Transplanting blackberry and raspberry vines

The rental property we had been living in since 2013 was a duplex with a two bedroom unit on the street side and a one bedroom apartment on the back side.  The entire property was derelict when we moved in mid 2013 and the property management company told us we could do whatever we wanted with the yard.  Being a gardener, I of course went to town on it.  Once the property sold in 2016, the new owners wanted to live in the larger unit so we moved to the apartment in the back.  The young couple that had rented there before us had planted an apricot tree, a nectarine tree and a thornless blackberry vine all together against a side fence.  We moved the trees to a better location in the back yard but left the blackberry next to the side fence.  From 2016 to 2021, the blackberry vine expanded to a huge clump that covered the entire side fence.  The berries have good flavor but large seeds so we use them to make delicious jam and syrup.  Once we found our property in Redmond and decided to move, our landlords let us know that whatever plants we did not take with us, they were planning to rip out to streamline the landscaping down to low maintenance since we were not going to be there to take care of what we had grown over the years.  The blackberries were the first plants that we moved.  In the fall of 2021 I severely pruned the vines to 4' tall stalks.  We dismantled the structure that held up the vines and moved it along with the plants.  We dug a raised bed, amended the soil and planted the vines at our new property in mid November with our fingers crossed.  I usually do not like to move plants that late in the year but we really did not want to leave all the major moving to the spring when we were so busy with the remodel and knew we would be finishing up the project and moving at the same time.  The first picture shows the pitiful stalks in their new home.  

Originally the raspberries were volunteers that came up under the fence from the property to the north of the apartment we were renting.  Raspberries like to travel and they are hard to contain when they are seeking water.  We watered our side of the fence so they naturally decided to move over toward water.  I have witnessed raspberry sprouts coming up many feet away from the parent plant in search of water.  My husband was happy to nurture and expanded them on our side of the fence so we ended up with quite a large clump.  Once our landlord purchased that house and moved in next door in 2019, they did a yard rehab and eliminated all the raspberries on their side.   Spring 2021 we were hard at the construction project and took one day to move the raspberries to their new raised bed.  Thankfully the raspberries and the blackberries survived the move and are still thriving.  

The second two pictures show what the raspberries on the right and the blackberries on the left looked like in the early spring 2022.  we added two strawberry beds with everbearing strawberry plants from Wilco and other garden stores.  It is the beginning of the berry garden!  

Saving and moving plants

 Not an exciting title but one of the first things we did in the fall of 2021 was to move plants from our rental house to our new property.  I crammed as many pieces of perennials that I could into our 4 large wine barrels and dug up the daylilies, Iris and lily bulbs.  We transported the wine barrels to the property to winter over in an out of the construction zone spot.  The property has a large dilapidated shed that had a relatively protected spot next to it on one side that served as a temporary spot to put the daylilies, Irises and lilies.  I had to remove a very large clump of yucca that had been growing there long enough to grow partially under the shed.  The dirt is about 50% gravel in this spot but with a little amendments it has served these plants well.  Our next project was to move the blackberries and raspberries.  We chose a spot next to the back fence to dig raised beds, amended the soil and planted them with our fingers crossed. Moving them right before winter is risky but we didn’t have much choice.  In the spring of 2022 we added strawberries and a second raspberry bed with plants from a former neighbor.   

I am back!

 Well that was a long hiatus from blogging.  It seems like 4 years went by in a flash!  What has been happening? We purchased a 1934 little fixer upper in July of 2021.  September we started demolition and for the next 8 months we were in rehab mode.  We took one day off, Christmas Day 2021. We moved in March of 2022 and continued to work on completion of the interior.  This old house could be a blog all by itself but I am a gardener so I am going to stay in my lane.  The 900 square foot house sits on a large lot near downtown Redmond and it was a rental property for many years before we bought it.  The yard was filled with dead weeds, junky trees, multiple fences, old septic tanks, piles of wood and tons of broken glass.  The irrigation system was mostly stubbed off and buried.  Once we dug it all up and found all the heads, repaired the breaks and added to it, it works fine.  We excavated loads of dead tree roots, old tools, car parts, metal pipes, toys and more glass.  A good friend who is an arborist came and removed the two large trees for us and ground up the stumps. Once that was done we tilled the entire yard and removed the dead sod. June 2022 we started with dirt and an old but functional irrigation system.  My husband doesn’t like mowing so we determined that landscaping with retainer block and gravel paths would be best.   The first order of business shown below was to remove two trees and the piles of debris left by the former residents.  This is a view of the back of the property after most of the great clean up showing our friend grinding the last of the cottonwood stump.  I like starting with a clean slate.  

Can Dahlias grow in Central Oregon?

Growing any tender tuber in the high desert is always a bit of a challenge. The temperature can plummet at any time of the year causing frost damage, or a sudden hailstorm in spring can mar the leaves and buds causing unsightly brown spots.   In spite of weather restrictions, dahlias can be delightful and fun to grow if you take a few precautions to ensure success.
Plant quality tubers in mid April to May depending on what area you live.  Redmond, Madras and Prineville are at lower elevations so planting can happen earlier than Bend or Sisters. Mulch the ground after planting until you are sure all hard frosts are past.
Planting in full sun with no tree overhang is also necessary.  I made the mistake of planting what I thought were shorter varieties behind a small apricot tree and the dahlias grew up through the branches and vanished in the thick foliage.
Planting:
When planting, make sure to put a sturdy 3-4’ stake in the ground and then place the tuber with the eye pointing upward about 6” from the stake.  There are two reasons to put a stake in the ground before planting the tuber.  The tuber will double or triple in size over the growing season and if you attempt to stake it later, you can damage the fleshy roots. Believe me, the second reason is that once they take off in the summer, you will need the stake to tie the dahlia to so the heavy flower heads don’t cause the entire plant to flop over.
Due to the shorter growing season, choose smaller to medium size varieties rather than the gigantic dinner plate size that grow up to 6’.  These will never make it to the bloom stage on the high desert.
My favorite company is Swan Island Dahlias out of Canby Oregon. Their annual catalog and website lists the size and bloom time so you can choose the best dahlia for your garden space.
Lifting and storage:
You don’t want to leave your dahlias in the ground over the winter.  Once your dahlias receive that first killing frost in the fall that turns the foliage black, cut the stems to the ground and dig them up.
That tiny single tuber that you planted in the spring will now be quite a bit bigger.  Cut them apart making sure you have at least one eye per tuber.  Swan Island Dahlias has a great tutorial on their website and if you buy from them, they include details in your packaging.
Proper storage is critical to the survival of your dahlias.  Do not store dahlias in an unheated shed or barn for the winter.  They will freeze and turn to mush.  If you have a garage attached to the house or a cool basement or even a mud room with a cool dark closet, this is a better choice.  The next thing is to make sure they don’t dry out.  It is very dry in Central Oregon and if you toss your tubers in a box and forget about them all winter they will end up shriveled up and worthless.
After digging them up, set them out in a protected place out of the sun for a few days to dry.  After the attached soil is dry, brush it off.  Some people wash them with a spray of water and then let them dry but it isn’t absolutely necessary.  You want to remove as much of the garden soil as you can.  Layer the dry tubers in a cardboard box with peat moss or semi moist potting soil, completely covering them with at least 6” of soil.  Garden dirt is too heavy for this and also contains microbes and mold spores.  Check the tubers every month to make sure they are not drying out.  Some people dip the entire tuber in paraffin to keep them firm and hydrated.  Plastic bags are not good for storage because it will trap in too much moisture and the tubers will rot. Keep them in the dark so they don’t sprout too early.  I have a spot in my garage under a desk that stays cool from the garage floor and dark most of the time.  Next spring, check your tubers for any bad spots or mold and trim them up.  If you didn’t cut them apart in the fall, now is a great time to separate the tubers with tiny pink eyes or sprouts from any parts that look mushy or dried out.  Your dahlias are now ready to plant.  If there are little thin sprouts with leaves visible growing from the tuber please be careful when planting.  These break off easily and then you have a useless tuber that may not sprout again.  With a little care and attention to detail, in a few years you will have plenty of dahlias to share with friends and neighbors!

Hello again

Well fellow gardeners and others, I have been distracted for a few years.  There are times when life just seems to take over and before you know it, three years have flown by.  2018 was a fantastic garden year.  The deep snow of 2017-2018 caused the ground to absorb a great deal of water so when spring came finally, everything took off. We have inherited two dwarf fruit trees from the previous renter.  They were planted in 2014 or 2015 so 2018, after the snow, we had a mild spring.  The apricot tree was loaded and even though we thinned and thinned we still lost branches to the weight of the fruit.  The other tree is a white nectarine that was also loaded and lost about a third of its branched to the weight of nectarines.  It was so sad thinning out all the green little fruit!
The apricots made fantastic jam! The nectarines were delicious right off the tree.
The nectarine took a beating and lost a bunch of branches from too much fruit.
On the fence between the raised bed vegetable garden and the back yard there is a thornless blackberry vine and WOW did it produce a great deal of berries that are now made into blackberry jelly.  It was a fantastic bumper crop year.

Stewards of the Land

Since my last story, we have been through a unique transition.  The house we were renting since mid 2013 sold in January.  We lived in the front portion of the house that was about 1,100 sq feet.  We moved in March to the smaller apartment on the back side of the property.  Since this was a neglected rental due to many factors beyond the original owners control, we, by default, become stewards of the land.  
The definition of Steward:

1.a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others.

As I walked around the garden showing the new owners what was what, I realized that we had been given a unique blessing. The new owners are not yet "gardeners" but have a desire to learn.  As stewards we will be able to do what we love until one day when we have the opportunity to build our own space once again.

Perennial Vegetables, Arugula!

I had no idea that I would have so much fun with arugula!  
WHAT?
Yes, this leafy green is already up and ready to harvest in Central Oregon.  
Wild?  Well, this one is an heirloom variety but yes, I planted it when we moved in late summer, 2013 and now it is well established right next to the patio door.  We pop out in the evening and pick a mess before dinner and voila, fresh salad greens!

Here is what I found on the Internet about this perennial vegetable:

Sylvetta Arugula

Known as wild arugula, or wild rocket, this perennial heirloom (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) was originally cultivated in Italy, but has found its way to gardens around the world. Sylvetta has a sharper, more fiery bite than regular arugula, and its pointed green leaves are welcome additions to salads and egg dishes, and it can also be used to make a peppery pesto sauce.

I have been known to walk around the yard and simply graze on this stuff.  We hand it out to neighbors walking by and they think we are crazy until they taste it.  Peppery, aromatic, spicy, delicious!  I love it on my gluten free rice bread BLT's instead of the L! 

Warning, they do have a tendency to reseed so cut off the flower heads through the summer and you will have fresh arugula all season long well into fall. 

A quick link to the article:

http://inhabitat.com/re-discovering-perennial-vegetables/sylvetta-arugula/?extend=1