Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Raspberries and blackberries should be planted anywhere from 2 to 5 feet apart in the row in which
you want them to grow. They will quickly grow additional canes to fill in the gaps in between, and
in a couple years you'll have a beautiful and fruitful living fence.
Viruses can create problems for raspberries, but especially for black raspberries and blackberries.
Start by planting certified virus-free stock but be prepared to renew your beds every 10 years or so
if your brambles become less productive. Find out which varieties do best in your growing area for
clues on disease resistance that will work in your favor.
Raspberries are available in the classic red colors (Autumn Britten, Killarney, and Latham),
purple (Royalty), black (Black Hawk and Jewel), and even yellow (Anne) so your backyard can
sport myriad jewel tones. Raspberries do not store well after harvest, so pick them and eat them
promptly. After a couple of days the almost-ripe berries you picked will be fully ripe and very soft,
at which time your best bet is a cobbler or canned preserves. In a pinch you can freeze the berries
on a cookie sheet and then store in a freezer bag, but the thawed berries will make better sauces or
cobblers than eating out of hand.
Blueberries (
Vaccinium spp.
)
There seems to be a blueberry bush that is suitable for almost everyone. Highbush blueberries
(
V. corymbosum
) are hardy in zones 4 through 7, lowbush blueberries (
V. angustifolium
) are hardy
in zones 3 through 7, and rabbiteye blueberries (
V. asheii
) hardy in zones 7 through 9. While most
blueberries are semi-self-fruitful, they all do best with other bushes around for cross-pollination,
but because they perform so well in the landscape there's no reason not to plant several!
Blueberries have pretty white flowers, beautiful fruit, and in the autumn many varieties have color-
ful foliage as an added bonus. The fruits are delicious and highly nutritious. Highbush berries are
the ones you typically think of as blueberries, and rabbiteyes tend to be smaller even though they
are very prolific. Lowbush fall somewhere in the middle and are the berries traditionally used in
pies and for canning. All will provide delicious fruit for eating, baking, and storing.
Blueberry shrubs vary in size from 1 to 8 feet or more (pruning keeps them easily under control)
and can be grown in rows, containers, or mixed into a woodland garden. Blueberries tolerate part
shade but bear more fruit with at least six hours of sunlight each day. The main key to growing
these otherwise easy-to-grow plants is providing the right soil pH. Blueberries need acidic soil in the
4.5 to 5.5 range, similar to azaleas, heather, and other woodland plants. The other main thing to
watch out for with your blueberry plantings is that the soil is well-drained and doesn't hold water.
When you plant a blueberry bush, dig a generous hole, at least three times larger than the rootball
you're planting. Amend the soil you put back into the planting hole with half the original soil, and
half a mixture of peat moss and pine needles, oak leaves, or woody compost from those trees. If
you are planting in a container, use this type of mixture as planting soil, and mulch with acidic
mulches.
