Less is More - New Beds and a lizard pet

I am not a builder by any stretch. I have broken more than one drill bit in my SFG career (which is all of 9 months so far). That said I wanted to get my fruit area - blackberries, blueberries and strawberries) in beds and I wanted to do it simply.

So I had some 4X4s cut to size (was going to get 6X4s but budget dictated) and used stakes to secure them. I love it. I also found I have to put a fence around to keep out the dogs - and why this surprises me each time I do not know. A little reality-facing issue I expect. So the beds are prepared and I just need a few more fruit plants.

Since these will not be treated as annuals and left in place I am not so worried about the depth, since I have to dig down to plant the new plants anyway. As with all gardening...we shall see.

Left to right: strawberry, future blueberry and blackberry. That is fresh grass clipping in the aisles. I was going to use bark but realized bark costs and this is free.


I only staked the long ends. I figure the short ends will manage and if not it is an easy fix.


Somehow this guy got up to my second floor bedroom and he is proving impossible to catch. Any lizard catching tricks would be appreciated.

Your beds look great & my granddaughters would love the lizard.

try using 2 hands - your nondominant hand in front of him, just hold your hand still to get his attention & let him focus on it, then use the other hand to come in behind him & catch him.

dixie wrote:try using 2 hands - your nondominant hand in front of him, just hold your hand still to get his attention & let him focus on it, then use the other hand to come in behind him & catch him.

First of all, I could not get within 5 feet of him without his running away! LOL!.

I jokingly told my grandkids I would give them $1 if they could catch the lizard. And #1 grandson did it! I walked in the door and there he was with a plastic bag and a still living lizard. He let him go in back. Just as well, no telling how long the thing would have survived in my room.

Of course, for the next few weeks if you feel anything twitching around your toes while you're trying to sleep, you know what it is.

Yep ...any 5-year-old in the neighborhood can catch that in 30 seconds ....it's an innate talent all children have.

Chopper, that looks awesome. Are the blackberries you are planting non-suckering? Eventually, I would like to get some blackberries, raspberries and blueberries as well, but I know that raspberries send out underground shoots that come up everywhere and blackberries are supposed to be even worse unless you get the non-suckering varieties. I know that you can put in some sort of underground barrier to keep them in place but that is a lot more digging than I have time for or my aching old body can handle. (Okay, if I am really truthful here......I am just basically lazy and it is just a lot more work than I care to do) Besides that, it is something else I would have to buy or try to scrounge somewhere.

Love the grass clippings in the aisles. Isn't FREE wonderful?! LOL! Did you put down newspaper or cardboard first? It really helps to keep the weeds down. I wanted to do bark too but it is waaaay expensive. Someday maybe but in the meantime, the less I spend on materials the more money I have for plants! If you have a local sawmill or cabinet building shop, they may give you planer shavings for free too. The coarser the better so it doesn't track in the house so much.

Love your lizard....just not in the house. They eat bugs so hopefully you have more of them OUTSIDE only.

GK

Old Hippie wrote:Chopper, that looks awesome. Are the blackberries you are planting non-suckering? .....

Love the grass clippings in the aisles. Isn't FREE wonderful?! LOL! Did you put down newspaper or cardboard first? ....

Love your lizard....just not in the house. They eat bugs so hopefully you have more of them OUTSIDE only.

GK

I think it is the suckering type. I was going to plant one or two more in that bed so I will look out for non suckering. I would happily settle for the fruiting type.

I put down newspaper in the beds but not the aisles simply because I ran out.

I have seen several lizards in the beds and have been happy to have them, but on the pillow of my favorite chair is really too much.

Chopper - how are your blackberries doing now? I bought a couple on a whim at Home Depot, and have yet to see signs of life. I have concerns that I purchased $10 sticks. Maybe it's just too early...

Andrea - I also bought blackberries on a whim (at Lowe's) back in 2009. I got no berries year 1, just pretty green leaves. Year two (last year) I did get a few small berries, but I honestly wasn't paying much attention to them (they probably needed to be fertilized). I think blackberries take a while to establish, but maybe its just my lack of skillz.... I haven't gotten my $10 worth yet, but they are still alive so maybe this year!

They are not looking super. They look OK, but I haven't seen any spring growth yet. I will keep you updated.

Ok you got my attention with the berries and the lizard lol...I planted a blackberry bush last year I hope it makes it through the winter <shrugs> time will tell.....As far as the lizard cool them down a bit first they get sluggish....our Iguana Link sometimes finds a nice comfy place to lay down but it's to far from his heat and low and behold he is so much easier to catch and cuddle hehehe

i wish we had lizards here in indiana. the extra 2-3 months of growing would be nice too.

last year i planted 2 each of blackberry, raspberry and blueberry. just like owning a store front; location, location, location! the 3yo twins and newfie dog didnt mean to trample them! maybe 2 survived. maybe not. spring will tell.

My grapes, which I bought at the same time as the blackberries, are going crazy with new growth. My blackberries are still sticks with zero signs of life.

On a more interesting note, it's been pretty rainy here lately and I've been finding these little guys in my yard under anything that collects moisture. I like their teeny tiny arms!

Awesome little "sally"!

I think you may have the California slender salamander there. Check this page about 1/2 way down.

http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/salamandersid/salamanders.id2.html