I came home from work to find the first fruit of the year have ripened, more than enough Gariguette strawberries to snack on. They were probably a couple weeks later last year. This is a very aromatic and flavorful berry and definitely a keeper.
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Cool you like Gariguette. I had a few last year, I wanted another season to decide. They were good the first year. Everything French seems to be very good.
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I replaced all the plants in my strawberry bed this spring, currently growing Jewel, Honeoye, and Earliglow. I also ran drip irrigation and built a raisable net structure to keep the rabbits and mockingbirds out.
Here’s yesterdays pick, I’m sure they’d improve if I let them ripen a bit more but my 6 year old twins help me pick everyday and they’d eat them completely green if I’d let them.
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What an orderly bed!
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Thanks, it won’t after I let the runners take over but I am trying to keep each variety in their own section of the bed.
Yeah, I’ve tried that, too.
I was just noticing the runners taking off today
Looks like you live waterfront. Do share a full picture!
I’m on a little 30 acre lake. Strawberries (3 varieties) in the raised bed, 14 blueberries (7 varieties) in grow bags along the back porch, and raspberries (3 varieties) in grow bags on far end of pool deck. Spice zee, dapple dandy, flavor king, and arctic star beyond the raspberries, and prime ark freedoms below the retaining wall.
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Beautiful!
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how the heck are you going to harvest that patch? nice plants.
Wow, no need to worry about weeds in that patch, the strawbs have become the ‘weed’. Sadly my patch is being somewhat overrun, mostly by cinquefoil. What varieties do you have?
I picked about two quarts worth last night, but a lot of the berries I had to toss out because of rot, since there isn’t a lot of mulch in the patch the berries are laying on bare dirt. We cleaned and halved them tonight, got about a quart put up in the freezer. I think between fresh eating and freezing, we’ve had about 4qt total so far. Bet I’ve tossed about a quart because of rot.
Patch is still producing, the Earliglow are petering out, just producing mostly tiny berries. The Jewel berries are coming on more, but there aren’t nearly as many plants, and those seem to be getting swallowed by weeds, so I’m gaving to deal with those.
The Flavorfest I planted 3 weeks ago are doing great, almost all have bloomed, but I’ve been pinching those off, they need to get established.
Re the brambles, all my UArk thornless plants (except PAF) have set some small berries and are continuing to bloom.
There are over a dozen PAF primocanes growing well, I had to top 3 or 4 canes today since they were already over 30", and will prob do more next week. I had to top a couple Traveler primos last week.
Triple Crown floricanes are just now starting to produce fruit buds, but no blooms yet.
Rasps are blooming too, some have started to set fruit, just not a lot of production this year from small canes.
I put those berries in 3 or 4 years ago and can’t remember the 2 varieties. They have overrun their little spot but are still producing well.
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Mulberries going gangbusters here.
Silk Hope is still tops, in flavor; good sweet/tart balance
Kokuso producing its heaviest crop ever… berries sweet, but not much flavor
Illinois Everbearing producing well, but a significant % of berries affected with ‘popcorn disease’ fungus - not as badly as was the case last year, though.
‘Lawson Dawson’ trees are bearing their typical heavy, tasty crop.
M.rubra ‘Harmony Grove’ bearing it’s heaviest crop ever.
Have a presumed seedling of IE that I’ve named ‘Corral’ (it was transplanted to provide shade to the cattle working pen), that’s bearing heavily - looks and tastes a lot like IE.
Presented Mardi with two ripe M.nigra berries off the Sicilian Black, one of three nigras I got from Lucille Whitman 2 or 3 years back… it’s the only one that’s survived.
Serviceberries/juneberries are coloring up… birds will be hammering them soon, if they’ll leave the mulberries.
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Did you spray your strawbs?
my PAFs in containers are in their second year of production. I wish I could measure their production in quarts, like some of you!
but the second year has been much better. so far, the number of berries harvested from floricanes is closing in on my total primo + flori harvest from last year. and my floricane harvest seems far from over.
my PAFs at ground level have a different microclimate with far less sunshine. they produced nothing last year while establishing themselves. they are producing a handful of berries this year on floricanes, but in a primocane manner (i.e., at the tips). I wonder if the usual two-year cane life cycle is altered (i.e., extended) by their low-light conditions.
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My PAF in grow bags were pretty pitiful compared to the rest of my plants. After 2 years of no berries I moved them to a raised bed. While they are still not what I’d call vigorous, at least they are finally producing a few berries.
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now that they have more room for the roots, next spring fertilize them early and stand back! PAF are very vigorous here. i can imagine how they will grow for you in a warmer zone!
No, I didn’t. While the rot is a disease, I guess, I think it’s more of a result of the patch not having any mulch or something else for the berries to lie on. The top side of the berries look fine, but it’s the bottom side on the bare dirt that goes bad. It could be the heat during the day, and humidity at night that makes it worse.
There was plenty of straw under them last year, and I didn’t have nearly the same amount of rot.
I’m going to try and renovate them this year, and do a better job of keeping them mulched.