A Frugal Veggie Foul Up

Sometimes you just screw up, plain and simple. I think admitting that you were wrong is sometimes harder than fixing the problem. Here's my story, which includes an explanation of the 28 holes that had to be dug, as well as the reasons for redigging an additional 13 holes.

Longtime readers know that we planted currant bushes last fall. We chose currants because they tolerate partial shade and don't mind acidic soil. They are also very cold hardy. It also turns out that they are illegal to plant in certain counties in upstate NY because they can transmit White Pine Blister Rust. It turns out our little currant bushes were outlaws in their Adirondack home. Fortunately, they are perfectly legal in our Hudson Valley home, hence the need for the 28 holes to be dug.

In place of the currants, we planted 13 blueberry bushes, hence the need for 13 holes to be redug. The rest of the holes are filled in for now. The currants are resting comfortably in their new home and I'm a lot less stressed out as a result. Hopefully the trauma of transplanting won't be too great.

Here's the real kick in the teeth. I felt that a big part of my mistake was to have gone through a mail order nursery, even though the one I chose was from New York. It turns out, the well respected, local nursery we bought the blueberry plants from sells the same currant bushes that we bought through the mail! When my husband mentioned our mistake to the owner, he had never heard of a ban on currants. This is someone who is in the business for years! I felt a little better.