Sunday, October 24, 2010

Winterize raspberries, blackberries, kiwis, and blueberries.

Winterizing the garden includes special care for those delicious raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, grapes, blueberries, asparagus, and other small fruits that you enjoyed during the summer.  Trim back long canes on berries to 24 to 30 inches.  Leave them a little tall because they have a tendency to freeze back if you live in a cold climate.  After cold weather sets in, throw a couple of shovels of dirt up around each plant to mulch it for the winter.  The mulch helps hold the "freeze" in the plant.  Thawing on warmer winter days, and then sudden freezing when the temps dip again kills these plants.

When spring comes and the danger of freezing temps are past, then you can remove the mulch and prune your plants to the size you like.  Work in a little 12-12-12 fertilizer and expect delicious days ahead.

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