Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Living off the Land

Well, I'm not exactly living off the land, but I'm enjoying some delicious blackberries from my yard right now. I have mentioned that you don't need a lot of space to grow vegetables in your yard. You can also grow some fruit in your yard in a limited amount of space.

The only thing in my backyard when I bought my house were a couple of overgrown blackberry plants. The plants needed pruning, dividing and fertilizing. Within two years, I had some plants that were producing an abundance of berries in a very small space. The area behind my garage next to a fence is only three feet deep by about 15 feet long. From that space, I usually harvest five or more large bowls of berries. Perfect for desserts or munching on. Better yet is sharing them with friends and neighbors.

Three years ago I planted some table grapes next to my front door and installed some wire for them to grow on and over the door. As you can tell from the photos, it has filled in and is now both decorative and functional. By Labor Day, I should be enjoying some delicious homegrown grapes.


Note: The grapes are not planted in the container in front of the door. It just looks like it in the photo. The plants are actually planted in the ground next to the front door.

Look around your yard and see if their is some space to grow some raspberries, blackberries or grapes. All you need is well drained good soil and full sun. You too could be enjoying some great produce from your yard in just a couple of years.

Make your day a good one.

1 comment:

Zoe said...

Hi Larry,

I just found your blog and I like the idea of grape climbing beside your door. I'm interested in knowing what you do to it to keep it looking decorative after the leaves dried out in the fall.

I have not read most of your blogs but I will.

Thanks for your gardening tips.

Zoe