Blackberry clearing and remediation project. 5.10.16

Before clearing blackberries.  5.10.16

Here is the status of my Himalayan blackberry removal project.   Moving into summer, I doubt I will do much work on removing more, too hot and sunny.   I started last winter, not intending to go far with this.  

However, after seeing the results, my intent is to clear all of the brambles from this part of our property.  Originally, blackberry thickets covered about 1/4 acre of this 1 acre parcel.  I have cleared, maybe 2/3 of the brambles now.

Before and after removing blackberries.  5.10.16

After removing an area of blackberries.  5.10.16

 I wear leather gloves, and use bypass pruning shears to shop approximately 2 feet at a time.  Often I grab multiple stems at a time and cut through them.  I make piles of the cut brambles, like little haystacks in the cleared area.

Gradually, the land is cleared.  Cut blackberry stems are like dry sponge.   The seem to degrade fairly fast, easier than tree stems.  I made some very large piles in an out of the way location, so they will compost themselves.  The compost will be added to garden beds.  Composting may take a year.

Six months after removing blackberries.  5.10.16

For the area that I cleared last winter, I scattered grass seed.  The grass established during late winter and spring.  Mowing the grass is also killing off the blackberry stems that re-grow, and will eventually kill it off entirely.  No chemicals.  Some sprouts are so vigorous, they are as soft as asparagus spears, and I just wear gloves and snap those off.  It will take about 2 solid days of work, to clear the area in the photo, labeled "Before Removal".

The photos are separate parts of the cleared and uncleared areas.  I did not think to take actual before photos.  The cleared area was actually worse than what I have not done yet - brambles were 25 feet into the trees, and the depth of the thicket was greater.

The hawthorne trees in this area are unstable, weak and falling.  They  look nice when cleaned up a bit, but I don't think they will last very long.  We've planted cyprus to protect the soil, which a bit beyond this area slopes into a ravine and creek, and for privacy.  Cyprus grow rapidly and thick, so the intent is to shade out any remaining blackberries - this photo faces south, with the forested area north of the cyprus trees.  They are a hybrid cypress which does not make seeds so is not invasive.

There may be some cool mornings this summer when I can clear more.  I'll hold up seeding more grass until then, when rains will help it establish.  Meanwhile, ripe blackberries will be much easier to harvest adjacent to sections that I have already cleared.

Planting, first week of May. 5.7.16

No photos today.  Too busy around the garden.

Most of the kitchen garden beds are planted.  So are the chicken feed beds.

Painted Mountain Corn.  Front row is cilantro.   5.9.16

The chickens get:  One row of sunflowers, surrounded by Painted Mountain Indian Corn.  There are also 3 rows of Dakota White flint corn.  It doesn't matter if the Dakota Ivory mixes with the Indian mountain, they are both flint corn.

It's early for corn, but they all germinated within 2 or 1 weeks, mostly 1 week.  Very few kernels did not germinate.

I surrounded the sunflowers with corn, to see if that keeps out rabbits and deer.  Those herbivores did not bother corn last year.

I've planted the 3rd batch of sweet corn.
#1 is Trinity.
#2 is Bilicious.  Se+ therefore OK to plant near Trinity which is also Se+.  I think.
#3 isTrinity again.

I'm aiming for about one patch every 2 weeks until early or mid July.  Watching soil temp, it's been above 60 since early April and mostly above 70.  On sunny days, soil temp is up to 80,

A patch of corn in my garden is about 3 or 4 rows of 5 or 6 plants per row.  According to most advice, it's better to plant corn in patches instead of single rows, because pollination is less effective in long straight rows.

I may take some photos tomorrow and add to today's post.  It seems kind of drab without photos.

Tomatoes are growing rapidly.

Peppers don't look so great.

Eggplants are in between.

Okra looks sad.  I don't know if I will get it to grow and produce.

Potatoes look amazing, huge green lush plants.  I hilled them up with soil, to about 1 foot.

Favas in bloom.  5.9 16

Favas are full of flowers.  No beans set yet.

Squashes, pumpkins, and melons all planted.  Most are not yet to true leaves.

Miscellaneous. 5.2.16

Saved Marigold Seeds.  5.3.16

Zucchini seedling.  5.3.16

 I planted rows marigold seeds around some of the vegetable beds.  If I had to buy the plants, or even the seeds, this many would have been expensive and a frivolous expense.  Since I saved seeds from last year, I have more than I can plant.  It will be nice for the honeybees if they grow.

Most of the squashes and pumpkin plants are in the ground.  So are the okra plants that I started.

The tiny blackberry plants that I started a few months ago are taking off now.  Leaves are nice and dark. 

Thornless Primocane Blackberry "Prime Ark Freedom"  5.3.16

Bearded Irises. Third Wave. 5.2.16

Now is the main season for my bearded irises.  More are blooming, in larger numbers, now than in any previous year.  Quite a beautiful flower.  I look at these pictures all year long.  I generally like the old historic irises much better than new modern varieties, but there are exceptions to that rule.  Sans souci, developed in 1854, was one of the main varieties that inspired me to look into older types.  This year, I may dispose of ones that I don't care for.  Some of the others are too vigorous and need more space, and some are just too susceptible to disease and never fail to disappoint.  Some may have just needed to adapt to my garden and climate.  Some, such as Loreley and Monsignor, took off and performed beautifully from the start.

Accent.  1952

 Caprice.  1898.  Fragrant.

Iris flavescens.  1813

Fall Fiesta.  1992.

Flutter-by  1924

Mrs. Horace Darwin.  1888.

Monsignor.   1907.

Monsignor.  1907.

No name.  Immortality X Fall Fiesta.  I crossed, 2012.

Front is Quaker Lady.  1909.

Sans Souci.  1854.

Rosy Wings.  1935

Loreley. 1909.

Grafting Progress Report. Apples, Pears, Figs, Ginkgos, Plums. 4.29.16

Nijiseiki Asian Pear on Hosui Asian Pear.  4.29.16

 All of the pear grafts took.  I've red that pears are among the easiest trees to graft, and from my experience that is true.  I thought the NoID Asian pear tree might me Nijiseiki, but from these grafts of that variety, I don't think so.  The grafts have red coloration in the leaves and stems, not present on the NoID Asian Pear.

Two apples look tenuous.  The first is from North Pole Columnar apple.  Not sure, the entire tree looks sickly.  Prior grafts from that variety took and grew quickly.  The second is Hawkeye, reportedly the original "Red Delicious" before the "Red Delicious" was mutated into the brilliant deep red skin, tasteless apples of today.

Milo Gibson Apple on Winecrisp Apple.  4.29.16

 The other apple grafts are growing nicely.  They include all of the Fedco scion, even though those scion were small diameter:  Milo Gibson, Sweet-16, Baldwin, Newtown Pippin, and Goldrush.  The others from the Home Orchard Society scion exchange also took and look excellent:  Arlie Red Flesh, and Dolgo Crab.  The Nijiseiki  was also from HOS.

The "Washington Red" Euro plum - I guess a NoID plum - scion from HOS is growing as well.  I had doubts about that one.

NOID Euro Pear lon NOID Asian Pear, 2 years.    4.29.16

Sweet-16 Apple on Winecrisp Apple.  4.29.16

Arlie Red Flesh Apple on Rubenette Apple.  4.29.16

Grafts from prior years all look great.  I've lost a few because the understock died.  Not all cherry grafts took. 

I think the ginkgo and cherry grafts that I did this year are not taking, they look small and might be dying.

Porter Historic Apple on Jonared at one year.  4.29.16