Monday, March 14, 2011

evolution of a strawberry patch






This was my great accomplishment this weekend. First I marked it out (inside measurement 42” x 42”) and removed the grass, then I put the cinder blocks in place and filled it with dirt. I went and got the dirt from my sister's garden. She and her husband had a large raised bed garden that she is not going to fool with anymore and she told me I could use the dirt. So armed with eight 5 gallon buckets, I made two trips. Added a couple of buckets of compost from my pile and started planting.

Obviously, I should have counted the number of plants I had. Which I didn't. I started with 11 plants last spring and had them in the large garden. They didn't make very many berries, crowded with the other stuff, so I dug them all up about a month ago and put them in a shallow tub for the meantime.

Once the bed was ready, I picked out 16 of the largest and best looking plants and put them in. Then counted how many were left. 15! OK, already my brand new strawberry bed is too small. I hadn't intended to put strawberries in the holes of the mortar brick. I thought I would put chives and parsley in those.

Well, I guess I know what I'll be doing next weekend.




13 comments:

  1. Let there be strawberries! It's beautiful. Makes my back hurt just to imagine the project. Wow.

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  2. I like the idea of putting plants right into the holes of the bricks. There's nothing like gardening, is there, with all its sense of possibility.

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  3. I thought strawberries had to grown downhill. Or hanging down...I don't know why, but it is what my grandma and dad always told me.

    I can't wait for fresh strawberries - yay! for you.

    I couldn't move one of those blocks for love or money, but I did manage to catch a 30 lb iron sewing machine as it fell off it's base last week. giggle.

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  4. WELL DONE! I never thought of using cinder block for a flower bed, strawberry bed, whatever- you are genius! The deer and bunnies will love what you have made for them...

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  5. May the plants grow and make PLENTY of berries - all of them delicious!

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  6. I had no idea one planted old plants; I thought it was always the sideshoots that get replanted.

    Ah well.

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  7. We're obviously pulled by the same forces - I have just finished building a raised bed for my veggies and herbs - tomorrow will fill it with soil and some of my manure. Your strawberry bed looks great - all on the flat too, mine's on a slope!

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  8. Your planting bed looks fabulous! And boy are you going to have strawberries!! Ha!
    Enjoy your garden
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  9. very cool! And with the prices of strawberries ~ very smart!
    I love it!

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  10. Great job, with that many berries the weeds will be crowded out.

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  11. Great looking bed, and great looking cart you've got there too.

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  12. Oh, I'm inspired now! And it's 60 degrees here today. 60! Snow patches linger, but did you hear me? It's 60! :)

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