Fruit picking aids

[Toddy]

If you can wait until the iris finishes flowering I'll split a bit off for you in the Autumn. It seems to be pretty hardy and it's growing both in the half shade in my garden and in the full sun of my Uncle's.

The yellow flag does behave the same way, but I find that I can 'peel' off older outer leaves and just let them dry for use too.
It's about to bloom, and once it starts to set seed the outer leaves seem to start to wither anyway.
I get an awful lot more leaves from the seileastair than I do from the blue one though. The cordage from the blue one is finer and very, very good, but the yellow is strong, like a soft rope to handle.

cheers,
M

 

[21st century pict]

You probably know how quickly poly bags get torn up by Blackthorn hanging from your belt so last year I tried a cotton shopping bag, the one's with the very long handals, one handal round the neck , and because it hangs slight open around the middle of your chest you hardly even need look at the bag to drop the berries in, and you have boath hands free pick , great system, even my budy has adopted it and got one now.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

If you can wait until the iris finishes flowering I'll split a bit off for you in the Autumn. It seems to be pretty hardy and it's growing both in the half shade in my garden and in the full sun of my Uncle's.

That would be wonderful, thank you.

The yellow flag does behave the same way, but I find that I can 'peel' off older outer leaves and just let them dry for use too.
It's about to bloom, and once it starts to set seed the outer leaves seem to start to wither anyway.
I get an awful lot more leaves from the seileastair than I do from the blue one though. The cordage from the blue one is finer and very, very good, but the yellow is strong, like a soft rope to handle.

Just been reading through my notes, I had planned on a yellow flag iris in the pond that I am building as part of laying the patio. I can fit the blue one behind the pond nicely too. I see a plan forming.

You probably know how quickly poly bags get torn up by Blackthorn hanging from your belt so last year I tried a cotton shopping bag, the one's with the very long handals, one handal round the neck , and because it hangs slight open around the middle of your chest you hardly even need look at the bag to drop the berries in, and you have boath hands free pick , great system, even my budy has adopted it and got one now.

OOh, good idea. Like that.

Julia

 

[Toddy]

Finally got some photos of the Iris, Julia.
HWMBLT is a gem

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Macaroon]

Those are really lovely photos, I have to say

 

[British Red]

ooooh pwettty flowers

 

[Toddy]

I'll let him know

I love this time of year in the garden; bluebells followed by aquilegia and foxgloves, and irises, pansies and geums, all those beautiful blues, slowly changing into the pinks of the verbenas, mallows, the honeysuckles, roses and sweetpeas.

cheers,
M

 

[Macaroon]

Yes, it is a nice time in the garden; I like blues, but they all seem to fade around the same time................except for my all-time favourite Perenial Cornflowers, which seem to go for months for me down here. I think the shape and colour are both sublime!

 

[wattsy]

just poke 2 holes in an ice cream tub, thread string through it and hang it round your neck

 

[santaman2000]

The cheapest option would probably be to get a small plastic pail at a DIY shop and hang it over your neck using a length of cordage or a strap. They come in various sizes from a couple of pints up to 5 gallons and are usually quite cheap (under $5 or so here for the biggest ones) How high or low it hangs would depend on the length of your cordage or strap.

 

[santaman2000]

The cheapest option would probably be to get a small plastic pail at a DIY shop and hang it over your neck using a length of cordage or a strap. They come in various sizes from a couple of pints up to 5 gallons and are usually quite cheap (under $5 or so here for the biggest ones) How high or low it hangs would depend on the length of your cordage or strap.

LOL. Watsy beat me to it.

 

[cranmere]

Wow! What a beautiful thing that basket is!

 

[21st century pict]

Just a quick search but the first numbers that come up are £1.50 ish for the colth bag and around the 4 quid mark for a plastic bucket but I'm sure you could get a bucket alot cheaper than that, l think the bag is a better idea, I think the bucket would be a bit to stiff and role around around your chest to mutch when leaning from side to side.
A cloth bag round the neck and a pocket full of poly bags for when it gets up two around a couple of kilos works just fine for me, its also good for picking cones, sweet chestnuts, fruit ,samphire, seaweed ect but not so good on some other soft stuff like chanterelle mushroom if you over fill. I have seen other pickers using a bucket, but normaly it just sits between their feet.

 

[santaman2000]

Just a quick search but the first numbers that come up are £1.50 ish for the colth bag and around the 4 quid mark for a plastic bucket but I'm sure you could get a bucket alot cheaper than that, l think the bag is a better idea, I think the bucket would be a bit to stiff and role around around your chest to mutch when leaning from side to side......

Haven't actually tried using the bucket slung as I suggested; you might be right about it rolling. I suppose it depends on how you sling it. I was thinking about doing it as you would sling a dispatch/messenger bag; over one shoulder and under the opposite arm, but pulled to the front where it's easy to reach and with each end of the strap attached to opposite sides of the bucket

But one reason I suggested it was indeed because it's stiff. To me, that seems an advantage as the top will always be open and easy to deposit the fruit into. Same thing for the basket idea Mary suggested.

 

[Limaed]

If you can wait until the iris finishes flowering I'll split a bit off for you in the Autumn. It seems to be pretty hardy and it's growing both in the half shade in my garden and in the full sun of my Uncle's.

The yellow flag does behave the same way, but I find that I can 'peel' off older outer leaves and just let them dry for use too.
It's about to bloom, and once it starts to set seed the outer leaves seem to start to wither anyway.
I get an awful lot more leaves from the seileastair than I do from the blue one though. The cordage from the blue one is finer and very, very good, but the yellow is strong, like a soft rope to handle.

cheers,
M

Mary, do you wear gloves when handling the Yellow Flag - I made a small mat out of it & suffered a little skin irritation. IIRC its considered poisonous?

 

[Toddy]

No, I don't. Funny enough I was just out looking at it, and it's beautiful in bloom
Usuallly though I pick the withered leaves so most of the juice has gone by the time I'm handling them.

cheers,
M

 

[cranmere]

Mary, do you wear gloves when handling the Yellow Flag - I made a small mat out of it & suffered a little skin irritation. IIRC its considered poisonous?

I've never had any problems with yellow iris but I suspect it's like a lot of things and some people will be more sensitive than others. I've used my flag iris leaves to do a small twined basket and I'm intending to have another go this year. The clump has grown far too big so it needs a severe haircut.

For beach collecting I use a flexible silicone rubber bucket that packs up flat. I like the suggestion of using a cotton shopping bag and I'm wondering about stitching a length of cord around the top to stiffen it slightly which might hold it open better. I got mine from Wacky Practicals but similar ones are now turning up in other places now.

 

[British Red]

Saw this video and thought it was the answer to your problem Julia

[video=youtube;B4mkBxZp1vQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4mkBxZp1vQ[/video]

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Yep, Something like that is what I am looking for. Maybe not quite so big, so that when picking raspberries it doesn't cause any crushing issues...

Cheers

Julia