Blackberries, Tomatoes, and Other Plants

I finally had the courage to trim our 3 blackberry bushes. After reading and watching YouTube, I hope I’ve cut back the spent flora canes and left new primo canes to bloom and bear fruit next year. Unless I did it wrong, and we have to wait a whole year. Or if I’ve waited too late in the year. Florida’s growing schedule is so different from the rest of the country. In any case, they are trimmed and tied to their supports. I used the Trellised Production Using Primocane Suppression, TPUPS, system which keeps only 2 primocanes.

The volunteer blackberry bushes that sprang up , from roots we didn’t dig out are also tied up. I trimmed off lower leaves (one YouTuber talked a lot about a disease that starts on lower leaves), assuming that all of them were primo canes. They and the bananas will have to work out who owns the area.

I used the Florida system for the Roma tomatoes, stringing jute twine back and forth between 3 7’ stakes. The middle plant doesn’t look particularly good. If it doesn’t improve this week, I’m going to substitute in a Florinada. They are both determinate hybrids. I put my painted hubcaps in the bed with the hope of having light reflected. Eventually I will give up on that and pitch them.

After I read that blueberries are deciduous, I am feeling better that they are loosing their leaves. We replanted one because it was doing so poorly. My thought was that it was planted too low. Crossing my fingers that will help. Plus the iron we added to the soil and the pine fines as mulch, which are supposed to make the bed more acidic.

The day after I transplanted tiny beet plants my mist sprinkler didn’t run: low battery. When I realized that, in the afternoon, of course, I watered the area. It looks like some survived. Tomorrow I’m going to plant seeds in any spots that don’t have little plants showing. 

Grant picked 2 radishes that were ready. There are lots more amid the weeds. The problem is that I’m not sure what the little plants are, so I end up leaving ones I should pull. Maybe one day I’ll learn which are which. I had taken the rusty tomato support from that bed, but 3 volunteer tomato plants have appeared. I haven’t decided whether to pot them up for another place or put in a new trellis. Later this week.

Lastly, I want to start lettuce and onions for the remaining vegetable beds. My calendar says it is time for cabbage. Since we seem to always loose them to moths, I’m debating where, or even if, to plant them. I am going to see if my seeds are even viable before I bother to think much more.