Triple Creek Berry Farm

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Happy Spring You’all!

What a winter! We had lots of freezing weather, snow, sleet and the dreaded high heating bills. But alas, spring has definitely arrived in Kentucky with beautiful warm sunny days, spring rains, and other than a few brief cool spells we should launch right in to summer!

I’ve been busy inspecting the fields for winter damage and it looks like the berry bushes fared well.  I’ve been busy trying to get a head start on the upcoming chores. The fall bearing raspberries have been cut back and the June bearing have had their spring thinning. The canes of the blackberries were trimmed as well.  I added a row of Jewell and Bristol black raspberries as a trial and am anxious to see what will transpire.

Last week I went through and gave all the plants a handful of Nature Safe granular fertilizer to give them a springtime boost. A little fungicide was also sprayed as the buds were beginning to open. Since the farm is USDA Certified Organic, the products are OMRI approved. So if you’re thinking of going organic, don’t forget to thoroughly research your fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicide products. Just because a product says “organic” on the label doesn’t mean it is organic approved. The Organic Material Research Institute (OMRI) is the research/approval organization that approves products used in the production and processing of organic food.

Also, the National Organic Procedures (NOP) established by USDA explains that if someone is marketing and/or selling their product as “organic” their operation should be inspected and approved as USDA Organic. So, be careful and ask questions of the producer to ensure you are getting what you are paying for. Look for the organic stamp! Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox for the time being.

I received our yearly organic certification application and have begun completing along with organizing a notebook for the 2010 logs, etc. Once you get in the habit of collecting and logging data it’s not that difficult to keep it going.

I conducted our first farm tour of the year on March 18^th. It was a great opportunity to educate the public on the “certified organic” process and what to look for when purchasing organic food.

Matt and I spent the weekend of March 20-21 trimming and burning tree limbs from the fence rows. Ah, now I can get the bush hog in to cut those wild roses and briar vines.

We have lots of mulching to do this year and I quickly began on that chore. I mulch with aged chipped wood and use newspaper as a weed barrier. Just be sure the newspaper is printed with soy ink and do not use the glossy ads. Layer it really thick.

Easter is quickly approaching and before you know it summer will be in full swing.

Best wishes for a great springtime!

Anna & Matt

Periodically I will post tips of what we are doing with our organic blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. I hope my information will aid you in your efforts of growing berries organically.   Its autumn in Kentucky and what a wonderful time of the year! The leaves are brilliant with their many shades of yellow, gold, and red. It is breathtaking to stroll around the farm, enjoying the warm sunshine and the smell of fall in the air. Fall is also our time to tuck the berries in for their long winters nap.

We began planning a few months ago by hauling six loads of cow manure that was generously donated – all we had to do was provide a trailer. With advice from our local extension office staff we added a generous heaping of pelleted sulfur to the manure intended for the blueberries in order to get a head start on the breakdown process of the sulfur. You see, we have a lot of limestone in our fields and will have to work on a schedule of applying sulfur regularly to keep the pH low. After many times of turning the manure our efforts paid off in beautiful composted “black gold”!  We applied a generous shovel of this formulated boost material to each plant on Saturday, November 7^th. The nitrogen will stimulate root growth during the winter and the sulfur will lower soil pH. It is of the utmost importance to take a soil sample every year to ensure you apply correct formula of nutrients.

In addition, you may want to consider a leaf analysis, to be taken midsummer. I sent a sample in late June when the plants were full of fruit. The analysis showed that not only nitrogen was low, but the pH was a bit too high. As we have been told, no two farming years are the same, and with the large amount of rainy days in 2009 it is understandable why nitrogen was low – as it can leach out of the soil.

It was much simpler for the raspberries and blackberries. We composted some of the manure without sulfur and applied heaping shovels. By February and March we’ll begin preparing them for their summer fruiting, so stay tuned for more details.

I hope this information helps you in your efforts. I will continue sharing our efforts of growing berries organically. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!