How does your garden grow

Is there anything I should be doing for them other than watering them every once in a while? I haven’t done all that much with the one Blueberry plant I have in the ground and it’s surviving, but I’m wondering if there is more I should be doing to help it thrive.

In my neighborhood there is two people who enjoy gardening . Both of us are over 60 . I caught having a nice looking grounds from my mom and dad when I was very young . I also worked on farms in my youth . Yesterday I was able to seed one raised bed and plant my new addition of slightly raised bed protected from our dog and cat . My wife ordered flower seeds , but has not felt up to getting seedlings started . So I will go see if I can find the plants she wishes for our window box and front rockery . I just wish I could garden naked . If you asked my neighbors they would probably say I already do . I wear wore out short cutoffs and often no shirt . With food prices going higher and higher , I think my garden expantion will be a good relief to our food budget .

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Short shorts for all occasions! I often garden in some leather shorts

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Have planted my first peony bush in a pot so would love some guidance.
Have just popped in a metal plant support and have tied a few of the stems to supports.
Looking forward to some gorgeous blooms BUT I do have a tendency to kill Green things :see_no_evil:
Aiming High and thinking positive thoughts though!
I do sprinkle in some used tea bag contents now and again and thinking about also using coffee grounds :blush:

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1st tip- every spring I buy a fresh bag of ericaceous soil as it needs a boost of acidity.
Scrap the top layer away and top up the pots and give a good water.

Pick berries early to boost the crop.
The flowers they produce are a firm favourite of the birds around here, so net them up or build a cage for the plant.

Prune it back when the season finishes.

Just keep the soil moist, but not too wet.

I also turn my post every 2 weeks, as they grow towards sunlight. This way, you get an even grow.

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Optimistically bought a pear tree, would definitely appreciate any advice from those with green thumbs on how not to let my new plant friend die :joy:

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I’m this close​:ok_hand: buying a hardy kiwi plant (US zone 6b, although my street is right on the border of 6a and I have neighbors in 6a lol). Not sure if I’m going to try it because I feel like that is asking for trouble haha :sweat_smile:

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Thank you so much for the advice! Mine is planted in-ground, so I cannot turn it, but I’m assuming the rest of the advice stands? Is there overlap between this advice and how I should handle the raspberry plant o have in the ground nearby? I’m a little overwhelmed with the care info for each individual plant, so I’m trying to make note of overlapping care needs and/or overall themes that are common to multiple plants of mine. I also have a few strawberries in the same bed a few feet away, and have been told that those guys are going to take over if I’m not careful!

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If I never pruned it back at the end of last season, should I just leave it be at this point? Or should I still trim it a little bit at least? Both the raspberries and blueberries were kind of left to do their own thing at the end of last season.

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Welcome Commander Brenna
If you haven’t already, dig a nice big hole to pop it in. Spread the roots slightly first if it was growing in a pot. Make the hole big enough to surround with th soil that came out, mixed with some compost and a little rooting powder sprinkled in. There’s probably a little ‘notch’ towards the bottom of the trunk where it was ‘grafted’ . Make sure this stays above the soil. Firm in and probably best to support with a stake. Then give it a good water.
I normally ‘mulch’ the bare soil with bark to stop weeds growing and competing for nutrients.
Then the most important thing is to keep it watered through any dry spells. A lot of trees planted on new builds die because nobody waters them. Sit back.
It may take a couple of years before you have any fruit but it will look pretty and be a calming addition to your garden
Good Luck
:crossed_fingers:

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Even if it’s in the ground you can add another layer of soil around it to freshen it up. I do this to all my fruit, every year. Ranging from a small handful, around each raspberry cane or nearly half a bag around the apple tree.
Make sure you use ericaceous soil for your blueberries though.

Raspberries are pretty much similar but on a broader scale, just use normal soil to bolster the nutrients.

Each plant is too late to trim now, but do get rid of any brown leaves and old fruit as it will still absorb energy.

Pick both fruits when you see them to booster the crop.

When both fruits have finished, that’s when to snip them back.

Strawberries also the same.
When it’s the end of their season, they will shoot off stems to encourage new growth.
If you don’t want them to spread, just snip back. The plant itself won’t spread like mint would.

Almost too late to do any snipping but do pick and deadheads etc.

A little Tomorite once a week is good until it starts to show fruit, then I only use water.

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Disclaimer - I have two black thumbs, but my inlaws have pear trees and said to grow pears, you need two pear trees for proper pollination as they are not self pollinating :thinking:

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@Lovehoney_Brenna
The only thing I would add to the importance of a well watered plant and @Melody1 ‘s advice - if the roots are showing when you take it out of the pot, I always dig the hole then put a whole bucket of water down first, so you don’t wash away the soil you build it up with when watering after it’s planted, and it also keeps the soli it came in, more in tact.
I then add a bit of fresh compost to add the nutrients, before planting.

Some Pear ( and apple ) trees need to be planted in twos to help pollination.
I only have room for one apple tree and that’s why I only get a small crop.
If you don’t have room for 2, check what the neighbours have and see if you can chose to plant yours, near that side of your garden that has something similar.

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@PKH You beat me to it as I kept editing my words., but glad the advice has been echoed.

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Thank you @Melody1 @PKH @Bonzo2020 :smiley:

I’ll aim to get Mr Tree in the garden this weekend :slight_smile: I think it is one of the ones that doesn’t need two as its little tag says “Self Fertile” :partying_face:

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@Lovehoney_Brenna be-careful it you need to stake it as well, if you do slant the stake away from the root ball at an angle so’s not damage the root ball ! Have a look on you tube it will provide with some advice ! Hopefully it will be good to go :+1:

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Imagine if that was people!
:grin:
Yep, many fruit trees now have ‘self fertile’ varieties

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I am sore this morning , planted flowers in window box and rockery in front yard . Also planted two hanging baskets . I have been cleaning and working on my pond and I was half done , yesterday as I was ready to get started our dog Loki came power sliding under my little arch bridge and knocked most of rocks under the bridge back into pond . Grrr , so I made a steel gate that blocks his path under bridge . I had hoped to finish the pond yesterday , nope . Rain for the next 6 days , so it will be at least a week before I can get back to it . If anyone would like to see some backyard ponds of all sizes I recommend a YouTube channel " Greg the pond guy . This is one of my favorites , just a little out of reach , lol .

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Be careful when planting that tree @Lovehoney_Brenna

If I ruin the paint, it means I can paint them again :smiling_imp:

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