ArtBear on FirefishAs I negotiate the end of 15 years of relationship & marriage, dividing lives, selling house, cohabiting while separated, the stresses, the changes and massive amounts of clearing, cleaning & throwing out....
...I've been thinking about strawberries.
I made this strawberry planter like 5 yrs ago and it's only rly getting good this year, big yield finally.
First couple of years were rubbish, I have too much to do to be perfectly regular with the watering. #ADHD #NeuroDiverse etc can find totally reliable task scheduling a real challenge.
Year 3 I sorted a watering system on a timer that drips automatically every couple of days. That was relatively straight forward to figure out, timing & settings the drippers is the main bit once the install done. It is incredibly low maintenance once done & set however which is brilliant.
Year 3 I sorted a watering system on a timer that drips automatically every couple of days. That was relatively straight forward to figure out, timing & settings the drippers is the main bit once the install done. It is incredibly low maintenance once done & set however which is brilliant.
Also, good tip for winter, turn the main tap water off then leave everything open so any leftover drips don't expand in a freeze.
The little dripper type that can be selectively set aren't bad for doing different amounts of watering to different plants, but they do need re-adjusting over time especially if you have hard (liquid chalk) water.
I started some bigger beds more recently. Off cuts from the original planter, rooted runners etc and some choppings from around the garden succulents, thyme etc.
This bed started last year in spring. New drip system, porous soaker hose. Doesn't need any adjustments. Is 1 big S loop and capped at end.
This bed started last year in spring. New drip system, porous soaker hose. Doesn't need any adjustments. Is 1 big S loop and capped at end.
This bed only planted up this year in late spring. The drip system is a refinement away from 1 big s loop to a grid with corners made by plastic joints and T sections so it flows in multiple directions and is slightly more even with the watering. It's a minor improvement, probably not really worth the effort but it is a bit better.
1st year and already producing a few #strawberries.
1st year and already producing a few #strawberries.
Here's a show of how a mature strawberry planter looks in summer. They're super low maintenance. Tiny bit of weeding at most if that. There some clematis and borage in there for pollinator variety too.
Good daily yield after a few years.
Good daily yield after a few years.
No soil changing or any work like that. If I'm moving wood or digging and find worms, I chuck a few in the planter. That's it. Oh and replace the AA batteries on the timer, plus turn main tap water off for deep winter and back on for spring.
Simples.
Simples.
So I'm still adding worms, occasionally weeding and enjoying eating strawberries as I go past, yet I know I won't for much longer now.
It may be my wasted effort. The new owner whoever that will be, could well just rip everything out, star afresh.
Divorce, changes & new hope, new possibility have put me in mind of that zen story about being trapped on a cliff, with tigers above and below, yet taking the time to enjoy a strawberry.
I'm in a period of massive change, I hoping to go forward and get things much better suited to me and what I need. My efforts here, long term may go to waste, this won't be my finally settled house as I once thought.
Maybe somebody else will appreciate strawberries that taste vastly better than the store bought. Who knows?
Regardless I should enjoy those strawberries and the little bits of pleasure they gave me despite everything else going on.
It may be my wasted effort. The new owner whoever that will be, could well just rip everything out, star afresh.
Divorce, changes & new hope, new possibility have put me in mind of that zen story about being trapped on a cliff, with tigers above and below, yet taking the time to enjoy a strawberry.
I'm in a period of massive change, I hoping to go forward and get things much better suited to me and what I need. My efforts here, long term may go to waste, this won't be my finally settled house as I once thought.
Maybe somebody else will appreciate strawberries that taste vastly better than the store bought. Who knows?
Regardless I should enjoy those strawberries and the little bits of pleasure they gave me despite everything else going on.
@xy
The secret to a good producing #strawberry patch is these guys, the runners. Keep looping them back to a spot in between plants and make sure the "heel" angled bit has good soil contact (even push it in a cm). It'll root and form a new plant until you fully pack out a planter.
If you want to make a new planter, cut the runner umbilical to a well rooted one or more and dig them out with a bit of earth & roots and transplant to new bed where they'll spread all over again.
That's how I did the new beds up above in the thread.
#gardening #growYourOwn
The secret to a good producing #strawberry patch is these guys, the runners. Keep looping them back to a spot in between plants and make sure the "heel" angled bit has good soil contact (even push it in a cm). It'll root and form a new plant until you fully pack out a planter.
If you want to make a new planter, cut the runner umbilical to a well rooted one or more and dig them out with a bit of earth & roots and transplant to new bed where they'll spread all over again.
That's how I did the new beds up above in the thread.
#gardening #growYourOwn
@xy Also all kinds of herbs do great year after year with no maintenance apart from some minimal spring weeding, once you have a timed drip system set up. Chives and mint do great here. Bear in mind we're up near 54 parallel, like greenland, so despite mild weather from gulf stream, it's a lot less UK sun hours/strength/grow power than many places.
The mini cherry trunks in view never really produces a great deal and birds get most of it because I don't net that. Regardless I enjoy the structure and blossoms.
#Gardening #GrowYourOwn
The mini cherry trunks in view never really produces a great deal and birds get most of it because I don't net that. Regardless I enjoy the structure and blossoms.
#Gardening #GrowYourOwn