After doing some work to the house we were left with one mess of a side-yard. My husband was hoping to avoid having to mow the slope and I was hoping for some fruit to pick so we came upon the idea of doing some edible landscaping. Luckily this is a popular topic these days or we may have ended up with more hydrangeas and the dreaded grass. This has been a fly by the seat of our pants thing and getting the proper hours of sun required for these fruits is questionable. So far we have planted 2 dwarf apple trees and a variety of small fruits. I have noted the varieties below along with a few links to help me through out the season, I already can't remember what is what. We hope to have a ground cover of strawberries and a blackberry/raspberry bramble hedge when all is grown in. (Shown above: alpine strawberry, our progress in the side yard to date, blackberry flowers)
GROWING and VARIETY NOTES:
Canadice Red Seedless Grape - site preparation, pruning & trellising:
(trellis on the garden 'to do' list)
- ensure good drainage (sandy loam best)
- grapes prefer Southern Exposure
- pH 5.5-6.5
- amend planting site with bone meal or rock phosphate
- pruning determines vine health
- http://extension.unh.edu/resources/representation/Resource000576_Rep598.pdf
- http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/CIS0790.pdf
- http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2003-12-01/Sensational-Seedless-Grapes.aspx
Growing Blackberries:
- fruit is ripe when it goes from glossy to dull
- tip erect canes back mid-summer
- primocane varieties fruit on first year canes
FRUIT VARIETIES 2009
Dwarf Liberty Apple on pajam/M-9
Dwarf Spitzenburg Apple (Thomas Jefferson's reported favorite) on pajam/M-9
Apache Blackberry
Ebony King Blackberry
Navaho Thornless Blackberry- prune to 6 feet; upright, mid-summer fruit; good flavor & yield
Heritage Red Raspberry
Jewel Black Raspberry (2)
(?) Latham Red Raspberry
"Mounding" Strawberry (17)
Honeoye Strawberry (25)- has been called a 'foolproof' strawberry plant, great freezing qualities; early-mid season producer; best flavor occurs in med.-light soil.
Cabot Strawberry (25)- huge, excellent flavored mid-season berries, first fruits may split or be rough; may space closely, less likely to run
Alpine Strawberry (3)
Jersey Blueberry (2)
Toro Blueberry (2)
Bluecrop Blueberry (2)
Canadice red Grape
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