Rainy weather and planting blueberries

The weather took a turn toward cold, wet storms, with plenty of wind. It has been going on like this for weeks. The sun is a distant memory. On days when we've had a break in the downpours and howling wind, I've been able to get a little gardening done. I've been doing some weeding, mulching, observing the progress of various plants - red currants, gooseberries, black currants, raspberries, honeyberry - all of which are doing great in this type of weather. The blueberry plants are pushing out new growth, and in a moment of splurging I ordered eight more blueberry plants, which I managed to get into the ground and mulched with pine needles.  I'm not exactly sure how many blueberry plants I had already planted before these eight, but it could be a dozen. I've been working on building up my shrub layer, and the blueberries seemed a good shrub to increase in number. The berries are delicious and I have a good source of pine needles to use for a nice acidic mulch. The plants are also attractive once they get a little mass to them.

The cold and wet weather is  likely to continue for several more days, longer perhaps, so it is a good time to plant such things.

Blueberry plant with pine needle mulch.

Berry, Berry, Seed

The hot days have started becoming the norm and the garden is getting nice and full of plants, insects, flowers, and fruit.

Gold Raspberries
These Fall Gold raspberries have been fruiting for a week and they are earlier than the red raspberries, which are just starting to ripen today.

Blueberries
Many of the blueberry plants are fruiting, having started a week, or so, ago.
Each day we get more ripe berries.

Peanut
This is a peanut plant, just a week old. I planted Tennessee Reds and Virginia Jumbos. Peanuts need a long, hot growing season, which we have here in Chico, California. Peanuts are legumes and will create pegs that the plant thrusts into the soil toward the end of the growing season.