Ok so in the past three days I've hit some places. I needed new overalls so stop number one on Wednesday...there's a Tractor Supply in the next town. While I was there I decided to look at some plants. Their plants are not on sale but they did have some good looking brussel sprouts. I got two six packs of them and the overalls. The second stop...and I had to get some help for this one...was the garden center up the street from my house. It's THIS stop that we're going to focus on right now. The first thing we noticed was that he had some HUGE pumpkins. They are all grown by local farmers and we found our Great Pumpkin for this year. We aren't going to talk about it much today but it is going to come up in a later post.
The second thing we noticed were the huge pansies. I must admit that I'm partial to purple.
The last thing I noticed was he had some brambles towards the back. For those of you who don't know, brambles include grapes, muscadines, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, to name a few. I've had a little experience with blueberries. I'm learning to grow muscadines. I grew raspberries one year and they did not do well (we were pushing the boundaries of their zone). But I've had a LOT of experience with blackberries. So I ventured toward the brambles.
I needed blackberries like I needed...well...you know. However, most of my vines are Apache, which is a very tart, thornless blackberry. A relative gifted me two plants and they turned into 5 or 6. He also taught me about propagating blackberries by making grow tips. But now I'm hoping to get some sweeter berries, either by replacing Apache with Triple Crown, which I am hearing is a sweeter thornless blackberry.
And wouldn't you know it, there they were, two "homely" looking Triple Crown blackberries, covered in grass.
Well then the owner says, "Those are buy one, get one free!" This is what we're here to talk about right now. Clearance plants. This is not blackberry planting season here. It's hot and the plants at home, frankly, are looking puny. However, these plants can be expensive if they come in a pot, and he's offering them two plants for the price of one. And they're Triple Crown so yeah, I'm wanting them. But do you bite, that is the question.
The answer depends on several factors. If it's a seed and that vegetable is out of season you could possibly save them for next season or grow them in a greenhouse or hydroponic system. That's what I'd do. But we're talking about plants in a one gallon pot...and a grassy one at that. I do see some brown spots but again this happens this time of year. Water helps that. The canes look healthy, and that's the main thing I look for with these. And the little one has new growth and is forming a grow tip and I already know what to do with that. It's still a gamble but I think I can make space. And fall and winter is when these plants really expand their roots. So I talk to my helper and she says she thinks we can but it's up to me to make the call.
I can't turn down healthy plants and a grow tip. If that little one lives and we get a third plant off it, that's three plants for the price of one. I'm in! And that grass...well, I got it cleaned up.
I ended up putting them in this bed. I planted the grow tip too. To get a grow tip to root, you basically take a branch and barely bury it. You'll have to water it every day for a few weeks (I usually do 2 weeks if it's hot). You'll be using the branch like an umbilical cord until the roots get established. That can take a few months, but it's worth it. I'll keep you updated on these.
And the last stop was Home Depot in the next town. We had to get more dirt and some more brassicas. They'll be in my next post. In the meantime, happy gardening!
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