Most of our land is used for annual vegetable cultivation, but we also have about 30 fruit trees and 35 berry bushes. Small, and not producing fruit yet, but bear with us. (Pun intended. Get it?)

Last weekend I put in raspberry bushes. Here’s a look at the process. We ordered three varieties bare-root from Peaceful Valley.

We dust their roots with some micorrhizal powder to jump-start the growth of beneficial microorganisms and they go in a hole with some organic fertilizer.

At the end they are watered with compost tea.

I had a toddler and a chicken keeping me company. My company (well, the toddler – not so much the chicken) is the direct reason why there is not perfect order of the three varieties in the row. In the middle of planting the Fall Harvest variety, he was kind enough to hand me the next plant. I realized only later that it was not a Fall Harvest that he handed me. Time will tell what variety it was. Oops. Farming with kids always ensures some factor of surprise.

Note token children’s blue shovel in the background.

Raspberry plants sure don’t look very exciting here at the beginning of their life…in March. Imagine, if you will, the effects of warmth and time. Imagine real sun-ripened raspberry – not the Bath and Body Works scent so popular with my peers in middle school. My favorite way to enjoy them is fresh picked in a bowl of cereal on a summer morning. When we get to that stage, you’ll be able to say you knew these little plants way back when.