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Re: [Re: [Re: Raspberries]] NOT

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

>"Malachi 3:16" <mal316@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

>  I live in Central Florida, a place called Winter Park.
Its hard to garden here, especially if you came from the
North like I did. We do have the advantage of having
longer growing seasons, but we have to make our soil
from scratch, as what we mostly have here is sand.

*For all of the folks you didn't have Florida History
and geography, that's dead center (after 5 minutes
installing an Atlas program) of the part of Florida
NOT called the panhandle.  Think, Orlando.  She might
as well be a sudivision.  Were it not bad enough being
surrounded by sea on 3 1/2 sides, she has lakes all
around her too.

Susan. Sand, for you is a God-send.  If you had clay.....
So what you do is add humus.  Any and all.  Manure.
Yearly.  And use raised beds.  And YOU WILL add SO
MUCH, they will be raised anyway.  Wherever you want
to plant, put your borders up.  Fill the borders
with bags of compost ($1 per Sq Ft) 4 "-6" deep,
or 6-8" of other manure (which will have to age
a good while,) And I mean wall-to-Garden bed wall,
bags. 

Open them, and mix so you get a 50-50 mix.  If
you have anything besides sand, maybe go for 60-40.
That's 4" compost to 6" of sndy-dirt, for a 10" bed.
If you hacve sand, digging deeper won't be required
as long as drainage is good.  Peat is good for you,
but the pH may drop so if yopu use a ton of it,
amend to balance.  Ask how much of the nursery or
us or both.
---
>I think the problem with growing raspberries here
is that we don't have a chilling period.

*That's part.

The catalogs can be very helpful as many of
them list the zones that the raspberries can grow in.
Most can grow well down to zone 8. After that I guess
they don't get cold enough in the winter. I did find
a variety in Gurneys that says it does not
need a chilling period and it grows all the way
down to zone 10. I may take a chance and try this,
although Gurneys is in S. Dakota and they may not
be able to relate at all to Florida's climate.

*Which means, this is our version of "We want the
sale and, "Don't complain when it doesn't work.
This has been Disclaimer #102.  Thank you and
have a nice day."

>Summers are hot here, and there is lots of rain.
The humidity is high and that makes it even feel
hotter. The temps usually range in
the high 90s through the low 100s in the summer.

*Problem #2.  And I quote: "Unfortunately for southern
gardeners raspberries do poorly in much of the south.
They need cold winters and a long cool spring.
Everbearing plants don't like high heat....Raspberries
do not like spring and summer heat."

*So you hear me complain Susan... but I don't
just say, NO!  I care.  And I put out.
Raspberries in Ortho's map come nowhere NEAR Florida.

>The name of the raspberries that are sold by
Gurneys are called Barberry.
One that was recommended by our local cooperative
extension agent is called "Mysore". I don't know
what type was selling at the nursery,
but it wasn't either type that I can remember of.
     Susan Seifert, zone 9, Central Florida

*Heck. For $3-4, get one.  And try to put it where your
coolest summer spot is, WITH breeze to keep mildew and
heat down, and prep the soil.

Now... Blackberries.  OK.  A Raspberry is a RB because
it pulls OFF the hull center.  Blackberries don't.
They're cousins.  Are OK IN the panhandle,
not your area, but it's closer.

Cane or trailing or trailing dewbwerry?

Cane, 4-6ft apart, if rows, rows 6-9 ft apart.
Light well drained soil w/good moisture holding ability.
Fertilize too heavily and you get green, no fruit.
Hmmm.  So here, cut back on manure? and add some
vermiculite, or weaker compost w/o much nutrient.

Family of five, 10-15 qts, 12 plants, if right
for your climate...

Beware anthracnose.  As soon as new growth appears,
cut any stubs that don't sprout and burn.
(Butane torch or a good Bic, or a BBQ briquete
in tongs.) Problem in warm moist climates, esp south.

Never where tomatoes or potatoes were...verticillium wilt.
Any OTHER berries you like.
Berries seem not to be the best for that part of Florida.
Maybe a container would be a thought to location and
soil flexibility for a year.  you could ground plant
next year, move them w/you, or reuse the pot for
a small citrus.  I'm using for some things, a
20-30 gal plastic terra cotta pot.  Hols 2-3 cu ft
of super-soil and manure, vemiculite, compost...
I add about 4" of manure to each, each year.
It gets used up.  Super-soil is a name brand...
has a lot of peat, but is balanced.

Sorry.
Hope it somehow helps.


I see pecans and figs... only in this book...
Bill
Up for the experience of a LIFETIME?  With a Medicine-Man?
http://www.experientials.org  An ULTRA FAST LOAD, and pretty!
Mushroom Growing - Winter Hobby?
http://www.egroups.com/group/mycology/info.html
Need a List to follow An'OT'thread a little while w/a few?
http://www.egroups.com/group/an-ot-garden/info.html

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