#1 Even Erect Blackberries Will Have Trailing Canes

At least for the first year or two. The first year you plant your erect blackberry plants, the canes will be semi-erect or trailing. A trellis is very helpful during this time, as you want to contain the canes but not prune them. These canes will bear fruit in year two. New canes that are produced in year two and after will be erect canes. Cut these canes to about 4 feet in early summer. Harvest the berries when they lose their glossy shine and become a little dull. Late morning is best for the juiciest fruit.

#2 Don’t Plant Dahlias in Raised Beds More Than 1 Foot Deep

Otherwise you’ll need a ladder to reach them! Lots of raised garden beds are 2 feet deep as this depth will encourage roots to grow downward when intensive planting versus outward. And there are some fruits and vegetables that need that depth of soil. Dahlias, however, do not. Dahlia tubers are only planted about 4 to 6 inches deep, so a 1 foot deep raised bed will work just fine. And you won’t have to haul out the ladder or find extra long staking products!

#3 Eight Tomatillo Plants are Too Many for an Arched Trellis

Even if you have that many plants that you successfully grew from seed. LOL. Tomatillos are not self-pollinating, so you’ll need at least 2 plants to ensure fruit. Two to four plants (not 8) should be sufficient for plenty of salsa verde and green enchilada sauce. Spacing should be about 3 feet apart - tomatillos will sprawl and can easily get to be 4 feet tall and wide (trust me, I know). The vines should be trellised for support and the fruit harvested when it fills out the husk and the husk just starts to split.

#4 Squash Plants Have a Mind of Their Own

I have now tried 3 different varieties of squash - Yellow Crookneck, Patty Pan and a type of zucchini I found at a local nursery - all with the same result. Squash plants just do not play nice. No matter how far apart you plant them, squash plants just seem to take over whatever space happens to be close to them - whether it’s available real estate or not! You can read all about my squash challenges in my blog post A Squash Saga: To Be or Not To Be? Happy reading!

#5 Peppers Like to Be Fashionably Late

Just when everything else in my summer garden seems to be winding down, here come the peppers! This year, I planted several different varieties including California Wonder, Sante Fe Grande, Orange Bell and Ajvarski. And once October 1st came around, these pepper plants went crazy! Even though peppers are warm weather plants in the Solanaceae family (same as tomatoes), my peppers sure seem to thrive the second the evenings turn a little cooler. Go figure!

#6 It’s Hard to Care for Roses in a Raised Bed

I know, I know. Roses are hard to take care of in general. But planting your rose bushes in a raised bed just seems to take rose maintenance to a whole new level. Theoretically, a raised bed should work well for roses. The soil will drain better, you can tend the plants better without bending over so far, and the bushes are kept warmer than if you planted them in the ground. As long as you locate the bed so your roses get a minimum of 6 hours of sun each day, and you properly space your plants for good air circulation, growing roses in raised beds should work. The jury’s still out for me, however. I’ve grown roses for years - in ground - and the raised beds just haven’t given the benefits I thought they would. I’ll keep you posted!

#7 I Prefer to Grow Bush Beans Over Pole Beans

This year, I planted Contender (Buff Valentine) Bush Beans, along with Rattlesnake and Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans. I trellised the Pole Beans next to my cucumbers and all the Beans did pretty well. But the Bush Beans are a little smaller and a little sweeter. And they are stringless - which is a definite plus. My plan is to plant more Bush Beans next season and let the Pole Beans go.

#8 There is Such a Thing as Too Many Tomato Plants

Seriously - there really is. I currently have bags and bags of tomatoes in my freezer. Easiest way to remove the peel! And I’m going to have jars and jars of salsa and marina sauce. Along with some red enchilada sauce. This year I planted Indigo Rose, San Marzano and Roma tomatoes. All did excellent - I just had an over abundance of tomatoes! And along with all the tomatillos I have, I’ll be canning until Christmas!

#9 The Best of the Best Will be Eaten Before Harvesting

And that’s just the way it is. Whether it’s chipmunks or squirrels or some other pest (or your husband who just happens to love blackberries) the second you think you’ll just leave that one perfect specimen for just one more day - Boom! It vanishes. Or it has chew holes or bite marks. Sigh. Lesson learned - don’t leave anything for “just one more day”. LOL.

#10 A Glass of Wine Will Solve Most Gardening Dilemmas

Okay - well maybe 2 glasses will do the trick. A garden is one of those projects that you just have to hold loosely. There’s only so much you can control (and it’s actually very little). A challenge? Sometimes. A learning experience? Definitely. A quiet place to sit and reflect? Absolutely. A garden is all this and more. But mostly, it’s what you make of it. And the harvest is just one of the benefits!

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