Questions from a Lurker
 

Hello all. I have been lurking in this group for about a month
and have a few simple questions.
I am planing to grow blue-berries. I have a place to put them
that gets full sun until late afternoon, and is on the upper side of a
spring house so watering isn't a problem. My question is, what should
I do to the area before I put them in? Deep till? Manure? What do
blue-berries like?
Also along the west-facing side of my house I have several
vertical pipes about ten feet apart.(2" pipes) I am trying to keep an
edible landscape, so anyone have any ideas for a hearty climbing vine
that doesn't need much direct sun? I thought about scarlet runner
beans, but I'm not sure how well they would do in a shaded area. Plus
I have grown them before and didn't really consider them too edible.
TIA for any and all advice.


Wrench

Questions from a Lurker
 

Depends somewhat on your location. All Blueberries require a low pH ( 4.5 -5.5)
and a loose friable soil. Good planting holes are a must. If your pH is too
high it can be brought down with sulphur. Leaf mold compost is ideal for
improving the quality of the soil. They are not heavy feeders so use fertilizer
( even cow manure ) sparingly. They also need to be mulched. Pine straw is
excellent. If you are USDA zone 6 or lower you can use the typical cultivars
found in seed and nursery catalogs. USDA zone 7 or higher you will need
rabbiteyes or southern highbush cultivars. so anyone have any ideas for a
hearty climbing vine
that doesn't need much direct sun? I thought about scarlet runner
beans, but I'm not sure how well they would do in a shaded area.

As for a climbing vine with edible fruit, you might try regular pole beans (P
vulgaris) if you prefer the showy blossoms of P. Coccineus then there are
several newer cultivar of the runner beans that are better than Scarlet Runner,
Painted Lady (pink and white varigated blossom) and Goliath ( scarlet blossom)
come to mind. If you can use a perennial, perhaps grapes or kiwi can fit the
bill. of course there are lots of other options.

Questions from a Lurker
 

Depends somewhat on your location. All Blueberries require a low pH ( 4.5 -5.5)
and a loose friable soil. Good planting holes are a must. If your pH is too
high it can be brought down with sulphur. Leaf mold compost is ideal for
improving the quality of the soil. They are not heavy feeders so use fertilizer
( even cow manure ) sparingly. They also need to be mulched. Pine straw is
excellent. If you are USDA zone 6 or lower you can use the typical cultivars
found in seed and nursery catalogs. USDA zone 7 or higher you will need
rabbiteyes or southern highbush cultivars. so anyone have any ideas for a
hearty climbing vine
that doesn't need much direct sun? I thought about scarlet runner
beans, but I'm not sure how well they would do in a shaded area.

As for a climbing vine with edible fruit, you might try regular pole beans (P
vulgaris) if you prefer the showy blossoms of P. Coccineus then there are
several newer cultivar of the runner beans that are better than Scarlet Runner,
Painted Lady (pink and white varigated blossom) and Goliath ( scarlet blossom)
come to mind. If you can use a perennial, perhaps grapes or kiwi can fit the
bill. of course there are lots of other options.

Questions from a Lurker
 

Depends somewhat on your location. All Blueberries require a low pH ( 4.5 -5.5)
and a loose friable soil. Good planting holes are a must. If your pH is too
high it can be brought down with sulphur. Leaf mold compost is ideal for
improving the quality of the soil. They are not heavy feeders so use fertilizer
( even cow manure ) sparingly. They also need to be mulched. Pine straw is
excellent. If you are USDA zone 6 or lower you can use the typical cultivars
found in seed and nursery catalogs. USDA zone 7 or higher you will need
rabbiteyes or southern highbush cultivars. so anyone have any ideas for a
hearty climbing vine
that doesn't need much direct sun? I thought about scarlet runner
beans, but I'm not sure how well they would do in a shaded area.

As for a climbing vine with edible fruit, you might try regular pole beans (P
vulgaris) if you prefer the showy blossoms of P. Coccineus then there are
several newer cultivar of the runner beans that are better than Scarlet Runner,
Painted Lady (pink and white varigated blossom) and Goliath ( scarlet blossom)
come to mind. If you can use a perennial, perhaps grapes or kiwi can fit the
bill. of course there are lots of other options.

Questions from a Lurker
 

Wrench wrote in message . ..
Hello all. I have been lurking in this group for about a month
and have a few simple questions.
I am planing to grow blue-berries. I have a place to put them
that gets full sun until late afternoon, and is on the upper side of a
spring house so watering isn't a problem. My question is, what should
I do to the area before I put them in? Deep till? Manure? What do
blue-berries like?

you never manure blueberries, and if you do you will make them sick.
Wood ash is much worse. I suggest acid forming organic material, plus
ammonium sulfate if they are too brown. To my blueberries I give wood
chips, coffee grounds and leaves. A mixture of wood chips and coffee
grounds is probably close to ideal (you could also inject such mixture
with mushroom spawn, such as oyster, and they will lov it. But it
needs to be shaded within one year to be really productive). If you
put the organic material on top it will take a while for the soil to
change the pH to the 5 levels blueberries need.

Also along the west-facing side of my house I have several
vertical pipes about ten feet apart.(2" pipes) I am trying to keep an
edible landscape, so anyone have any ideas for a hearty climbing vine
that doesn't need much direct sun? I thought about scarlet runner
beans, but I'm not sure how well they would do in a shaded area. Plus
I have grown them before and didn't really consider them too edible.
TIA for any and all advice.

If you don't mind the vines taking over the house, try hardy kiwis. It
will take them 6 years to fruit, but they are pretty plants, hardy,
and very vigorous. The variety kolomikta is a lot less vigorous and
more beatiful, so kolomikta may be your ticket (it will still cover
the side of your house). The fruits are among the best tasting ones
but don't keep as well as the fuzzy kiwis. If you are in Zone 4-7 you
could also consider schizandra (Chinese magnolia).



Wrench

Questions from a Lurker
 

Wrench wrote in message . ..
Hello all. I have been lurking in this group for about a month
and have a few simple questions.
I am planing to grow blue-berries. I have a place to put them
that gets full sun until late afternoon, and is on the upper side of a
spring house so watering isn't a problem. My question is, what should
I do to the area before I put them in? Deep till? Manure? What do
blue-berries like?

you never manure blueberries, and if you do you will make them sick.
Wood ash is much worse. I suggest acid forming organic material, plus
ammonium sulfate if they are too brown. To my blueberries I give wood
chips, coffee grounds and leaves. A mixture of wood chips and coffee
grounds is probably close to ideal (you could also inject such mixture
with mushroom spawn, such as oyster, and they will lov it. But it
needs to be shaded within one year to be really productive). If you
put the organic material on top it will take a while for the soil to
change the pH to the 5 levels blueberries need.

Also along the west-facing side of my house I have several
vertical pipes about ten feet apart.(2" pipes) I am trying to keep an
edible landscape, so anyone have any ideas for a hearty climbing vine
that doesn't need much direct sun? I thought about scarlet runner
beans, but I'm not sure how well they would do in a shaded area. Plus
I have grown them before and didn't really consider them too edible.
TIA for any and all advice.

If you don't mind the vines taking over the house, try hardy kiwis. It
will take them 6 years to fruit, but they are pretty plants, hardy,
and very vigorous. The variety kolomikta is a lot less vigorous and
more beatiful, so kolomikta may be your ticket (it will still cover
the side of your house). The fruits are among the best tasting ones
but don't keep as well as the fuzzy kiwis. If you are in Zone 4-7 you
could also consider schizandra (Chinese magnolia).



Wrench

Questions from a Lurker
 

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 08:37:07 -0500, Wrench
wrote:

Hello all. I have been lurking in this group for about a month
and have a few simple questions.
I am planing to grow blue-berries. I have a place to put them
that gets full sun until late afternoon, and is on the upper side of a
spring house so watering isn't a problem. My question is, what should
I do to the area before I put them in? Deep till? Manure? What do
blue-berries like?
Also along the west-facing side of my house I have several
vertical pipes about ten feet apart.(2" pipes) I am trying to keep an
edible landscape, so anyone have any ideas for a hearty climbing vine
that doesn't need much direct sun? I thought about scarlet runner
beans, but I'm not sure how well they would do in a shaded area. Plus
I have grown them before and didn't really consider them too edible.
TIA for any and all advice.


Wrench


What part of the world you in? Alkaline or acid soil? I spent a lot
of money this past year getting soil moved and dug out a trench, mixed
in peatmoss and sandy soil and mixed in some sulphur attempting to
turn alkaline soil acid enough to keep them alive.

I'm hoping to get friends to bring home pine needles to mulch the
plants with because they need acidity.

However, after reading that they're bothered by both codling moths and
cherry fruit fly, if I'd read that first, I'd have not planted them as
the neighbors have apples and cherry trees and I don't think they're
practicing any kind of sanitation, as in picking up fallen fruit to
deny the insects a place to complete their life cycles, at least here!

I came to the conclusion for my area and the way people buy apple
trees and plant them thinking they'll be able to go out and pluck
perfect fruit from their trees, and then when they realize they get
buggy, they ignore them and they're forever providing banquets for
codling moth larvae so I don't think I can grow much that is a target
for them, as I don't want to spray the fruit either. I figure if I
want spray on my fruit, I can let the professionals use it! I grow
peach trees, so long as they do well and avoid the borer moths, as the
fruit doesn't get too wormy, maybe one or two in odd years have a worm
in them. Biggest problem has been with house finches and other such
birds pecking the fruit to the pit in the spots that ripen first. But
blueberries, I think they're going to need their own screen house like
I used to see on The Victory Garden before it got all yuppified. I
liked it when it was actually about growing food.. that's what Victory
Gardens ARE! Now it's 350,000 dollar back yard electronic controlled
greenhouses so they can grow orchids. While that's nice, it's not
exactly in keeping with the Victory Garden theme. Unless they're
vanilla orchids and they're going to make their own vanilla extract!
LOL ;-)

I'll shaddup now! .. maybe.. sorta.. hope your blueberry dreams are
better than mine are likely to be ..mine are likely going to be
nightmares! And food crops generally like 6 hours minimum sunlight,
so in shady areas you'll just grow an invitation for aphids and fungus
as far as any food stuff vines that I know of. Malabar spinach maybe
it's a warm weather spinach substitute, and a vine, but I think it's
may need help in the climb.

*NOW* I'll shaddup :-D

Janice

Questions from a Lurker
 

Snipped
However, after reading that they're bothered by both codling moths and
cherry fruit fly, if I'd read that first, I'd have not planted them as
the neighbors have apples and cherry trees and I don't think they're
practicing any kind of sanitation, as in picking up fallen fruit to
deny the insects a place to complete their life cycles, at least here!

... hope your blueberry dreams are
better than mine are likely to be ..mine are likely going to be
nightmares!
Janice

I grow both Rabbiteyes and Southern high bush. They are amazingly insect free.
I have to share a few with the mockingbirds but thats about it. We have codling
moths but they have never bothered a blueberry. Don't have cherries so I can't
speak to that but apple , pear, plum and peach pests don't bother the
blueberries.

Questions from a Lurker
 

On 22 Jan 2004 10:24:11 -0800, (simy1) wrote:
If you don't mind the vines taking over the house, try hardy kiwis. It
will take them 6 years to fruit, but they are pretty plants, hardy,
and very vigorous. The variety kolomikta is a lot less vigorous and
more beatiful, so kolomikta may be your ticket (it will still cover
the side of your house). The fruits are among the best tasting ones
but don't keep as well as the fuzzy kiwis. If you are in Zone 4-7 you
could also consider schizandra (Chinese magnolia).

do you know of a source for hearty kiwis??

I tried several online searches, and a few online catalogs, but could
not find anything.....




email: dallyn_spam at yahoo dot com
please respond in this NG so others
can share your wisdom as well!

Questions from a Lurker
 

Dave Allyn wrote:
......................do you know of a source for hearty kiwis??

I tried several online searches, and a few online catalogs, but could
not find anything.....


A good homemade soup might be hearty but a plant that can survive a
fairly harsh winter is hardy. The 2 words are not interchangeable. Just
a little pet peeve of mine but, more importantly, the mistake is
probably the reason your online search didn't find anything.

Steve

Questions from a Lurker
 

Dave Allyn wrote:
...................... do you know of a source for hearty kiwis??

I tried several online searches, and a few online catalogs, but could
not find anything.....

A good homemade soup might be hearty but a plant that can survive a
fairly harsh winter is hardy. The 2 words are not interchangeable. Just
a little pet peeve of mine but, more importantly, the mistake is
probably the reason your online search didn't find anything.

Steve
(Possible double post... computer messed up first send attempt)

Questions from a Lurker
 

Steve wrote:
...........................
(Possible double post... computer messed up first send attempt)


Yep. The first showed up as soon as the 2nd one went out. ;-(

Questions from a Lurker
 

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 19:33:07 -0500, Steve wrote:



Dave Allyn wrote:
......................do you know of a source for hearty kiwis??

I tried several online searches, and a few online catalogs, but could
not find anything.....


A good homemade soup might be hearty but a plant that can survive a
fairly harsh winter is hardy. The 2 words are not interchangeable. Just
a little pet peeve of mine but, more importantly, the mistake is
probably the reason your online search didn't find anything.

AHHHH!!!!!!! (is the room brighter?? the light just went on.! :)

thanks!!


email: dallyn_spam at yahoo dot com
please respond in this NG so others
can share your wisdom as well!

Questions from a Lurker
 

Dave Allyn wrote in message . ..
On 22 Jan 2004 10:24:11 -0800, (simy1) wrote:
If you don't mind the vines taking over the house, try hardy kiwis. It
will take them 6 years to fruit, but they are pretty plants, hardy,
and very vigorous. The variety kolomikta is a lot less vigorous and
more beatiful, so kolomikta may be your ticket (it will still cover
the side of your house). The fruits are among the best tasting ones
but don't keep as well as the fuzzy kiwis. If you are in Zone 4-7 you
could also consider schizandra (Chinese magnolia).

do you know of a source for hearty kiwis??

I tried several online searches, and a few online catalogs, but could
not find anything.....


Edible Landscaping has them, many varieties.





email: dallyn_spam at yahoo dot com
please respond in this NG so others
can share your wisdom as well!