Mulching and a Fruit Update

While driving around the outskirts of town looking at all the Mennonite farms I kept driving by a farm with a sign for mushroom soil.  Yesterday Alan hitched up the trailer and we went to get some. I wanted to mulch the front flower beds and the blueberry bushes with mushroom soil instead of shredded bark mulch to avoid "artillery fungus." There are spots already on the siding from previous encounters with "artillery fungus" and I didn't want to add to the marks.

The farm was lovely. As we drove along the lane a woman was working in her huge vegetable garden with two of her children. On the other side of the lane was a large hoop house full of tomato plants covered with 2-3 inch green tomatoes. We got to the piles of manure and then I went to look for someone to help us.  As I walked to another barn where I could hear men working I watched as a brother and sister, about 6 and 8 years old, argued over who's turn it was to ride a bicycle. Of course the sister was riding the bike and had no intention of stopping. All this in pennsylvania german.

The farmer came and gave us a scoop and a half of mushroom soil for $15. He needed to get change so we waited while he went off.  A few minutes later along came the sister on the bike with our $5. I love Mennonite families!

At home I got to work weeding the front beds and spreading mulch. I am very happy with the way the new front border is coming along.

The blueberries are doing really well this year and look even better with their mulch bed.

And they are covered in berries!

 The grapes are having an incredibly good year as well.

I even had enough mulch left over to do the red raspberries too. All the fruit is doing great this year. We should have a bumper crop.