One Hundred Dollars a Month

Normally on Wednesday mornings I write my Weigh in Wednesday post. But I’ve got nothing to “weigh in” this week so I’ve decided to share my favorite varieties of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberry plants with you instead. And ask for your help with suggestions as to what fruit trees I should plant next year {I currently have 2 Anjou pear trees, and 1 mystery apple tree}.

Strawberries

As far as strawberries go, I have been planting Tristar strawberries in my garden every spring since the Handsome Husband and I have been married. With a large crop in early summer and again in the fall, these are the best strawberries available in my opinion.  If you are looking for giant Costco sized, flavorless berries, these are not for you.  Tristar berries pack a ton of flavor and are great in strawberry shortcakes, for making homemade jam, and for eating fresh.

This past year we also tried SeaScape strawberries.  These berries were a little larger, and tasted great as well, but I don’t think they were as good as my beloved Tristar berries.

Back in the spring of 2009 we planted 4 different varieties of blueberries:

• Bluegold 
• Patriot  ~ My favorite
• Bluecrop 
• Sunshine 

Since I didn’t have a specific type of blueberry I was looking for, I selected my berry plants solely on the descriptions in the catalog.  I mean seriously, when you buy blueberries from the grocery store you are just buying “blueberries” right?  Who knew there were so many kinds to choose from? I didn’t.

That first year I decided to purchase 12 blueberry plants {3 of each variety}.

When I ordered them, I had the image of my favorite blueberry farm in my head. Tall shrubs, long rows of ripe blueberries and classical music playing in the background.  But apparently Linbo Farms has been around since the 1940’s and that’s why they have 5 foot tall blueberry plants and berries as far as the eye can see. LOL.  So even if I’m after a “mini” blueberry farm, it’s going to take some time.

And lastly raspberries.  Yum. Yum.Yum.

3 years ago I placed an order for 100 Cascade Delight canes from Spooner Farms in Puyallup, Washington. Most people probably buy raspberry canes from their local nursery, or get them from friends as they divide their beds up in the spring.  But our family had enjoyed purchasing several flats of the Cascade Delight raspberries from the Spooner Farms berry stand each summer, so when it came time to plant our own patch, we wanted to make sure we were getting our favorite berries.

At the time you could buy the berry canes in bulk in boxes of 100 plants for around $1.50 each, but nowadays the minimum order is 1,00 canes {yikes!}. But, if you can split the order with a few friends, I’d say go for it.

Alright peeps, these are my favorite varieties of berries. If you are interested in purchasing some, simply click on the highlighted text and it will take you to the site where I purchased the berry plants.

Now, here’s where I need a little help from YOU.

I would like to plant 6 fruit trees this spring, but I’m not sure what to plant.  I’m thinking maybe some apple and plum trees, maybe even a nut tree. But what kind should I plant? What will grow well in Western Washington. Any advise you have would be great.

~Mavis

If you would like to turn your yard into an edible utopia, check out the book Landscaping with Fruit by Lee Reich.  It’s pack with all sorts of  helpful tips, and Amazon currently has it in stock and ready to ship.

Photo Credit

Also, thanks to my awesome readers, here is an updated list of seed catalogs. If you have a favorite one you don’t see on the list, let me know in the comment section below and I’ll add it.