L Anderson

Mike Barkley wrote:https://permies.com/t/169305/a/160206/h-bee-blueberries.jpg

The tree directly behind the truck with another visible to the left side are blueberry trees. Not just blueberry trees but 20 foot tall blueberry trees. There are 20 or 30 more next to the truck but not visible in this poor picture. They were planted right after WW2 by a veteran who lived deep in that forest. He was a hermit there until he died many years later. He determined that blueberries would grow well in that area so he ordered a few & planted those 20-30 original plants. There were no other blueberries grown in that state at the time. They did so well he started propagating them from cuttings & from the suckers that form. Spreading them to farmers & ranchers all across that area. Suckers seem to be the most reliable method. One of the neighbors ultimately developed 300 acres of them & created a commercial blueberry business. We also had 3 more orchards of about fifty 8 foot tall bushes each. The point is suckers seem to work better than moving an entire bush or tree. I sure miss those huge blueberry trees. I think a road trip is in order soon. Almost harvest time!!!

WOW!

I was moving. I had 2 blueberries (and 2 thornless raspberries) that I had put in the ground 2 years prior. The blueberries were initially purchased in 5 gallon pots (the raspberries, 1 gallon).

In only two years they were bearing more than I expected, and the fruit was delicious. So when I found I was able to move (again) to a more suitable place, I decided I would try bringing them along. One complication was that I didn’t know exactly when the move would happen, but I did know that I didn’t want to be digging them up in the middle of summer. .

So I cadged some really big pots from a friend, and dug up the plants in very early spring, before they showed signs of life. I dug them so that I could move them with  as much of the soil they were growing in as possible, since I didn’t know how long they would be sitting in those pots. As it turned out, they were in them for a couple of months. They had all started putting out leaves and flowers by the time moving day arrived in the middle of May. There were even berries beginning to appear on the blueberries.  

Once moved I got them into the ground pretty much immediately (before even all my belongings were moved).  I assumed I would lose the berries for that season, but I didn’t! Nice surprise. They didn’t set additional berries, so my crop was tiny, but I sure enjoyed them. The plants stayed healthy and grew through the season. I am very glad I brought so much soil from their previous home, because the soil here is solid clay (well, with a fair smattering of river rock) that the developers piled here in 1992 and had never been improved. I also planted a comfrey slip next to each from a big plant that I also dug up and moved - I figured they could use any help they could get.

Anyway, as we approach the end of our first year post-move, they are all budding out beautifully.  . I’m pretty amazed at how successful it was.  So my advice? Go for it.

Oh - a note in the 2 raspberries: I ran out of steam, and only one got planted. The other stayed in its moving pot until a month or so ago. I’d had a lot to get into the ground (I even moved a small plum tree), and digging into hard, compacted clay, and having to make holes extra big so I could include amendments purported to help break up clay without creating cement, was  quite a project for an old bat - especially since I was simultaneously moving, managing repairs and upgrades, etc.  But guess what? Both lived.. They didn’t give me berries last year, but the are already leafing out this year - and the one that lived in the pot for almost a year is doing just as well as the one that got planted quickly.


So again, I totally think it’s worth going for it. You might lose production for a season (but maybe not, if you can get it done before the new growth starts, and it’s not 90 degrees in the shade when you are transplanting). But regardless, you still end up with a more mature plant than if you bought replacement, which also wouldn’t give much the first season. And, you already know you like the berries they give. And of course, it certainly saves $$$!

Regardless, I see no harm in putting it outside rather than in a landfill or ocean or an incinerator.  Even if it did break down more quickly, the average person likely doesn’t have enough spare hair to generate much fertilizer anyway.
But it’s been a fun discussion and I’ve enjoyed it. And, anytime I can put something outside, whether in the compost, to the worm bin, or as mulch, I’m happy to keep it out of the garbage. Every little bit helps.

Sheep shearers I have known use bad wool to keep weeds down. So, I do too. Hair, too, though I don’t have enough of that to matter much. However, from time to time I do process raw sheep/alpaca/goat fleeces for hand spinning, so periodically I have waste from that.

I put it in the bottom of containers. It holds water, and varmints seem not to like chewing through it.
I also put it around plants. It does discourage weeds. But it needs to be held down with something - else when it dries it will blow around.  I use a couple of stones.  A couple of river-type rocks seem to show up every time I dig a hole. Of course if it gets loose, eventually birds will clean that up.

I would put it on my wall.

I use a cover (cozy) over my very large and heavy stand mixer. Even if I had space in the cupboards, I really don’t want to carry/lift it if I can avoid it.

I think it’s totally worth doing. I really did get tired of washing it bothe before and after using it. Once I began covering it,
Once I didn’t have to do that anymore,  I began to actually use the thing more often because it didn’t involve the extra work.

After a a couple of years of meaning to make one, I broke down and bought one.

What I hate about it: it’s made of some sort of plasticy stuff (but rugged, and not transparent). I clean it in my sink.

What I love about it: it’s sturdy, it stands on its own (of course, supported by the mixer), and it has 2 deep pockets. I keep my multi-page printout of how long to pressure cook different foods in my instant pot, conversions for the volume of a variety of dry beans to cook for a desired cooked quantity, etc … it’s so handy! (And other stuff, of course.)

Having had the experience with this one, if I ever got around to making my own covers I would of course use a cotton or linen fabric.  One with a tight  weave. A nice sturdy fabric that would stand up, like a good canvas (which can be found in nice colors).  I would go the extra mile and make it in three pieces:  using a long rectangle (to go over the the sides and top of the object) and 2 rectangles to fill in the  sides. (Or just 5 rectangles.) That, combined with a sturdy fabric, would mean that it would rest neatly on  the counter (and therefore keep out dust) without  me having to fiddle with a drawstring or have extra fabric puddling on the counter.

Oh - and I would definitely add a pocket.

Or, if I didn’t want to buy anything and weren’t concerned with the extras, I suppose I might just cut down an old pillowcase and let it puddle a little.

(Sorry about the pattern discussion..)

Carla Burke wrote:Maybe this will help. I've laid it on a white napkin (unfortunately, the napkin is in texture stripes...), nickle for size reference...

That is MUCH nicer than the packaged kind and the stuff from fabric stores.  As someone else pointed out that stuff is actually gauze (and poor gauze at thatj. When I use it I have to use at least 4 layers. I have wondered how it ever could be useful for cheese. I also use muslin, but as someone else pointed out, the weave cn so sometimes be too tight.

Carla’s photo shows me that real cheesecloth is nothing like pretend cheesecloth- it’s just right!

Time to figure out where it’s purveyors hide it because I’m definitely getting some.

I don’t have much damage.
My regular regimen is:
Interplant veg with petunias, marigolds and nasturtium
Add a radish seed or two to squash and cucumber hills. Don’t pull them - let them go to seed.
During slug season, of course, shallow dishes of old beer. Cover with a little chicken wire to keep the dogs from drinking the beer. Anchor the chicken wire with old knitting needles.
Plant herbs liberally amongst  berries and veg. Especially oregano and thyme.
Sprinkle  diatomaceous earth now and then.
Never water late in the day (it doesn’t rain here in summer, so watering time is easy to control).

Sure I lose a few berries and sometimes have holes in greens.  But mostly it’s  all fine.

Except for basil. I have never succeeded with basil unless I grow it indoors. It’s always full of holes. Any tips?

Jen Fulkerson wrote:Thanks
I'm not a carpenter by any standards, and these were some of my first beds. Built using a circular saw and drill.  There's a lot of mistakes, and flaws.yet still they have held together, and function well.
I really like them. My only issue has been where the wood meets the steel leaves a small gap, where Bermuda grass sneaks in.  If I were to do it again I would try to block that gap.  Otherwise they are great.
These days I'm just Building wood beds made from pallets to save the steel for other purposes.
I'd love to see what you built when it's cooler.
Happy growing, and building

Oh, I remember Bermuda grass! (I lived in Bakersfield for many years). I will be sure to watch out for gaps. Instead of Bermuda grass, here we have Himalayan blackberry.

I don’t have corrugated steel, but I do have the flat-ish roofing steel. When I come across “scraps,” I like to put them under my stock tanks so it's easier to just mow around them instead of weeding.  But somehow after organizing my tanks here at my new house, I have leftovers .

I  would like to have some tall planters again that are open to the ground, like I did 2 houses ago.
I think your design will be perfect for using those leftovers, and not having to shop for supplies.
Except the circle saw. I have my trusty sawsall, but gave away my circle saw (I got tired of packing and carrying things that I wasn’t using often).  I bet another one will show up by fall.

Jen Fulkerson wrote:I built several raised beds with used corrugated steel panels and reclaimed redwood fencing. I like them a lot, and have had no issues with veggie yield. I'm not sure, but I believe they are about 3 years old. One of them ever took a hit from a shed we took down, and only had minor damage, easily fixed.

Nice looking planters!
I have some stuff left over after the recent move. I am inspired to build some like yours.
In fall when the crazy heat goes away.