It's berry-picking time here at my Bedford, New York farm. The bushes are filled with those small, fragrant, and refreshingly sweet raspberries - one of the most popular berries in the United States.
I grow red, black and golden raspberries, and the right time to start picking is early summer when the fruits are vivid in color and ready to fall off their stems. Although they are best eaten raw, raspberries are used in a variety of ways - as ingredients in jams and jellies, pies and tarts, or juices and herbal teas. Last week, my housekeeper, Enma, picked our first big batches of red and black raspberries - just in time for the holiday.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And have a very safe and joyful Independence Day.
This is a great year for all our berries – the bushes are full of growing sweet black and red raspberries. Summer-bearing raspberry bushes produce one crop each season. The fruits typically start ripening in late June into July with a crop that lasts about one month.
I have several rows of raspberries on one side of my main greenhouse. One plant can produce several hundred berries in a season. Raspberries are vigorous growers and will produce runners that fill up a bed.
The first week of July is when we start picking the black and red raspberries.
The raspberry plant has spade-shaped leaves that are toothed along the edges. My bushes are several years old and remain so healthy. It takes about two to three years for a new raspberry plant to produce a significant crop of fruit.
Most raspberry plants need additional support to grow properly. I use these granite posts at the end of each row, and stretch strong gauge copper wire in between them to hold up the plants. These antique posts are from China. They were originally used to support grape vines.
It’s good to know that once raspberries are picked, they stop ripening, so under-ripe berries that are harvested will never mature to the maximum sweetness. The black raspberry plant is a high producing early variety whose upright growth makes it easy for picking.
Here, one of the black raspberries is ready for picking – the rest need to ripen in color and shape some more. This all-purpose fruit is firm, sweet, and full of flavor. It tastes great eaten fresh off the stem or made into preserves.
The raspberry is made up of small “drupe” fruits which are arranged in a circular fashion around a hollow central cavity. Each drupelet features a juicy pulp with a single seed.
There are more than 200-species of raspberries. In the United States, about 90-percent of all raspberries sold come from the states of Washington, California, and Oregon.
Here’s Enma with a box nearly filled to the top with black raspberries. Botanically, the raspberry is a shrub belonging to the Rosaceae family, in the genus Rubus.
Raspberries need full sun for the best berry production. They should be planted in rich, slightly acidic, well-drained soil that has been generously supplemented with compost and well-rotted manure. I am very fortunate to have such excellent soil here at the farm.
We use a variety of berry boxes. These are fiber pulp berry boxes. They have slotted sides for ventilation and are also eco-friendly. It’s okay to fill the container, but make sure not to pack the fruits in or press them down.
The next day, Enma picked red raspberries. These must be picked and handled very carefully and checked for insects and rot. This berry is perfect.
Raspberries are unique because their roots and crowns are perennial, while their stems or canes are biennial. A raspberry bush can produce fruit for many years.
Raspberries contain vitamins A and E and are also rich in minerals, such as potassium, manganese, copper, iron, and magnesium.
Keep in mind, only the ripe berries will slip off the stems easily. All of these are in perfect condition.
Ripe raspberries are rich in color, whether they are red, golden, or black.
Enma picks only those fruits that are bright red in color, leaving any light peach colored berries to ripen some more.
The taste of raspberries varies by cultivar and ranges from sweet to acidic. They are great for use in pies and tarts, and other desserts. They can also be used in cereals, ice-creams, juices, and herbal teas.
Look at all these delicious boxes of fruit – so exciting, and not bad for a first harvest. Enma also picked additional black raspberries. To save berries for use at another time, freeze them – lay them out onto flat trays in single layers and freeze until solid. Once they are frozen, they can be moved into plastic containers or freezer bags until ready to eat.
And here are two more. The raspberries are taken up to my flower room where they can be stored in the fridge or the freezer.
I also have two rows of golden raspberries, but these are not quite ready yet. What a wonderful summer it will be with all these delicious and nutritious fruits.
Whenever possible, we always practice succession planting here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Succession planting is the practice of following one crop with another to maximize a garden’s yield. It is a very efficient use of gardening space and time. This year, we're all so excited about my new vegetable garden where we've already seen such amazing growth. If you follow my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, you may have seen some of the first vegetables we've harvested - the cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli are some of the largest I've ever grown. Over the last couple of weeks, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, has also planted more seeds, so we have a consistent supply of harvestable produce throughout the season. He planted crops of beans, parsnips, and three rows of sunflowers, Helianthus - the popular and cheerful annuals whose giant, round flower heads look like the sun.
Enjoy these photos.
This time of year, we are constantly working in the vegetable garden to maintain what is growing and to plant more seeds for new crops. My gardeners keep seeds well organized in these baskets, so they’re ready to bring out to the garden when needed.
On this day, Ryan planted beans – soy beans, bush beans, pole beans and runner beans. Ryan uses this bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows. The furrows don’t have to be deep. In general, seeds should be planted at a depth of two times the width, or diameter, of the actual seed.
These soy bean seeds will be planted about an inch to an inch-and-a-half deep. Ryan plants the seeds in rows that are about a foot apart. All the beds are raised slightly and all surrounded by wood frames – more than 40 beds in this half-acre garden. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
Here is one of the seeds dropped along the length of the furrow. For maximum yield, these soy beans need some space – about six inches in between them.
Both bush and pole bean cultivars are members of the same species, Phaseolus vulgaris, also called “common beans.” Bush beans are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. They grow in small bushes 12 to 24 inches tall and don’t require any trellising. Here are some of the bush beans Ryan is planting. Once the seeds are sown, the harvest of fresh beans usually begins in seven to eight weeks and lasts for around three weeks.
Ryan writes out small markers, so we can keep track of what varieties are growing and which ones we want to grow again.
And, instead of growing in bushy form, pole beans and runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus, are vining and climbing plants. Ryan planted both types. And do you know… runner beans twine around their supports in a clockwise direction, while pole beans twine in a counter-clockwise direction? This is helpful to know when training beans to climb.
For these beans, Ryan pushes the bean into the soil about two inches deep and at least six inches from the last one.
Here’s a view from above. The beans are planted close to the trellis, so they can find their way once they begin to grow.
Our parsnip seeds are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in central Maine – a company I’ve been using for quite some time. Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a privately held, employee-owned organic seed producer. Johnny’s offers hundreds of varieties of organic vegetable, herb, flower, fruit and farm seeds that are known to be strong, dependable growers.
These are Johnny’s Warrior F1 hybrid parsnip seeds, a flavorsome, chunky parsnip with, gradually tapering roots that measure up to 11-inches in length.
These are Johnny’s Albion Pelleted F1 parsnip seeds – another dependable grower. Some seeds are coated with a layer of clay to increase size for easier handling. This also makes spacing the seeds faster and increases evenness in germination.
Ryan carefully plants the bed with these seeds spaced about three inches apart with the rows about one foot apart.
This is called a rolling dibbler available at Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It comes in single form like this one or with multiple wheels. It allows one to create evenly spaced impressions in the soil for accurate transplanting.
The actual dibbles are stored right on the wheel.
And then each one can be screwed onto the outside depending on the preferred spacing needed.
Ryan starts at one end to create the holes for the sunflower seeds using the twine as a guide, so the rows are perfectly straight.
Here is a view from behind. the spacing is about six to eight inches.
Ryan plants one seed into each hole. Sunflowers grow quickly. Many can grow 12 feet in only three months. With the proper growing conditions, sunflowers should reach maturity in 70 to 100 days after planting.
Then Ryan carefully back fills all the furrows in the bed until all the seeds are covered with soil.
Meanwhile, look at some of the growing vegetables. This is a young artichoke. I like to harvest them when they are still small, but these need just a little more time.
We planted leeks, shallots, and onions back in late April. They are all growing so beautifully.
And do you know what this is? If you guessed parsley, you are correct. This is curly parsley. with round, curly leaves. The taste is stronger than that of the flat-leaf type.
Ryan checked on the carrots – these, too, need a little more growing time, but they’re developing so perfectly and with such great color.
Our peas also look fantastic – these are ready to pick. We have both shelling peas and edible pods.
This garden so amazing. I love visiting every day to see what is growing. I am so happy with its progress. Take a look at my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 to see more photos.
Clematis are among the most decorative and spectacular of all the flowering vines, and mine are blooming so beautifully this season.
I have always loved clematis, and over the years I have grown many varieties of this wonderful plant. When I purchased my Bedford, New York farm, I knew I wanted to build a long, winding pergola where I could grow lots of clematis. After the pergola was constructed, I concentrated on creating a palette of blue-flowering cultivars and each year I always enjoy the vivid floral display.
Enjoy these photos.
There are several different varieties of clematis planted along my winding pergola that extends from the carriage road in front of my flower cutting garden all the way to the west end of my soccer field. Each pair of posts supports the same variety and every year around this time, they stand out under in all their gorgeous colors.
Wire is wrapped around each post, so the climbing tendrils of the clematis vines could attach easily. The uprights for this pergola are antique granite posts from China originally used as grape supports. They’re perfect as posts because they don’t rot over time like wood does. A friend of mine acquired a lot of stone from this valley and I purchased a couple hundred of these posts. I only wish I had bought more of them.
Clematis is a genus of about 300-species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The name Clematis comes from the Greek word “klematis,” meaning vine.
Clematis leaves grow in pairs along the stems. The clematis leaf shapes vary with different varieties, but knowing how they grow can help differentiate them from other vines.
Clematis are native to China and Japan and are known to be vigorous, woody climbers.
Most species are called clematis, but it has also been called traveller’s joy, virgin’s bower, leather flower, or vase vine. It’s also been called “Old Man’s Beard,” because of the long fluffy seed heads that look similar to an old man’s beard.
The standard clematis flower has six or seven petals, measuring five to six inches across. Colors range from lavender to deep purple, white to wine red, and even a few in yellow.
For this area, I chose various shades of lavender, purple, and blue.
Some of the flowers are very light colored – almost white – with interesting centers.
Many clematis are lightly scented. Flowers vary in shape and sizes. They can be flat, tubular or bell-shaped and can be as small as one-inch wide.
Some clematis cultivars will bloom in partial shade, but to really thrive, they need at least six-hours of sun each day. Just think, “head in the sun, feet in the shade.” The vines like sun, but cool, moist soil.
Once established, clematis should be watered about an inch or so weekly, and more deeply during dry spells.
Some of the cultivars grown here include ‘Parisienne,’ ‘Blue Angel,’ ‘Jackmanii,’ and ‘Eyers Gift.’
It can take several years for a clematis vine to mature and begin flowering prolifically. To shorten the wait, purchase a plant that’s at least two-years old. Clematis also prefer soil that’s neutral to slightly alkaline in pH.
This is Clematis viticella ‘Betty Corning’, which has slightly fragrant, bell-shaped flowers that bloom from summer to fall.
Here is a similar variety in pinkish purple.
Across the carriage road from my pergola, I also have some clematis vines planted at the base of several bald cypress trees. On these trees, we used twine to secure the climbing vines.
The timing and location of clematis flowers varies – spring blooming clematis flower on side shoots of the old season’s stems. Summer and fall blooming vines flower on the ends of only new stems.
Here is lavender bloom with a large, showy center.
Here’s one in dark purple.
Clematis plants are also heavy feeders and benefit from a low nitrogen fertilizer such as 5-10-10 in spring, when the buds are about two-inches long. Alternate feedings every four to six weeks with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer and then continue this alternate feeding until the end of the growing season. The blooms appear constantly for many weeks making their everblooming nature a must-have in any garden.
As a perennial, clematis are vigorous vines that return yearly and are hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. My farm is in zone 6b.
Both butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to clematis flowers.
Known as the “Queen of the Climbers”, Clematis plants will train onto posts, trellises, and fences, or arch gracefully over doorways. What are your favorite clematis varieties? If you don’t already have clematis in your garden, I hope this inspires you plant one, or two, or three…
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