house, gardening, space elevator

[tevarin]

Our contract bid for the house was accepted:) (See Naomi's post for more details) There's still an awful lot of paperwork to go through, but I'm looking forward to thinking about what to do with all the new space. Any ideas for tasty, safe, low-maintenance perennials I can put in the yard? A blueberry bush hedge? Grape or blackberry vine

Comments

[subjectivity]

yay!!!! congrats on the house and go you for being quoted in the New York Times!!! You didn't tell me the reporter called, how did he find you? That's awesome!

[tevarin]

I think he picked us from our website(Yay Emily!) off the teams page at www.elevator2010.org I'm looking for as much publicity as possible, in the hope of getting donations, attracting more team members, contacts, etc.

[have_inner_lady]

I'm just so excited about your house.

Blueberries bushes would be nice for a hedge. They need full sun and other blueberry bushes nearby. They supposedly do well with decomposing wood in the soil, so mulch generously. Make sure to plant more than one variety so they can pollinate each other. Your local Mal-Wart may have small ones for $5 apiece. Don't plant them until May in order to avoid the last night-frosts. (the last frost is usually mid-May in my area; you're probably a bit warmer).

Grape vines are okay, but I've only ever seen success with the ones that yield thick-skinned, seeded grapes. That just may be what my particular area grows, or maybe it's a wine thing. They also kinda take over, and can damage fences, and when the leaves are off, IMO they don't look so pretty.

Blackberries, raspberries, and all of that family I recommend against, simply because of the ample thorns. If you don't have a huge yard, it will be a little hard to avoid them.

[mleg]

Congratulations on the house! Congratulations on your cameo in the New York Times! Show off!

As for the plants, I must agree with have_inner_lady. No to the blackberries. No! No! NO! Sure, blackberries sound innocuous enough -- beautiful and delicious, but argh! The thorny monsters are all over the place out here. I've been stabbed half a billion times trying to get rid of them, all to no avail. Blink twice and they're back. (Must stop blinking.)

That said, I've got a couple of weeks before any of them are ready to eat. Some might even be edible by the time you get down here, but no guarantees.

[tevarin]

I like figuring out ways to maneuver around the thorns. Makes the victory sweeter. But I agree it's probably not the best choice with a toddler around.

[tevarin]

Thanks for the advice. We're planning on having the closing May 31, ok for frost. I need to find a free weekend in June to do the planting.

I remember enjoying going out blueberry picking with the family at U-Pick places, and bringing home quarts of blueberries to eat and freeze for later. I doubt we'll get quarts off a few bushes, but they'll be fun, and I want Kalina to learn that food doesn't just come from grocery stores.

[subjectivity]

do you have any pictures of the house?

[tevarin]

Not yet. We've got the home inspection scheduled for Monday, I need to remember to bring my camera.

[anonymous]

Congradulations.

I would reccomend the square foot garden, this sytem of smallish raised beds was the easiest way I found to grow things.

Oh and consider rosemary, it is a nice hearty shrub and smells really nice.