I hadn't been down to the blueberry and raspberry patches for probably over two weeks. The remodeling has been more than a full-time job seven days a week and trying to keep up with every day must-dos plus the strawberry harvest has nearly been too much.
Lately, as I've given the raspberries a fleeting glance from the distance, I wondered if I was imagining a red tinge to the berries. Last night after dinner I went to investigate.
Not only had I seen color in the raspberries but I found a good bunch of ripe, ripe berries. I had already stuffed some into my mouth (Papa Pea always gets the first strawberries, I get the first raspberries) before I thought to take a picture.It's usual that our strawberry season is winding down just as the raspberries start to come in. So now I'll need to add harvesting and preserving raspberries along with the strawberries. (I know we're blessed with this bountiful harvest of our own berries and am very grateful for the "hassle" of dealing with them.)
What else I discovered in the berry patches last night were many large, healthy weeds that seem to have popped up from nowhere. (Nowhere, ha! A couple of weeks of ample rain and hot, hot weather . . . of course they were going to pop up.)
These are some of the weeds between the two rows of the blueberries which are going to nag at me until I find time to pull them out by their well-established roots. The perimeters of the blueberries and raspberries are also acting as week nurseries. I put extra heavy mulch in those areas this spring because I knew they would be neglected. I guess the weather has been so favorable for weeds this year that they think they've found a hospitable environment to procreate. They just better be on guard though. Even if I have to go after them by flashlight in the middle of the night, their days are numbered. I will prevail.
14 comments:
Giggling at the thought of you on the after-dark search with your flashlight. Here comes MamaPea! Watch out!! The raspberries look great!!
MMMMMMMMM I wonder,can I call everything that is red in my house raspberry-it looks and sounds Delicious--batta bing batta boom my whole house is now raspberry color [ no longer red ]
That photo made my mouth just water looking at it. The birds are getting all my berries this year, it seems.
And those weeds better hide--Mama Pea will get them now!
:D
There's not enough hours in the day, is there!?!? There will come a day that all will be caught up-I'm sure of it.
Hey, those of us gardening this year have weeds and no excuse. :0) At least you have one! I just keep blaming it on the oppresive heat. Who wants to get up at 5am and pull weeds in 85 degree weather at that time of the morning? Ick.
Those big ol'berries sure do look worth a few weeds :)
You need those berries to keep up your strength during the renovation.
Can't you just quickly hoe the top off those weeds? When you do it enough times the root eventually dies. It's faster and easier on your back than pulling them out plus you get a certain satisfaction from all that whacking at the weeds.
Mama Tea - Good thing we don't have neighbors that can see the roaming flashlight at night and call the cops! ;o}
judy - Raspberry is a nice sounding color, isn't it?!
Sue - Ya know, (knock on wood) we've never had a problem with birds stealing our berries. (Geesh, sure hope I didn't just jinx myself!)
So what does it mean that we never have enough hours in the day? Do we have so many wonderful things to do that we can't fit them all in? And should we be extremely grateful for that fact? Or are we being totally unrealistic and slowly driving ourselves over the edge by thinking we can do more than humanly possible? Tell me the answer to this question, oh, Wise Woman Blogger Friend o' Mine!
APG - Thanks to the powers that be that we've had a break in the weather . . . at least for the past few days. Right now at 3:40 p.m. we have 80.3 in the shade and one TERRIFIC wind blowing. Kinda scary.
Jane - Thanks, ma'am. The berries did taste yummy. Papa Pea love canned raspberries and wants me to do some that way this year. Gotta figure out how to squeeze that in.
Sparkless - Shhhh! Don't let my husband hear you say that. We have a many year long running debate about whether you can just chop off the top of the weed or whether you need to pull it out by the roots. I'm a firm believer in root pulling!
I would very much like to think it's because we have full and satisfying lives--days filled with interesting activities, with just enough work involved to make us feel good. Truth be told, I LOVE my full days......in the summer. And by winter, I'm ready for tons of cooking and baking and reading and just enjoying the great outdoors. And then by February......
Well, YOU know the spiel.
Gosh, I sure wish you were my neighbor. I've said it a hundred times before and I'll keep on saying it!
:)
Beautiful big berries! Ours are coming on strong here now but they are mini sized compared to yours. We are lucky to have any - the birds started after them and we had to put up netting. Hate to but it is the only way to have any. The berries are Tramp 1's project - he picks and I make jam.
Sue - Either you've got to move west, or we've got to move east!!
2 Tramps - Oh, I like that division of labor! He picks, you process. When I get into it, I can work at putting up food for days and days and days and not get tired of it. I just revel in seeing the accumulation!
Good luck with your berries. Our raspberries just stopped producing and will start up again in about a month. Our raspberries didn't like our record dew points and 117 degree heat index last week what was left of the harvest went bad. But our corn loved the heat so it was good and bad. We're growing blue corn I can't wait to serve it to guest.
I agree with APG, at least you have an excuse! I AM gardening this year and refuse to brave the heat to weed LOL!
Hi Mama Pea!
Just stopping by to say "hello" and thanks so much for the comments you've left for me.
Looks like you have a lot on your plate too and your posts are so entertaining! Love your sense of humor! Good luck with your remodeling and with your 'conflict from within'?! Are we women simply born with inert 'guilt'... like...not keeping the weeds at bay... doesn't seem to bother my husband like it does me....
Have a great day!
Julie - You're right . . . blessings in all things! Once in a blue moon we get a hot enough summer to grow sweet corn to maturity. This might have been one of those summers . . . but I missed it! :o( That blue corn of yours is going to be very special!
Erin - Yes, but you must keep in mind that the kind of heat you're having could kill ya dead!! Best to let the weeds go.
Lisa - Hi! Thanks for touching base. Yep, that female guilt thing is hard-wired in our brains, I do believe. We have to take care of EVERYTHING . . . including weeds! :o}
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