And a pair of pruning shears . And even then I expect to get a buncha
thorn wounds from the blackberry brambles I'm about to clean up . These are
wild berries , been growing on our land for time out of mind as far as I
know . But I don't have a thick hide like the bears that like to eat 'em ,
so I'm planning on thinning them out a bit , cutting lanes so I can harvest
them , and cutting out all the dead canes from years past . If we get enough
rain to support all the blossoms just forming buds , but they're thick!
we'll be freezin' some for sure ! And I don't even know yet how the
muscadines are going to produce ... a lot depends on whether or not we get
enough rain . Last year there were tons of blackberries that just shriveled
up because it was so dry .
--
Snag
Pray for rain ...
at the right time
and the right amount .

Terry Coombs wrote:
And a pair of pruning shears . And even then I expect to get a buncha
thorn wounds from the blackberry brambles I'm about to clean up .
These are wild berries , been growing on our land for time out of
mind as far as I know . But I don't have a thick hide like the bears
that like to eat 'em , so I'm planning on thinning them out a bit ,
cutting lanes so I can harvest them , and cutting out all the dead
canes from years past . If we get enough rain to support all the
blossoms just forming buds , but they're thick! we'll be freezin'
some for sure ! And I don't even know yet how the muscadines are
going to produce ... a lot depends on whether or not we get enough
rain . Last year there were tons of blackberries that just shriveled
up because it was so dry .

Don't forget the leather coat you bought at $1.29 day at the thrift shop.

I bought mine for welding, but it would be great for this too.

"Bob F" wrote in message
...
Terry Coombs wrote:
And a pair of pruning shears . And even then I expect to get a buncha
thorn wounds from the blackberry brambles I'm about to clean up .
These are wild berries , been growing on our land for time out of
mind as far as I know . But I don't have a thick hide like the bears
that like to eat 'em , so I'm planning on thinning them out a bit ,
cutting lanes so I can harvest them , and cutting out all the dead
canes from years past . If we get enough rain to support all the
blossoms just forming buds , but they're thick! we'll be freezin'
some for sure ! And I don't even know yet how the muscadines are
going to produce ... a lot depends on whether or not we get enough
rain . Last year there were tons of blackberries that just shriveled
up because it was so dry .

Don't forget the leather coat you bought at $1.29 day at the thrift shop.

I bought mine for welding, but it would be great for this too.


Funny you should mention leather ... I have 3 leather motorcycle coats ,
and one brown/tan suede shirt-style coat that dates from the 60's .
Fortunately I didn't need one . The gloves are the HF 3-pack that sells for
around 12 bucks , and they worked well . I got about half of the patch
cleaned out yesterday afternoon , will get the rest later this week . This
is going to make it so much easier to harvest those berries !
On another berry important subject , I found what I think are wild
strawberries while cleaning up some of the canes I pruned . Cleared the
fround around them a bit and marked the location , if these are in fact
strwaberries I'll clean up more and encourage them . IMO fresh berries
your pick ... with a little sugar and milk or cream is the next best thing
to sex .

--
Snag

Terry Coombs wrote:
....
On another berry important subject , I found what I think are wild
strawberries while cleaning up some of the canes I pruned . Cleared the
fround around them a bit and marked the location , if these are in fact
strwaberries I'll clean up more and encourage them . IMO fresh berries
your pick ... with a little sugar and milk or cream is the next best thing
to sex .

they're very nice plants to let wander around
a marginal sandy slope or other limited area,
but they can become invasive, harbor diseases not
well tolerated by their more settled kin and the
berries are smaller (but compared to some of those
kin in terms of flavor they are much better).

if the soil is fertile and gets more moisture
then it's pretty likely they'll get over grown
by weeds if you don't keep the weeds trimmed
somehow. a string trimmer or hedge trimmer used
high, or even the mower set high might be ok.

we have some wandering around here and i love
picking them when they are ripe. they bloom a
little before the earliest of my other strawberry
plants -- they are also ripe a little sooner.
i keep them away from the other strawberry patches.
i wouldn't mind a more disease tolerant plant in
my other regular strawberry patches, but i'm also
quite happy with the flavor and size of the
berries i already have. no need to confuse
matters further when thinning or weeding.

good luck with the blackberries and strawberries.


songbird