Category: Reference

Grapes

I cut back the grapes today, while we were harvesting, but it’s probably too early, and I definitely went too crazy with it.

Found a good reference for pruning next year

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https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec1639.pd

Basically, each year you choose one fruiting cane to use as the new feeder for the next year. Looks like pruning should be done in the C winter when the leaves are gone, and finished up in the spring.

Gooseberry and Elderberry Research

Choose from either culinary or dessert varieties. Culinary gooseberries are usually cooked with sugar to temper their naturally sour taste. They’re perfect in jams, pies, puddings and – my favorite – a gooseberry fool.
Dessert varieties are sweet enough to eat straight from the bush – a treat you’re unlikely to experience unless you grow your own. Pick some berries young for cooking then leave the remainder to mature to full sweetness.
The berries themselves are typically pale green, but look out for eye-catching red or yellow varieties too. Most plants are very thorny, but some varieties are easier on the hands with considerably fewer thorns.

Gooseberries will thrive in most gardens, but to get the most from them grow them in a bright position in rich, well-drained soil.
Gooseberries naturally grow into bushes but may also be trained – as standards on a long single trunk, or against a fence as fans or single-stemmed cordons. Take heart if you really don’t have much space to spare or you only have a patio, because this hardy fruit can successfully be grown in containers too.

In moisture-retentive soils established bushes need very little additional watering, but regular watering in hot, dry weather is a must for young plants and essential for container-grown gooseberries.

Most pruning is completed in winter when the bush is dormant. To start, cut out all dead or diseased wood, any shoots growing close to the ground, plus tangled or overcrowded branches. Now prune the branches that are left by cutting back the previous season’s growth by a half. Sideshoots coming off the main branches should be cut back to between one and three buds from the base of the shoot. Make all cuts just above an outward facing bud to encourage that all-important open habit. Finally, dig up any stems, called suckers, growing from the ground away from the main stem.

HARVEST Gooseberries are ready to pick from early summer onwards. Harvesting dessert or dual-purpose varieties in stages gives early, under-ripe fruits for cooking, then later fruits to enjoy sweet and fresh. The berries that remain after the first pickings will also be able to grow larger. 

https://www.growveg.com/guides/growing-gooseberries-from-planting-to-harvest/

All Ribes are potentially alternate hosts for white pine blister rust. Currants and gooseberries should not be planted where 5-needled pines are planted unless those cultivars are resistant or immune to rust.

https://www.cloudmountainfarmcenter.org/education/grow-tips/growing-currants-and-gooseberries/

Elderberries

Elderberries are fairly easy shrubs to grow and have few pest problems except for birds. They are not fussy about soil type, fertility or pH, but they grow best with good drainage and adequate moisture. While they will tolerate partial shade, elderberries are more productive when located in full sun. Most of the varieties grown specifically for their fruit production are very hardy, with a USDA Hardiness Zone rating of 4 or less. Because birds are such big fans of elderberries, gardeners may need to protect their crop with netting. The biggest drawback in growing elderberry shrubs is their size. Depending on the variety and growing conditions, elderberries can reach a height of 6 to 10 feet and width of 6 to 12 feet.

Gardeners who are serious about growing elderberries for their fruit will want to plant several plants or more in a hedge row with at least two different varieties planted 60 feet or less apart. This is because elderberries are wind pollinated and produce some fruit without the benefit of cross-pollination, but fruit production can be improved by the cross pollination of two different varieties.

Most of the work in growing elderberries goes into pruning. Elderberry plants send up numerous canes, creating a dense thicket after several years. Because the canes produce fruit mostly in their second and third years, gardeners should prune out dead, broken or weak canes, or any older than three years in early spring. This encourages the growth of new canes that are more productive. It is recommended that you let elderberry plants become established for at least three years before starting annual pruning.

Finally, it is crucial for me to point out that ALL parts of elderberry plants contain a cyanide-inducing glycoside and are toxic to humans. Only the cooked ripe blue or purple berries of the American elderberry, blue elderberry or European black elderberry should be considered edible. While the seeds in the fruit also contain the toxic glycosides, they are destroyed by heat. The red berries of red elderberry should be regarded as toxic along with the roots, stems, berry stems, leaves and unripe fruit of all elderberries.

www.tri-cityherald.com/living/home-garden/marianne-ophardt/article205427864.html#storylink=cpy

Partial shade, cool and moist. Can grow up to 12′ tall.

If you ask me, the most labor-intensive part of owning an elderberry is harvesting the fruit. Removing the berries from the plant is easy. Everything after that, however, takes some skill.
You’ll want to harvest when the berries are as dark purple, or even as black, as you can imagine they will get. They should be very soft and juicy.
If they appear shriveled, like a raisin, you’ve waited too long.
Picking them before the birds do is tough. If you have a good number of berries in clusters that are close to being ready, you may go ahead and get all of them.
It’s impossible to pick individual berries, so you must eyeball the group and go for a good percentage of ripe ones when making your decision. Again, if almost all are ripe, the birds will probably get to them by the next day.
Using a good pair of pruning shears, cut the entire cluster just under the base of where the fruits begin. I put them into a 5-gallon plastic bucket from the hardware store and take all of them home at once.

https://gardenerspath.com/plants/fruit/grow-elderberries/

Tomatillo Research

How to Grow Tomatillos

If your family loves Mexican food and fresh salsa, make room for tomatillos in your garden. Also known as husk tomato, tomatillo forms its fruit within a husk that turns dry and papery as fruits mature. Instead of being juicy like a tomato, a tomatillo (which literally means “little tomato”) has a more solid center with an almost grainy appearance. The flavor boasts citrusy, tart notes that blend well with poultry, pork and summer veggies like peppers, zucchini, corn and tomatoes.

Cousin to tomatoes, tomatillo comes from Central America, where it grows wild in corn and bean fields. In Mexican and Guatemalan cultures, it’s known as miltomate and is a staple ingredient for making dishes like salsa verde, chile verde and classic moles. For its unique flavor and unusual fruit form, tomatillo is definitely worth growing. Here’s how.

Start With Two

With tomatillos, you need at least two plants because the flowers must be cross-pollinated to set fruit. Plan for each plant to yield roughly one pound of fruit over the course of the growing season. Most tomatillo-based recipes start with half a pound of fruit. You should grow two or three plants to have enough ripe fruit at the same time to whip up something tasty.

Planting

Like its tomato cousin, tomatillo thrives in the summer heat. Wait for all chances of frost to have passed before planting. Aim to get seedlings into the ground when nights are reliably above 55 degrees. Give plants a sunny spot — these are true bathing beauties that crave summer sun. Tomatillos thrive with rich soil. Be sure to add compost or rotted manure prior to planting.

As with tomatoes, plant tomatillos deeply, burying up to two-thirds of the stem. Tomatillo stems readily grow roots, so any buried part of the stem quickly sprouts roots to help fuel plant and fruit growth.

Care

Tomatillo plants don’t demand special care. Definitely give plants a sturdy cage-type support. The stems tend to sprawl, and if they touch the ground, they’ll root, gradually taking over more space in your garden. Plants usually grow 36″ to 48″ high and can spread about the same amount. Once fruit forms, it weighs branches down. Giving plants some support can help prevent ripening tomatillos from lying on the ground, where pests will attack.

Watering is also key. Like with tomatoes, peppers or eggplants, consistent watering keeps the plant healthy so it can support the heavy fruit load. It’s a good idea to mulch beneath plants to suppress weeds, help the soil stay moist and protect tomatillos that fall on the ground from rotting instantly.

When To Pick

When a tomatillo starts to form, it’s like a marble tucked inside a blown-up balloon. You want to wait to pick until the fruit fills out the husk. Tomatillos are green and firm when ripe. Sometimes the husk will start to split at the bottom. This is a signal that you need to harvest, but you don’t have to wait for the husk to split. As long as the fruit has filled out the husk, it’s good to go. Just give the husk a gentle squeeze to see how large the fruit is — you won’t hurt the plant.

An overripe tomatillo turns yellow or purple and splits the husk (which is usually brown and papery at this point) wide open. Overripe fruits tend to be soft and mealy or mushy in texture. The flavor lacks that tart bite tomatillos are famous for delivering.

Indoors, store tomatillos — in their husks — on the counter for five days. For longer storage, tuck tomatillos into a paper bag in your fridge’s veggie bin. They should last two to three weeks. Remove the husk before eating. Tomatillo fruits freeze well. Just chop and place into zipper bags or containers.

Potential Problems

You won’t have too many issues when growing tomatillos. In high humidity regions, leaves may develop some fungus diseases, but staking plants helps improve airflow and reduce outbreaks. Flea beetles like to feed on leaves, producing lots of little holes (visible on the overripe tomatillo, above), but this doesn’t really damage the plant’s ability to grow or yield lots of fruit.

Tomatillos that fall on the ground quickly attract pests like slugs, yellow jackets, pill bugs and millipedes. Gather and remove any fallen fruit, taking it far away from the tomatillo patch. If possible, bury it in your compost or toss it in the disposal. Be careful gathering fallen fruit with holes in them in late summer and autumn because there are often wasps feeding inside.