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mia_blake

The Madness

MiaOKC
10 years ago

Got up early and headed out to TLC for Moonlight Madness this morning. Anyone else remember when it actually happened in the evening? The 8am start was rough on me as we have been stay-cationing this week and my schedule is all thrown off.

Lots of goodies hauled to our house today, including:
4 gal angel red pomegranate $6 regularly $69.99
2 gal bountiful blue blueberry x2 $4 regularly $39.99
4 gal petite embers dwarf crape myrtle $6 regularly $39.99
3 gal nandina standards x3 and nana x3, $4 each, regularly $29.99 and $24.99
1 gal maiden grass x2 $2 regularly $8.99
A slew of half price perennials including coreopsis, artemesia, golden moneywort, ice plant, and many more I can't remember. Already had to move the walkers low catmint because the neighbor's cat came by and went insane while I was planting. :-)

I love a good deal almost as much as I love gardening, so am plotting to get DH to make another trip. Total haul just at $105, added up regular prices would be closer to $500.

Think I might need to pot up the blueberries in peat moss until fall, is that a good idea?

Comments (7)

  • borderokie
    10 years ago

    Bet you are excited! Looks like you did great! Would like to go there some day. Just too far away.

  • wbonesteel
    10 years ago

    Ooooo! I'm jealous!!

  • joellenh
    10 years ago

    I LOVE a good bargain!!! Wow, what a fantastic haul!

    Jo

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    10 years ago

    That's amazing, Mia.

    To answer your blueberry question, I wouldn't pot them up in pure peat moss because it is hard to re-wet when it dries out, and it holds moisture forever once it has been watered very well. I'd mix peat moss 50-50 with something else---pine bark fines, a good soil-less mix, etc., to enable it to hold moisture well while also draining well.

  • butterflymomok
    10 years ago

    Mia,

    Thunderbird Farms owner who sold me my blueberry plants said to plant them one third potting soil, one third peat moss, and one third pine bark mulch. I got a hold of some organic potting soil (not Miracle Gro or anything I've ever heard of before) at one of our local nurseries, and mixed the appropriate quantities and put them in 2 (or more) gallon pots as I couldn't get them planted this spring due to not getting the bed prepared. They have grown like crazy! His granddaughter, a personal friend, told me that waiting to plant them until fall was a good idea, as they do best when fall planted. They are in a protected area on the east side of the house.

    He also told me that if you aren't planning on planting a bunch--like he has--get tree pots and plant them in the pots and sink the pots in the soil. He also added some crystals that retain moisture, and ran a drip hose down every row. He is 80+ years old, and has a large berry operation where you can pick your own berries east of Tulsa. And I'm telling his secrets. Oops!

    Sandy

  • Pamchesbay
    10 years ago

    Sandy - those are interesting ideas. I'm looking for a new game plan for my blueberries. Three years ago, I planted 15 young blueberries in the big garden far from the house. I didn't have high expectations for the first year but thought we'd have a modest harvest by now. Our place is like an aviary - we are on the Chesaeake Bay flyway so the birds are incredibly diverse. We usually like the migratory birds but they feast on the blueberries so we get very few.

    Need a new game plan. I decided to move the blueberries closer to the house this fall. I need to plant them at least a foot higher than ground level because we are 2-3' above sea level so we get flooding from tropical storms and nor'easters. I thought about making a long wide raised bed with composted pine chips, peat moss, and dirt. Planting blueberries in tree pots, and running a drip hose or drip irrigation to the plants is a new idea to me. Have you - or anyone tried this? If yes, was it more successful than growing them traditionally?

    Has anyone found a good way to keep the birds out of your blueberries? The netting that you can buy at Lowes or HD jgets tangled up in the berries and stems, makes it harder to pick, but doesn't deter our birds one bit. I'm thinking about putting mylar ribbons around the bushes so the ribbons dance in the wind. Worth a shot.

    Thanks!
    Pam

  • seeker1122
    10 years ago

    WOW! My dh said you want to go I said well we'll be in the OKC late at night so I dought it.
    Drove by the one on NWE and it was 9am and It was so packed there was nowhere to park.
    When I lived in the city it was at night I felt like a DA.
    Tree

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