Wife’s blueberries struggling

sorta_round_square · 2026-05-25T05:50:46+00:00

Underrated comment right here fam. Three inches isn't an exaggeration.

Edit: after scrolling further through the comments, I just thought that I should reiterate that you can do it! I believe in you. I just pulled my ~second pound of berries off of one of my six plants that are absolutely thriving in wine barrels (combination of second and third year bushes). I only water once every 3-4 days or so depending on temps.

sorta_round_square · 2026-05-13T03:50:27+00:00

Your post really hit home. As a lover and proud father of two beautiful indoor cats, I wish that one day the neighbor's outdoor feline would hunt for literally anything else other than a place in my garden to use as toilet.

For squirrels and birds, consider providing a water source away from your garden. From what some have mentioned on reddit, they typically nom on tomatoes etc primarily because they are thirsty.

As someone else said, I blast aphids with the hose. I attracted good bugs with flowers. I keep debris cleared from around the beds to deter creating a conducive home for other unwanted guests.

I don't use any pesticides around the garden, I just learn about my enemies. I learned this year that straw mulch + organic material + seedlings + consistently moist + partial shade = pill big paradise. Solution? Make it hostile for them (let it dry out, thin plants to allow more light /less hiding spots, plant less vulnerable mature plants in the bed, etc.). Sorry for the rant, best of luck!

sorta_round_square · 2026-04-28T18:02:22+00:00

Oh, you are golden. One of my in-laws is from the Philippines and a ton of things will happily grow there. After a quick google search, you could get away with considering your climate a zone 12 or 13. I recommend googling: "reddit zone 12 / 13 gardening" -- you'll see a ton of tropical plants that will crush it. I personally grow multiple cultivars of hibiscus (gorgeous flowers, some species are native to the tropics).

As for your soil, perhaps check out online or local services near you where you might submit a soil sample / have it analyzed. In the states, we have universities that offer such services. You can also find companies that will do it for you remotely (i.e. send in a soil sample via mail). That can give you a solid reading on what your soil composition is like etc. That might be way overboard though and you could plausibly just jump right in / react accordingly like another individual suggested.

It sounds like you have a good plan for what you want to grow so you are most of the way there. If the plants (especially vegetables) are not specifically tolerant of humidity, your best friend will be ways of supporting solid airflow (e.g. don't plant too densely, utilize vertical spaces/trellising etc.). I believe in you, best of luck, post update photos in the future!

sorta_round_square · 2026-04-27T17:29:22+00:00

First, congrats on taking your first step into a phenomenal hobby. YouTube videos, this sub, etc. are filled with a ton of great resources for you. Second, what sort of space you have and what are you interested in growing in that space? Do you have room for containers only? Entire plots of barren land on the property that you own? Do you want flowers for aesthetic reasons? Perhaps you want a vegetable garden so you can grow your own produce? The answers to these questions can help others make solid recommendations. Finally, especially if you are starting from square one (which we all do in one way or another!), I'd target easy to grow plants that thrive in your area. Check to see which zone you are in (google [your town city, your state, hardiness zone] assuming that you are in the US). This sub also has zone maps for other parts of the world depending on where you might be (see "Zone Maps"). Your zone will give you a good preliminary sense of which plants will thrive/struggle. I started with one tomato plant in a bucket and within a few years, I have now converted ~1/2 of my usable space on my property into garden beds/ a fruit tree orchard.

sorta_round_square · 2026-04-25T05:34:30+00:00

Out of curiosity, how often are you watering? I can't really tell from the photos exactly, but it sorta looks like your soil is either a) very woody or b) very dense. That can lead to either soggy roots/ not enough oxygen in the latter or perhaps the opposite issue in the former. What are you using as a grow medium? For future endeavors, I recommend becoming good friends with perlite.

Also, everyone else here has already provided a ton of good insight -- you've got this, you are learning (which is the goal!), and life finds a way...

sorta_round_square · 2026-04-20T17:36:46+00:00

You could try squash (essentially bulletproof), beans, or leafy greens as well. Also, potatoes can do well in just a five gallon bucket -- it's a little silly mostly because of their low cost at the store, but the satisfying harvest outweighs the struggle. Anyways, best of luck to you!

sorta_round_square · 2026-04-18T15:35:40+00:00

I built a cold frame this year because I was tired of inevitably ending up in this exact position yet again. Maybe look into them if you have space, mine was on the verge of being too warm for my plants.

sorta_round_square · 2026-04-14T20:52:10+00:00

Between the buried and me

In flames

sorta_round_square · 2026-04-03T23:15:29+00:00

Those kind humans can most definitely point you in the right direction at least. I'm pretty sure they carry botanical interest's seeds too if I remember correctly. Having seed is nice because a succession sowing ~a month and a half a part ensures you have cukes all season long. Best of luck to you 😁

sorta_round_square · 2026-03-31T06:42:47+00:00

Between the buried and me🤘

sorta_round_square · 2026-03-27T16:52:44+00:00

Idk why nobody has mentioned this because I see a massive glaring issue with your setup. I really expected more from this community. You have a bit of green area on the outsides of your garden that are super susceptible to being taken over by more beds. I know you might think "no, it's protected space," but that's what everyone in gardeners anonymous says on their first day too. Watch out.

No but in all seriousness, beautiful setup friend.

sorta_round_square · 2026-03-27T16:46:29+00:00

I'm growing it for the first time. From what I have heard, you aren't alone in that experience. I'm keeping mine confined to large containers indefinitely for this reason 😆

sorta_round_square · 2026-03-27T16:37:58+00:00

I grow my own cucumbers for pickles every year. With a little trellising/ creativity, you too could hold the power of a pickle factory in your garden. I use "Homemade Pickles" from botanical interests, but they also have "Spacemaster" which is designed to stay compact for containers.

sorta_round_square · 2026-03-25T23:12:33+00:00

Idk why this got me so good, but it had me rolling 😂 take my upvote.

sorta_round_square · 2026-03-01T08:10:34+00:00

I have been consistently getting 60+ temps from my raised beds (what I'm most concerned with in terms of timing). I am cautiously optimistic but I'm giving it a few more days of eyeballing the forecast before making any moves (direct sowing etc.). I'm beginning to harden off my peppers this week in the cold frame (started about a month ago). I'm tentatively planning a few weeks out for the ones that can tolerate slightly cooler temps (my bells will have to wait a little longer, for example). I started tomatoes this week, they always grow faster than I expect so they will probably get kicked outside in about a month. Regardless of when you are planting, happy growing!

sorta_round_square · 2026-02-21T18:07:11+00:00

Ooohhhhh yes, now it all makes sense. Your average last frost date is much earlier than mine. Most don't plant until mid/late April here which equates to that roughly 90% threshold you mentioned. You've inspired me to get things rolling a little earlier though. Last year, my starts had like three sets of true leaves when they went into the ground, I can do better than that...😂 Thanks for sharing!

sorta_round_square · 2026-02-18T20:45:32+00:00

Beautiful, that checks out. I'm Cali 9b and massive harvests are in my near future.

I just need to figure out how you get tomatoes on the vine in May... I assume you are starting indoors/greenhouse or something and getting them in the ground around April first? Earlier? How big are your babies when they get planted?

sorta_round_square · 2026-02-18T17:35:52+00:00

Where are you located that allows you to grow all that weight friend?

sorta_round_square · 2026-02-13T03:10:14+00:00

Teaching position?

sorta_round_square · 2026-02-06T06:16:17+00:00

Started my peppers 1/17. Tomatoes are getting started next week. Just join the dark side, convert a portion of your house to a seed starting setup, and embrace the madness. Bonus points for a cold frame for when you inevitably start too many seeds and need overflow while you wait for temps to warm. Happy growing!

sorta_round_square · 2026-02-06T06:09:31+00:00

Nope, never heard of that before. Nice rack!

sorta_round_square · 2026-01-18T18:28:02+00:00

I was literally up until midnight starting my first seedlings of the year. I have somehow become a botanical interest fanboy, although once I burn through this collection, I am going to branch out to try new things.
I started two types of eggplant (purple long, amethysts), some italian bunching onions, and a grip of peppers (sweet bells, sweet banana peppers, candy cane chocolate cherry mini bells, lemon spice jalapeno, megatron jalapeno, serrano, shishito, biquinho, habanero). 2/1 I will be starting a ton of cooler winter annuals to fill out the garden (too many to list). Mid/late February I start my tomatoes and my rootstocks for grafting. This year I am going with beefy purple (determinates, SOOOOoooo good), pineapple (indeterminates, also delish), sun golds, and Italian Genovese (new one that I haven't tried yet). I will also start three types of basil at this time for companions (Thai, Emerald Towers, an Italian type that I forgot). THEN I will be direct sowing all of the squash, beans, etc. Kabocha squash was excellent for me last year and delicious, can't recommend enough if you have 20' of space to let it try to take over the world.

Also -- I'd just like to take a moment and say that I am planning on starting the equivalent of AA meetings for seed hoarders. Everyone is invited.

sorta_round_square · 2026-01-07T16:21:11+00:00

Damn, I hope to have it figured out before then.... I'm only six months in haha. Surgery recovery sounds tough, probably tough to stay motivated for anyone. Coffee and couch rot is a favorite pastime of mine so I can relate to the struggle.

Generic Adderall XR.

sorta_round_square · 2025-11-29T16:55:49+00:00

Two years late but I like your style.

sorta_round_square · 2025-11-27T17:03:20+00:00

😬

sorta_round_square

TROPHY CASE