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#reblog #grow your own food #gardening #vegetable garden #raised beds

For Zone 5, the best blueberry bushes for half barrels are half high, or dwarf varieties. They combine the cold hardiness of northern bushes with the small size of lowbush plants. Top picks include Northsky, Northblue, and Top Hat.

• Top Hat: Grows only 1.5 to 2 feet tall. It is perfect for small barrels, and produces sweet fruit.

• Northsky: Grows 1.5 to 2 feet tall. It survives freezing temperatures, and has tasty, wild flavored berries.

• Northblue: Grows 2 to 3 feet tall. It produces large, firm, and flavorful berries.

Half barrels give blueberry roots plenty of room to spread out. However, blueberries need very special soil to grow well.

• Soil: Use a mix of half standard potting soil, and half peat moss. Peat moss makes the soil acidic (a low pH). Blueberries need acidic soil to thrive.

• Water: Water your plants twice a week so the soil stays moist.

• Sunlight: Place the barrel in a spot with full sun.

#grow your own food #gardening #container gardening #blueberries

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#preparedness #food storage #water storage

#forage #foraging #wild blackcaps #wild black raspberries #foraged food

Foraging acorns in Pennsylvania during the fall involves gathering ripe, brown nuts from the ground from September through October. Sort your harvest via water flotation, discarding floaters, and leach out the bitter tannins through boiling, or soaking before eating.

Pennsylvania hosts a wide variety of native oaks. Knowing which ones to target saves time in processing. You cannot eat most Pennsylvania acorns raw due to high levels of tannins, which cause a bitter taste and stomach upset.

#forage #foraging #foraged food #fall #autumn #acorns