Sunny and springtime-y today (although a bit chilly). So Teddi’s been gentling gardens out of hibernation and into an April awakening. There are so many day-to-day updates this time of year for holistic gardeners, hundreds of seasonal rituals that nurture perennial plants, bushes, brambles, vines, and trees as they emerge from dormancy. Today let’s look at mulching berries.
Let’s start with Rosslyn’s blueberry bed. The photograph above was taken from the western end of the row, looking east toward the barns. Because blueberries benefit from acidified soil, I began mulching them with pine needle mulch many years ago. This holistic recommendation made sense at the time, but it turns out that pine needles are not actually as effective for lowering soil pH as I’d originally been lead to believe. Although there may be some small advantage over time as decomposition works its magic, we long ago learned to supplement with organic blueberry fertilizer. That said, pine needles are effective for weed suppression which reduces competition for water and nutrients, moisture retention, and organic matter supplementation as the needles decompose.
Emergence from dormancy begins when daylight hours lengthen and temperatures rise. Blueberry buds begin to swell, and the first signs of new leaves appear.
Strawberries also begin to awaken, but the signs are initially subtler. Flower buds that formed last season begin begin to stir. Soon, weather permitting, flowers will begin to open atop the short stalks, receptive to pollination. New leaves will emerge and together with new roots, will begin photosynthesizing for the growing season ahead.
For the strawberries, we use recycled newsprint (uncolored pages only) to carefully cover the soil around and between plants. A 3” or more layer of wood chips holds the paper in place to inhibit weed growth, ensuring that the strawberries do not have to compete for nutrients and water.
(Note: Supplementing with organic nitrogen helps compensate for wood chip decomposition which can pull nitrogen from the soil.)
Last but not least in today’s post is a photograph of the bramble fed. We grow raspberries and blackberries, both of which are heavy feeders. Plenty of organic fertilizer top-dressed with wood hop mulch has consistently proven to be a successful formula for us over the years. In this photo, the bed has been tidied up and is ready for nutrient supplementation and mulch.
In wrapping up this look at mulching berries, it’s worth noting that I took these photographs five years ago on April 7, 2020 during our COVID-19 quarantine. It was time a slowing down, stepping back, and sizing up all sorts of small and big details that we might otherwise have overlooked, having become accustomed to over time. But something about the weeks-turned-months of pandemic helped catalyze introspection and appreciation for the many small indulgences we enjoy at Rosslyn. Like homegrown berries. Like 100% healthy, organic growing conditions. Like Teddi and Pam and Glen and Tony who help maintain these fortunate circumstances! Thank you, all!
What do you think?