular watering. Cluster these plants together in a damper part of the garden or where irrigation can easily be supplied. 8 Best Edible Mushroom Growing Kit Plus Growth Tips For Beginners https://www.justhomegardening.com/8-best-edible-mushroom-growing-kit-plus-growth-tips-for-beginners

Finally, if this isn’t your first garden, think about where you planted your veggies last year, then be sure to rotate them to different beds for the coming season to help prevent diseases and avoid plant-hungry pests that overwinter in the soil. Our Garden Planner actually has a crop rotation feature and even warns you when you need to rotate!

Try Out the Almanac Garden Planner for Free

All the best with your garden plan!

As a courtesy, the online Almanac Garden Planner is free for 7 days. This is plenty of time to play around on your computer and try it out. There are absolutely no strings attached. We are most interested in encouraging folks to try growing a garden of goodness! dr pye's scanmask https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bugs-in-houseplants-soil

Not only does the Garden Planner help you lay out a garden, but we also provide you with a customized planting calendar so you know when to plant what. Plus, we provide lots of gardening videos and techniques to help you out!

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How to choose the right materials for raised garden bed?

Raised garden beds are fairly easy to construct, even easier to maintain, and offer myriad benefits for your garden (and you)! Here’s how to build a raised garden bed in your backyard, as well as some advice on using the right wood and soil.

Raised beds are an easy way to get into gardening! Whether you purchase a kit or build your own, there are many great reasons for using raised bed gardening. How to Revive An Air Plant https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-revive-an-air-plant

What is a Raised Garden Bed?

A raised garden bed (or simply “raised bed”) is a large planting container that sits aboveground and is filled with soil and plants. It is a box with no bottom or top—a frame, really—that is placed in a sunny spot and filled with good-quality soil—to become a source of pride and pleasure, and a centerpiece of the garden.

Why Should I Build a Raised Garden Bed?

Raised beds have many benefits. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using one: • Garden chores are made easier and more comfortable thanks to less bending and kneeling. Save your knees and back from the strain and pain of tending the garden! • Productivity of plants is improved due to better drainage and deeper rooting. • Raised beds are ideal for small spaces where a conventional row garden might be too wild and unwieldy. Raised beds help to keep things organized and in check. • Planting in a raised bed gives you full control over soil quality and content, which is especially important in areas where the existing soil is rocky, nutrient-poor, or riddled with weeds. • Raised beds allow for a longer growing season, since you can work the soil more quickly in the spring in frost-hardened regions, or convert the bed into a cold frame in the fall. • Fewer weeds are seen in raised beds thanks to the bed being elevated away from surrounding weeds and being filled with disease- and weed-free soil. • Raised beds allow for easier square-foot gardening and companion planting. How To Get Rid Of Bugs In Houseplants Soil https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bugs-in-houseplants-soil

Learn more about the benefits of raised garden beds.

Choosing the Right Wood for Raised Beds

Many people are concerned about the safety of their wood frame. First, rest assured that CCA pressure-treated wood is banned, as it was known to leach arsenic. To ensure that the wood lasts, there are several options:

• Regular pressure-treated lumber sold today has a mixture of chemicals applied to prevent the moist soil and weather from rotting it. Although pressure-treated wood is certified as safe for organic growing, some people have reservations about using it, and there are various eco-friendly alternatives. • More expensive woods, such as cedar, contain natural oils which prevent rotting and make them much more durable. They are more expensive to buy, but they will last many more years. • Choosing thicker boards can make the wood last longer. For example, 2-inch-thick locally sourced larch should last 10 years, even without treatment. • Avoid using railroad ties, as they may be treated with creosote, which is toxic. Alternatives to wood include concrete blocks or bricks. However, keep in mind that concrete will increase the soil pH over time, and you will have to amend the soil accordingly to grow your best garden. Gardening Tool Set for Mom https://www.justhomegardening.com/best-gardening-tool-set-for-mom-delightful-gift-for-mom-gardener How Big Should Your Raised Bed Be?

• First, you need a location that has level ground and gets the right amount of sunlight (6 to 8 hours per day). This should narrow down your options a bit. • In terms of bed size, 4 feet is a common width. Lumber is often cut in 4-foot increments, and you also want to be able to access the garden without stepping into the bed. Making the bed too wide will make it difficult to reach the middle, which makes weeding and harvesting a pain. • Length isn’t as important. Typical plots are often 4 feet wide by 8 feet long or 4 feet wide by 12 feet long. Make your bed as long as you like or build multiple raised beds for different crops. • The depth of the bed can vary, but 6 inches of soil should be the minimum. Most garden plants need at least 6 to 12 inches for their roots, so 12 inches is ideal. 8 Best Edible Mushroom Growing Kit Plus Growth Tips For Beginners https://www.justhomegardening.com/8-best-edible-mushroom-growing-kit-plus-growth-tips-for-beginners Preparing the Site for a Raised Bed • Before you establish the bed, break up and loosen the soil underneath with a garden fork so that it’s not compacted. Go about 6 to 8 inches deep. For improved rooting, some gardeners like to remove the top layer (about a spade’s depth), dig down another layer, and then return the top layer and mix the soil layers together. • If you’re planning to put your raised bed in a space currently occupied by a lawn, lay down a sheet of cardboard, a tarp, or a piece of landscaping fabric to kill off the grass first. After about six weeks (or less, depending on the weather), the grass should be dead and will be much easier to remove.

Building a Raised Garden Bed

• To support timber beds, place wooden stakes at every corner (and every few feet for longer beds). Place on the inside of the bed so that the stakes are less visible. • Drive the stakes about 60% (2 feet) into the ground and leave the rest of the stakes exposed aboveground. • Ensure that the stakes are level so that they’re in the ground at the same height, or you’ll have uneven beds. • Set the lowest boards a couple inches below ground level. Check that they are level. • Use galvanized nails (or screws) to fix the boards to the stakes. • Add any additional rows of boards, fixing them to the stakes, too.

Check out our video on how to build raised beds for your vegetables:

Soil for Raised Garden Beds

The soil blend that you put into your raised bed is its most important ingredient. More gardens fail or falter due to poor soil than almost anything else.

• Fill the beds with a mix of topsoil, compost, and other organic material, such as manure, to give your plants a nutrient-rich environment (see recipes below). Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting. • Note that the soil in a raised bed will dry out more quickly. During the spring and fall, this is fine, but during the summer, add straw, mulch, or hay on top of the soil to help it retain moisture. • Frequent watering will be critical with raised beds, especially in the early stages of plant growth. Otherwise, raised beds need little maintenance.

Raised Bed Soil Recipe

For a 4x8-foot raised bed:

• 4 bags (2 cubic feet each) topsoil (Note: Avoid using topsoil from your yard, as it may contain weeds and pests.) • 2 pails (3 cubic feet each) peat moss • 2 bags (2–3 cubic feet each) compost or composted cow manure • 2-inch layer of shredded leaves or grass clippings (grass clippings should be herbicide- and fertilizer-free) dr pye's scanmask https://www.justhomegardening.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bugs-in-houseplants-soil

Planning a Raised Bed Garden

To plan out the perfect garden for your space, try the Almanac Garden Planner! In minutes, you can create a garden plan right on your computer.

The Garden Planner has a “Raised Garden Bed” feature. It also has a specific square-foot gardening (SFG) feature, which involves dividing the bed into squares to make the organization of your garden a lot simpler (see photo above).

Which ever garden you select, the Garden Planner will show you the number of crops that fit in each space so you don’t waste seed or overcrowd. There’s even a companion planting tool so you plant crops that thrive together and avoid plants that inhibit each other.

Test out our Garden Planner with a free 7-day trial—plenty of time to plan your first garden! If you enjoy the Garden Planner, we hope you’ll subscribe. Otherwise, this is ample time to play around and give it a go!

Learn More • Get more tips on building a raised garden bed and planning for it. • If this article sparks your interest in raised beds, then we’ll show you how to do it. See our video, “How to Use Raised Beds in Your Garden.” • Learn more about companion planting, which can vastly improve the health and yield of your garden. See our Companion Planting Guide and our Companion Planting Chart for Vegetables. • Check out our Plant Growing Guides for advice on growing all of the most popular vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers.