2025 Blackberries

Did yard work today, the first full mow of the season.  I got some trimmer string and rewound the trimmer.  So much easier to use than the brush cutter.  The plastic blades though really aren't that sturdy.  Cut the mint a little but really it doesn't grow very tall so it was literally just the top leaf or two.

Speaking of growing though, the blackberry in front around the tree had this little guy growing on the vine.  This is the first of who knows how many blackberries we'll get from the plants.  If they all turn out to be this small though I may just kill it.  It's pretty thorny for such small berries.  It needs to be at least 4 times this size for it to make the cut.  No pun intended due to those thorns of death.

Calling back to the mint though, when the yard was cut (and thus the mint) the fragrance was not overpowering. It was more a hint of mint in the air.  Pretty nice actually.

Update on the fig tree:  The little branches are getting significantly bigger.  Not quite as fast as I'd like but getting there.  Still removing bottom leaves occasionally and it's working pretty well.  I can tell the difference between the branches I remove leaves on and those I don't.

Blackberry Bushes

We moved in a year ago now and the front tree came with the house.  Now however there is a blackberry bush, vine, something, growing under it.  Blackberries frankly grow on a glorified groundcover.  They sometimes get a little height on them but more often they need something to grow on so they have support to go vertical. Back home, southeast Texas, they grew everywhere but mainly along fences where they had the support of the chain link fences typically used.

Unfortunately another of the plants trying to grow up near the tree they planted is another tree with some wicked thorns on it.  Not sure really what it is (was hopefully) but I pulled it up as best I could with a plumber's wrench.  Better to grip the thorny trunk with.  Will see if the thorny tree tries to come back and will also see if the blackberry bush ends up making any berries.  As you can see, there are already flowers growing on it but the rain and high winds we've been having might just prevent all that from coming to anything.

The day lilies are springing back way better than expected at least.  Wasn't sure if some of them we repotted into the large pot of dirt were even going to survive but they're the best ones so far.  No flowers yet but the greenery is off the charts.

Hoping to get some raised beds put in some time soon as well as an herb area.  Might be in the raised beds and might not.  Wil see after I put together a yard plan.  Not going to go the route of the haphazard way I did it last time.  Such a sprawling mess and not maintainable.

Other of note in the yard:  The green onions are flowering but not unexpected.  The rosemary was unfortunately a casualty of the winter weather as was the pineapple plants that had gotten so big over the summer and fall.

Blackberry Bushes

I went to my grandparents rescheduled 60th anniversary party recently and found out that blackberry bushes only produce every other year on the same growth. After looking into it I found other plants that also bear fruit, or at least more fruit, every other year.
One that suprised me was pecan trees. I just figured they produced what the season allowed, with some years thinner than others. Come to find out they produce better every other year.
Blueberries also produce every other year.
Some apples produce well every other year. Although the fruit is always edible it isn't always what you're looking for.

What makes trees and plants produce this way? Well, I'll tell you.
Fruit production takes a lot of energy, some plants only produce a single fruit, like pineapple. The stress the plant feels takes a while to come back from and depending on the plant can be over a year long before it's ready to produce well again.
Speaking of pineapples, I'm going to try and I'm going to fail to get my pineapple plant to produce another fruit. The fruit is turning yellow already and softening up. the base looks ok at the moment but from what I've been told it can't make another fruit.