Berries for Your Garden!
Do not overlook berries for your garden, no matter how little space you have.
Berries are essentially ramblers and, uncontrolled, take up space.
But you can grow them on trellises and keep them within bounds and still have a great crop of fruit.
Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are delicious fresh from the garden.
Berry growing on a trellis or arbor is a challenging adventure.
It takes time to prune and trim and train, but the results are worth it, not only for eating, but also for looks.
rambling berries on arbors and trellis project a lovely old-fashioned charm that adds great warmth and character to the garden.
Berries are best grown on wire trellises, wood trellises with enough open space can be used as well.
Select berry varieties that are suited for your geographical area.
Blueberries are best in the cool northern areas, boysenberries and their relatives, blackberries and logan berries, are good in the humid south.
You can grow strawberries in almost any part of the country.
RASPBERRIES There are several kinds of raspberries-red, black, purple and yellow.
Some are early producers, others yield crops in midseason and still others are late bearers.
Select types best adapted to your area of the country, ask your nursery or your local agricultural agent.
Buy one-year old stock, virus free.
Raspberries thrive on moisture and must have it to produce a bumper crop.
They also need good drainage.
Plant in early spring in northern climates, in fall in the south.
Set red raspberries 2 to 3 inches deeper than they were growing in the nursery, black and purple types should be set 1 inch deeper than they were in their containers.
After planting, cut back red raspberries to 8 to12 inches.
Black and purple raspberries are cut back to ground level.
Plant berries 4 to 6 feet apart.
With berries wire is the best type of trellis.
You should use a span of 2 or 4 wires running parallel to the ground.
Leave a 12 to 16-inch space between wires.
Also use supports.
Red raspberries develop new shoots from both crown and root.
Canes grow vigorously in summer, initiate flower buds in fall, rest over winter, then bear the following season.
Once canes have borne fruit, they die, but the cycle will be repeated as new shoots appear.
Allow five to eight fruiting canes per mature plant.
BLACKBERRIES Blackberries can be pests in the garden because they are so invasive.
They are best grown in planter boxes.
They also can grow rampant on trellises, or you can prune them to prevent disorder.
To keep blackberries from taking over, start them growing vertically on wire trellises.
And since a well-grown blackberry can yield a host of berries in a season, you do not need many plants to assure good eating.
blackberries produce canes that will bear fruit the year after they sprout.
An established plant can bear up to 10 years! This berry grows best in mild climates.
It is a shallow rooted plant that requires ample moisture, good drainage and protection from drying winds.
Common blackberry varieties, including thornless ones, are hardy, semi-hardy or tender.
Check with your local nursery.
Plant them in spring in the north and in fall or early winter in the south.
Before you plant, trim away long roots and cut back tops to about 6 inches.
Dig deep holes, spread roots out fanwise, and fill in with drainage material and soil.
During first spring and summer, keep suckers cut.
As soon as young shoots are up 2 or 3 feet, snap off the tips so lateral growth will start to bear fruit the following year.
Keep vines trained to the trellis using tie-ons or nylon string to keep them in place.
Blackberries will bear some fruit in the second year, but the bumper crop comes in the third year.
Please visit The Gardening Wizard for more great Gardening Tips!
Berries are essentially ramblers and, uncontrolled, take up space.
But you can grow them on trellises and keep them within bounds and still have a great crop of fruit.
Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are delicious fresh from the garden.
Berry growing on a trellis or arbor is a challenging adventure.
It takes time to prune and trim and train, but the results are worth it, not only for eating, but also for looks.
rambling berries on arbors and trellis project a lovely old-fashioned charm that adds great warmth and character to the garden.
Berries are best grown on wire trellises, wood trellises with enough open space can be used as well.
Select berry varieties that are suited for your geographical area.
Blueberries are best in the cool northern areas, boysenberries and their relatives, blackberries and logan berries, are good in the humid south.
You can grow strawberries in almost any part of the country.
RASPBERRIES There are several kinds of raspberries-red, black, purple and yellow.
Some are early producers, others yield crops in midseason and still others are late bearers.
Select types best adapted to your area of the country, ask your nursery or your local agricultural agent.
Buy one-year old stock, virus free.
Raspberries thrive on moisture and must have it to produce a bumper crop.
They also need good drainage.
Plant in early spring in northern climates, in fall in the south.
Set red raspberries 2 to 3 inches deeper than they were growing in the nursery, black and purple types should be set 1 inch deeper than they were in their containers.
After planting, cut back red raspberries to 8 to12 inches.
Black and purple raspberries are cut back to ground level.
Plant berries 4 to 6 feet apart.
With berries wire is the best type of trellis.
You should use a span of 2 or 4 wires running parallel to the ground.
Leave a 12 to 16-inch space between wires.
Also use supports.
Red raspberries develop new shoots from both crown and root.
Canes grow vigorously in summer, initiate flower buds in fall, rest over winter, then bear the following season.
Once canes have borne fruit, they die, but the cycle will be repeated as new shoots appear.
Allow five to eight fruiting canes per mature plant.
BLACKBERRIES Blackberries can be pests in the garden because they are so invasive.
They are best grown in planter boxes.
They also can grow rampant on trellises, or you can prune them to prevent disorder.
To keep blackberries from taking over, start them growing vertically on wire trellises.
And since a well-grown blackberry can yield a host of berries in a season, you do not need many plants to assure good eating.
blackberries produce canes that will bear fruit the year after they sprout.
An established plant can bear up to 10 years! This berry grows best in mild climates.
It is a shallow rooted plant that requires ample moisture, good drainage and protection from drying winds.
Common blackberry varieties, including thornless ones, are hardy, semi-hardy or tender.
Check with your local nursery.
Plant them in spring in the north and in fall or early winter in the south.
Before you plant, trim away long roots and cut back tops to about 6 inches.
Dig deep holes, spread roots out fanwise, and fill in with drainage material and soil.
During first spring and summer, keep suckers cut.
As soon as young shoots are up 2 or 3 feet, snap off the tips so lateral growth will start to bear fruit the following year.
Keep vines trained to the trellis using tie-ons or nylon string to keep them in place.
Blackberries will bear some fruit in the second year, but the bumper crop comes in the third year.
Please visit The Gardening Wizard for more great Gardening Tips!
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