as much of the morning as I could take each time, and that's maybe two hours! I'm not a sissy about manual labor, but it's July...this year I'm not quite as good about getting out at 6 a.m. It always seems to be 7 instead. The sun is up, but not over the trees quite yet. The job; 35 blackberry bushes all in a row. But you can't see them anymore. Because weeds and vines have moved in in a big way.
They're in there somewhere, those blackberries. And if they aren't weeded and mulched, you run the risk of kissing the whole thing goodbye. It's an investment, and not a one-season venture. So this has to be done. Like any other garden job, it's best not to look down the row as you're working. Especially after you've been working for an hour and you think you've made such excellent progress, only to look up through the sweat and see how pitifully little you have accomplished. I used the deer fence as a guide, telling myself that if I just weeded a section that was as long as one section of that fence, it would be enough for the day. But it's not like the wooden fence everywhere else on the property. The spaces between poles are much, much farther. So I didn't keep that little pledge to myself...it was just a game, but a useful game during this kind of task.
Yep. It was as hot as that looks. On the fourth morning, I decided to just stick it out and get to the end, because I just didn't know how many more mornings I had left in me for this job.
You have to locate the center of each bush, then (with a hoe) pull outward to loosen those stupid vines...all the while trying not to break any of the blackberry branches. Each plant had maybe five or so REALLY long branches and of course every vine and weed was tangled up in them. Fact: blackberries will only set next year on this year's branches. So if you tear them up or break them off, you're not going to have any berries next summer. When you're delirious with heat and sweat and you only want to be finished, you have to resist the temptation not to care! you have to care. In the end, Will followed up with the weed-eater so it didn't look so messy, and so that they can be more finely weeded before mulching. But the hard work is done.
Will worked so hard to put these bushes in early in the spring, and we knew
somebody had to get out there and take care of this...it's true, there' way too much for the two of us to take care of, and we can never keep a handle on everything all through the summer. The herb beds are a mess this time of year. But they can be turned over, mulched, and planted again. The blackberries are in their permanent home, so that's a different matter. Will mentioned maybe hiring somebody to do this, but I figured I'd give it a shot. yea. I tell you, though, it's a pleasant little fantasy, the thought of one or two (or even three) more people helping with this craziness. For now, we'll just push ahead through the hot part of the summer. Some flats of tomatoes and peppers have been started for fall, and if you really try, you can look at them and imagine the cooler weather somewhere down the road.
They're in there somewhere, those blackberries. And if they aren't weeded and mulched, you run the risk of kissing the whole thing goodbye. It's an investment, and not a one-season venture. So this has to be done. Like any other garden job, it's best not to look down the row as you're working. Especially after you've been working for an hour and you think you've made such excellent progress, only to look up through the sweat and see how pitifully little you have accomplished. I used the deer fence as a guide, telling myself that if I just weeded a section that was as long as one section of that fence, it would be enough for the day. But it's not like the wooden fence everywhere else on the property. The spaces between poles are much, much farther. So I didn't keep that little pledge to myself...it was just a game, but a useful game during this kind of task.
Yep. It was as hot as that looks. On the fourth morning, I decided to just stick it out and get to the end, because I just didn't know how many more mornings I had left in me for this job.
You have to locate the center of each bush, then (with a hoe) pull outward to loosen those stupid vines...all the while trying not to break any of the blackberry branches. Each plant had maybe five or so REALLY long branches and of course every vine and weed was tangled up in them. Fact: blackberries will only set next year on this year's branches. So if you tear them up or break them off, you're not going to have any berries next summer. When you're delirious with heat and sweat and you only want to be finished, you have to resist the temptation not to care! you have to care. In the end, Will followed up with the weed-eater so it didn't look so messy, and so that they can be more finely weeded before mulching. But the hard work is done. 
Will worked so hard to put these bushes in early in the spring, and we knew somebody had to get out there and take care of this...it's true, there' way too much for the two of us to take care of, and we can never keep a handle on everything all through the summer. The herb beds are a mess this time of year. But they can be turned over, mulched, and planted again. The blackberries are in their permanent home, so that's a different matter. Will mentioned maybe hiring somebody to do this, but I figured I'd give it a shot. yea. I tell you, though, it's a pleasant little fantasy, the thought of one or two (or even three) more people helping with this craziness. For now, we'll just push ahead through the hot part of the summer. Some flats of tomatoes and peppers have been started for fall, and if you really try, you can look at them and imagine the cooler weather somewhere down the road.
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