The waiting game

[spacealien_vamp]

The supervisor shadowing days have been going pretty well so far. No word yet from the chief regarding our schedule, which means we're all still in limbo as far as making future plans is concerned. For example, several months ago I registered for a convention over Memorial Day Weekend (which I was going to have off); now I have no idea whether I'll be able to attend. The continued uncertainty is frustrating and stressful.

I only had a one-day weekend, so I accomplished as much as I could. I managed to get the front yard relatively weed free. It's sprinkling a bit this weekend, so I grabbed several old, uneaten CSA carrots that had been sitting around in the refrigerator and planted them in the front yard. Hopefully the light rain will help them settle in, and I'll get pretty white flowers this summer.

Speaking of flowers, my wisteria buds are finally beginning to open. I can only imagine how pretty it will look in a couple years when the vines have covered the entire top of the pergola.

I managed to harvest another couple stalks of asparagus, which I chopped up and added to a quiche. The hard thing about growing so many perennials is waiting years before they get to full production.

Comments

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

In your experience, do you think I should pick off the flowers to promote growth?

Picking off the flowers doesn't promote vertical growth, it just prevents the plant from pouring energy into fruit production while its roots are immature. So if the plant is still young, or recently transplanted, it might help the plant grow a better root system. That won't necessarily make the plant grow taller; blueberries tend to respond to light levels when it comes to vertical growth. (That is, they grow taller in the shade, they stay short in full sun.)

[jojobruin.livejournal.com]

I see... How interesting.

Are blueberries well suited for the foggy weather in San Francisco? After how many years do they age and produce less fruits?

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

Are blueberries well suited for the foggy weather in San Francisco?

About as good as any shade-tolerant fruit, probably. It depends on the variety, though. The biggest problem is chill hours in the winter. The southern highbush varieties don't need as much cold in the winter, so they do better.

Keep in mind that there are dwarf varieties that are supposed to stay short. So if your plant has stopped growing, it may be a dwarf.

After how many years do they age and produce less fruits?

They should last decades.

[jojobruin.livejournal.com]

Right, I read southern highbush varieties do better in milder winters. Thanks for confirming that. Let's hope it's the dwarf variant because they haven't grown any taller for a year.

What do you think the sunlight requirement for raspberry and blackberry? How well do they tolerate partial or full shade?

Thanks!

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

What do you think the sunlight requirement for raspberry and blackberry? How well do they tolerate partial or full shade?

In nature, brambles are undergrowth plants (they can grow under the canopy of trees in a forest), so they're fine in shade.

[jojobruin.livejournal.com]

I see! Cool. That renews my hope. It also confirms my suspicion that I'm the one causing them to underproduce last year. Not sure what I did wrong though... In fact, I'm so clueless I'm not even sure what to ask you. Hmm.