Thread: ALIPAC Garden Pictures

redpony, I can send you some blackberry starts from Oregon, and they will produce like wildfire (tongue in cheek)!!!! Really, we have them literally everywhere there is an open field. We have foreigners and visitors go out and pick and freak out about them, but we all are so burnt out on them we see them as weeds.

AE: THANKS. IF MINE DONT WORK OUT MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME OUT. BUT I HAVE JUST PLANTED THEM SO I WILL HAVE TO SEE. HOPE I HAVE GOOD LUCK WITH THEM AS I LOVE BERRIES.

Tell you what, up here, they are ripe around August first, and any old open area, you will find them and you can have as many as you want.

I kid you all not, ALL over Oregon, except Eastern Oregon, there is blackberries. They are seedy, but if you want to make jam, just strain them. Good in pies too, but you will have some seeds to deal with.

Also RedPony, in the mountains in August thru September, mountain blue huckleberries are ripe and ready. These are officially in the same "genus" as blueberries, but are unlike the wild ones in the east, these grow on high bushes and only one per branch apex, harder to pick than hybrids on farms (they are bred to grow several on the apex for easier harvest). These huckleberries are so much better than domestic blueberries, more tart and with more pectin, less sticky sweet too.

Depending on where you live, you can make a trip to the southern Oregon Cascades and find them at the 3000 foot level and up to the timberlines. They are also found in all of the northern western states mountains such as in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Alaska (lower) and BC.

Awesome gardens everyone. I agree with AE that predator insects like praying mantis, lady bugs and hover flies are a good way to go for getting rid of pests. As well chickens; they are a great way to control bugs. I plant marigolds as they attract hover flies that eat other bugs. Also, planting chives, and basil next to and among other plants work well drive off pests.

I DONT REALLY MIND THE SEEDS IN BLACKBERRIES. I WOULD PROBABLY EAT THEM FRESH BY THE BOWLFUL. THEY ARE ALSO GREAT WITH FROZEN YOGURT.

Redpony, all great if you don't mind the seeds. look up "Himalayan Blackberry" and find out how much is here. When making jam, with it, you do have to strain otherwise half of your jam is seeds, that is exactly why these dang things propogate themselves here so efficiently (via mainly birds and dropped berried, which continue the march of spread from bush to bush, mile after mile .

Truthfully these blackberries our not our native ones, which are ground vines, not thickets, but they were brought here by well meaning botanist's early on in Oregon's history and well, they took to the wet, mild climate.

Now we try to make light of this "invasion" and have little local blackberry festivals and such, also make all manner of deserts out of it such as pies, ice cream ,shakes and candies. It is always a half joke, half serious thing up here about the blackberries.

OK IF I MAKE JAM I WILL REMEMBER TO STRAIN THE SEEDS OUT. BUT TRUTH BE KNOWN, BLACKBERRIES WOULD NOT LAST AROUND ME LONG ENOUGH TO BECOME JAM.....LOL.

There was this thing I got in an email once about being from the Northwest. It was a "you know you're a redneck" format, maybe even an actual Jeff Foxworthy thing. Here it is:

The Pacific Northwest According to Jeff Foxworthy:

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon,
Yakima and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark
- while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain,"
and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."

17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see
through the cloud cover.

20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but
still wear your hiking boots and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old
ones after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.

27. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a
raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter,
Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer &Elk season
(Fall).

30. You actually understood these jokes and will probably forward them

To this I have to add: You know you're from the Pacific Northwest when you consider blackberries a weed, not a handheld personal device!!!

To this I have to add: You know you're from the Pacific Northwest when you consider blackberries a weed, not a handheld personal device!!!

LOL!!!

William........

To water after the sun gets high, put the hose nozzle under the plastic and let it run until water comes out the other end! I do and it works fine without harming the plants.