Berry picking season is over now, so it's time to get the bushes ready for next year.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I grow patches of raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, blueberries, and currants. For the best yields from these plants, it's crucial to keep them well-maintained - they need to be fed and pruned regularly. My raspberries and blackberries, which have long canes, are also well-supported with upright granite posts and heavy gauge copper wire. Earlier this year I added a couple more rows of berries to my garden. And this week, the vertical granite posts and wiring were installed.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I have several rows of raspberries on one side of my main greenhouse. They all produce so many fruits every summer because they are well-maintained through the year.
The upright posts are antique granite with heavy gauge copper wire laced through them to support the long canes. The posts came from China and were originally used as grape supports. A friend of mine acquired a lot of stone from this valley and I purchased a couple hundred pieces. They are also the same posts I use under my long pergola.
Last spring, I planted several blackberry bushes from Monrovia including ‘Columbia Giant,’ ‘Marion,’ ‘Columbia Star,’ and ‘Black Satin.’
By mid-summer, I was already tasting big, delicious, sweet blackberries.
The plants are growing fast, so now that the picking season is over, I asked Pete Sherpa from my outdoor grounds crew to install granite supports and wire to hold up the thriving canes.
Pete uses small scraps of wood to make these end blocks. And of course, they’re painted my signature “Bedford Gray.” Heavy gauge copper wire is available at hardware stores. It is malleable, corrosion resistant, and easily recyclable.
Pete drills a hole through each of the wooden blocks.
Wire supports the canes in three places, so each row needs a total of six blocks.
Pete then makes a second hole in each block.
The wooden blocks are about three-and-a-half inches long – just enough to support the wire efficiently.
Pete installed the posts the day before and drilled holes where the wire would be inserted. Here he is pushing through the copper wire from one end to the other.
Jute twine was used temporarily. The hole is big enough to fit several lengths of wire or twine.
Once it is all the way through to the end of the row and through the other post, Pete cuts the wire leaving about a foot of extra length on both sides.
Next, he threads the wire through the second hole in the block.
He does this for a second length of copper wire.
And trims it the same way – with about a foot extra. The entire process takes minutes to complete.
Now the two wires are threaded through the block so it is tight against the post.
The wire runs across the the row. The blackberry canes will be supported between the two wires as they grow.
Here is the row now – the canes are held up by the lower wires and kept off the ground.
To tighten the wires, they can be pulled and wrapped around the block.
And look at the rows from afar – it’s so easy to move through to access every plant. And the posts are perfect to use because they don’t rot over time like wood does. Granite posts and copper wire to support one’s berry canes… they’re very good things.
The landscape at my farm is constantly evolving, and keeping it healthy sometimes means cutting down trees.
Trees are crucial to our environment - they provide breathable oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, help create an ecosystem of food for birds and other animals, and they're beautiful when full of foliage or flowers. However, occasionally trees need to be removed. Yesterday, I instructed my resident tree arborist, Pasang Sherpa, to take down two almond trees behind my main greenhouse. I felt they were declining and preventing much needed light from reaching the berries below. Fortunately, the trees can be recycled into wood chips and used as top dressing for other trees in the woodland.
Here are some photos.
Almond trees thrive in mild, wet winters, and hot, dry summers. The almond belongs to the rose family Rosaceae, making it a relative of several well-known fruit trees. There are different types, ranging from small ornamental shrubs, Prunus glandulosa, grown only for their pretty flowers to medium-sized trees, Prunus dulcis, that produce edible nuts, such as these. In spring, these trees show off beautiful pink and white flowers. Here they are last April.
Here is a view from the side in between rows of growing raspberries. Guests always admire these trees, but I felt they were beginning to fail and had to come down.
Almond trees produce drupes. These drupes grow from fertilized flowers and mature in autumn. These are the trees in October. In previous years, we’ve harvested hundreds and hundreds of almonds. The hairy, green fruits are oblong in shape and the leaves of the almond tree are long – about three to five inches.
These drupes often fall to the ground. Some of them open on their own, exposing the shells, but most are opened manually. At maturity, the flesh of the fruit becomes leathery and splits. And inside the shell is the kernel, which we eat.
Early yesterday morning, Pasang went to work carefully cutting down one branch at a time.
Pasang is our resident arborist. He is very strong and very skilled at taking down many of the smaller trees around the farm.
Pasang starts by removing the smaller branches first. It is quite a process – an arborist must work methodically to ensure the safety of himself and everyone involved.
Down below, my foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, helps by removing the cut limbs.
He takes them to the nearby tractor and transfers them to the dump truck, so they can be dropped off in the designated compost pile awaiting chipping.
Pasang moves onto slightly bigger limbs, taking them down one by one – and always securing himself to the tree with the proper safety equipment.
In between, Pasang takes quick breaks and assesses which branches he needs to cut next.
Within minutes, he is down to the main branches of the tree. Mature, fruit bearing almond trees grow six to 12-inches per year.
Almond tree wood is considered a hardwood, so it is quite dense and heavy. For this job, Pasang uses his trusted STIHL chainsaw. I have used STIHL’s equipment for years – always dependable and durable.
The tree’s bark is grayish, which can be scaly in older specimens. The bark also exhibits “lenticels” or dark gray spots. In addition, these trees had lichens growing on them. Lichens are often found on tree trunks, branches and twigs as the bark provides a stable place to grow and get needed sunlight, rainwater and air. Lichens are simple slow-growing plants that form low crusty, leaflike, or branching growths on rocks, walls, and trees.
Thankfully, thus day was mild and not windy. Any sawdust just fell to the ground.
Here, Pasang is just several feet high working on the biggest limbs of the tree.
Almond trees can live for 40 to 50 years or more in the best conditions. Orchard trees usually last about 25-years. These trees were about 20-years old.
Peak production from almond trees is usually between 10 and 15 years. After that, the number of almonds produced declines, but the tree still produces fruit until the end of its life.
It is sad to see these trees go, but I will grow new almond trees elsewhere on the farm.
Now the area is clear and bright – the best light for my growing raspberries. Shall I plant boxwood here, or leave it bare?
Up at Skylands, my home in Maine, summer is also a good time to take care of important outdoor maintenance work.
I'm not at Skylands as much as I would like, so whenever I am there I try to schedule big projects, including the repair work to any stone walkways, steps, and walls that have shifted or moved over time. This year, I asked my longtime stone masons from Luppino Landscaping and Masonry in Mount Kisco, New York, if they would travel to Maine to evaluate the stonework and make any necessary repairs. Thankfully, they said yes, and for the last couple of weeks, they leveled pavers and repointed any deteriorated masonry joints all around the giant structure. Doing this not only restores the integrity of the stone, but also prevents water damage and erosion, and improves the overall appearance of Skylands' stately exterior.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Skylands was originally built in 1925 by architect Duncan Candler. The home as well as all the carriage roads leading to it are made from local pink granite – a very distinctive color caused by the high potassium feldspar content. Since I purchased the property in 1997, I’ve worked very hard to care for the structure and maintain its historical beauty.
This year, I decided it was due time to give some of the stonework some attention, especially the many walls that surround the great “cracked ice” terrace.
I wanted all the joints to be checked and repointed where necessary. This means replacing the mortar joints between the stones in the walls.
From afar, one can see the spaces where the mortar has deteriorated.
Here’s a closer look. There’s no set schedule for repointing stone, but one should consider maintenance work if the mortar is crumbling or falling out. My walls definitely needed some repair.
Here is another area showing voids in the joints.
I’ve worked with Luppino Landscaping and Masonry for years. In fact, Carmine Luppino and his team, did all the stonework at my Bedford farm.
Alfonso evaluates the joints and decides where he needs to make repairs. Any loose mortar and debris are removed. This is an important step because if any deteriorating mortar is left, the new mortar may not bond properly.
Here’s my French Bulldog puppy Luna Moona watching all the activity.
Chow Chow Emperor Han is also curious.
Here, Alfonso carefully mixes the new mortar. The right mortar mix is crucial for a long-lasting, sturdy structure.
The new mortar is carefully put into the joint cavities of the stone wall and leveled.
Alfonso uses a pointer trowel to properly compact and shape the mortar. Alfonso has been a mason for many years and is extremely knowledgeable and skilled at repointing all kinds of stone and brick work.
This concave jointer tool makes the mortar consistent through the joint and helps to ensure a watertight seal.
Here are some of the areas that are now completely repaired. The joints are filled and match all the other joints perfectly.
Repointing generally takes up to 48-hours to reach about 60-percent of its final strength, but in a week’s time, all the walls will be set and secure.
Regular repointing is the best way to keep a structure strong. This is important especially in Maine, where extreme cold can accelerate wear and tear on the exterior.
After working on the walls, the team moves on to check the pavers. They checked all the footpaths and adjusted any stone that may have shifted over time because of inclement weather and growing roots underneath.
Old stone dust and debris are removed, the area is re-leveled and the paver is repositioned, dropped carefully in place on new stone dust, and checked for level again. If it is not perfectly level, it is removed and stone dust is added or taken away as needed. It is a trial and error process that takes lots of patience. All neighboring pavers are also checked.
The terrace stone is also sealed by my outdoor grounds crew. And now the entire area is done and looking so beautiful once again.
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