Soft Fruits(Berries!) Advice Needed

12 years ago

Having been an organic vegetable gardener for some time,I want to branch out into growing berries.I have a very small area,about 12 X 25 feet,with full sun, that will be fenced-in and caged.We have deer, raccoons,and birds to contend with.Honestly,the berries will be for my wife's pleasure,but I will be their keeper.

1)What may I do right now,even before my fencing is completed,to prepare the ground for the raspberries,strawberries,and blueberries that she loves?

2)Are their soil requirements similar?I have an ample supply of horse manure available for the taking,but in this area,horses are no longer bedded on straw as in the past,but rather on wood shavings.Would preparing the soil with this manure be detrimental?

3)Is the space I have available enough to produce appreciable amounts of all these berries, or am I best advised to reduce the number of fruit-types so as to have enough for our family?

4)In my zone 9A climate,when should I be planting ?We are in a temperate rain forest,sometimes 60 + inches from Oct.-April.

5)Finally,is there any way,with the available space, that I can sneak in an asparagus bed among all the fruit?This little patch gets the most sun on my property,and I'd been planning my asparagus bed for this location before (foolishly?) offering the area for her beloved berries.

Sorry for the long-winded post,really anxious to get this off to the best possible start,wasting neither effort or money.Thanks for your replies, in advance.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

wizzard419
12 years ago
Since you're further north than me, it might be too early for you to start planting strawberries. Down here in So Cal the farms have already started planting them, so if you know of any farms in the area you might want to drive by and see if they have begun planting yet.
Kevin Reilly
12 years ago
Blueberries need lower pH than caneberries. I'd mound the strawberries and do raised beds for raspberries. That much rain you could end up with some root rot. You can get the all your berries bare root and plant out in Jan/Feb. Cheaper that way too.
Related Discussions
Invasive grass growing in the future soft fruit orchard- help!
Q
Comments (17)
Reed Canary Grass is an increasing problem in my area. It grows quite large, up to 6 feet tall, and forms an extremely dense, rhizomatous root mass that chokes everything else out. Not a good weed. However, in my country it only grows with water, so it tends to line the edges of canals, irrigation ditches, and drains, rarely extending more than a couple feet back from the bank and remaining in pretty well saturated soil. The problem it causes is that it grows into the waterway, catching dirt and silt in the water, until it closes off the waterway, and it forms such a dense root system it is very hard to cut and open up with a shovel--it is rapidly climbing on my list of hated plants. A strong dose of glyphosate will take care of it, sometimes it takes a couple repeats, though. Based on where it lives here (wet to saturated soils), I would ask whether your ground is too wet for the berries you want to plant? You may have to resort to raised beds, and if you do you could line the beds with heavy plastic. I would think laying plywood down for a growing season would probably remove it as well. Whatever you do, you will need to clear a much larger area than you intend to plant, then work diligently to keep it from creeping back in.
...See More
New fruit trees and berry bushes
Q
Comments (8)
Your Peach trees are probably going to need to be sprayed to help keep Peach Leaf Curl at bay.Either Copper or something with Chlorothalonil in it,I used the Bonide brand on a Nectarine and just a little PLC is showing. Peat moss will help acidify the planting mix for Blueberries and the Pawpaws. A simple framework or trellis can be made for the brambles,maybe something circular and fixed in the potting mix for the canes to be wrapped onto. Here is also a video about keeping the Mulberry at a manageable size. Brady Here is a link that might be useful: Pruning Trees into Bushes
...See More
Being given blk.berry & raspb. plants-need advice
Q
Comments (3)
You could prune those blackberry varieties to keep them at 3x3 feet, you would get enough berries for fresh eating, not much more as those plants usually get larger. Once you are getting 3 or so fruiting canes per year per container, you would get the quantities you want. Would not recommend setting on deck during fruiting, it will get stained. I'm not sure what a rubberized plastic planter is. Any container would have to have several bottom holes and the planting soil should be on the coarse side for drainage, and this will require frequent watering during fruit season, whereas plants in the ground would need less frequent water. Your choice of the upright varieties for container planting is a good idea, the trailing or semi-erect varieties will not stay in bounds in a container.
...See More
Fruits and berries?
Q
Comments (14)
I have been wondering about wild blackberries for several months now. This past summer I had an opportunity to harvest/transplant some wild blackberry vines from a Pine Barrens near me into 10 gallon containers. A new strip mall was being erected near a LoweÂs that I frequent. They were bulldozing a 10 acre section of Pine Barrens. In NJ, wild blueberries grow everywhere throughout these Pine Barrens. They love the acid-sandy soil. I just could not stand by and let them all go to waste as I knew that they would all get bulldozed underground. "Some" of the blueberry bushes survived the transplanting and I am eagerly awaiting the spring to see if they will offer any berries. Wild blueberries are substantially smaller than store bought blueberries, but they are much sweeter and tastier. I had even better success transplanting several blackberry vines. What confused me about the blackberries is that I found 2 distinct types. One was a "cane" type vine and the other is a "ground creeping vine". At first I thought that the "cane" type was a wild raspberry but the vines did have fruit on them and they are both definitely blackberries. The "cane" type had stalks/canes that were as thick as your finger and were attempting to grow vertically but arced toward the ground. The "vine" types were more like fishing line or shoelaces growing only horizontally along the ground. They too are in 10 gallon buckets adjacent to a trellis that I have erected for them. I cannot wait until spring and see how they will do. I did some research and know that wild berry strains such as these can introduce disease and/or fungus to domesticated berry varieties. I fortunately had no other fruits other than strawberries (on the other side of my property) and 2 dwarf Macintosh apple trees, also not nearby. I guess my question is; can I tell if I have 2 different varieties (or gender) vines? I realize that because they are wild, it might be hard to tell. Is it typical to find both "cane" & "vine" types of certain blackberry types?...or wild blackberries? Any help or info is appreciated - Grateful
...See More
wizzard419
12 years ago
Oh! With raspberries, Never, ever, ever, plant them in anything that doesn't have a root barrier. They will spread like mad and will come back for years after you think you've removed the plant.

There is also the question of chilling, someone more expereinced with that will need to explain it better. But I got my bare root strawberries from a local garden center owner who pre-chilled them (you have to order them and pick up on a specific day). The purpose of the chilling seems to relate to how cold winter is going to be (the less cold the more time in the fridge)
Bradybb WA-Zone8
12 years ago
Hello ibuzzard,
It's probably wise to get a soil test done to see what amendments if any are needed to adjust the soil for growing those things.The testing can be done by yourself,it depends on how much money is going to be invested in the equipment to get thorough and accurate results or extension agencies will usually charge a fee to examine a sample.
The size of the plot should be able to handle a fair amount of plants.A number of people in California grow Blueberries in containers to avoid dealing with the alkaline soil levels.Brady
ibuzzard
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you.Can you tell me what to use as a root barrier?The area is adjacent to the vegetable garden,though separated by a fence.Am I asking for trouble?Is horse manure a suitable amendment?I suspect acidic soil,as I am in the redwoods.
Bradybb WA-Zone8
12 years ago
Horse manure may work very well for a lot of plants but it is not recommended for Blueberry plants,unless it is aged or composted,because it could damage the roots.
If it was me,I'd at least get an inexpensive,poke in the dirt pH test meter and follow the directions that comes with it.Brady
wizzard419
12 years ago
I think they actually sell agricultural fabric and plastics with the express purpose of doing that but it's been so long since I put one in the raised bed that I cannot recall.

With raspberries they won't spread as fast as mint, so no worries, but you shouldn't have to worry about it taking over the garden. I planted one in the ground and had it there for about 5 years. It grew to a nice size, produced nice fruit, but it started getting out of hand so I had to remove it. Then for the next several years I had to walk very carefully there (I like to be barefoot) as new plants kept popping up. In the end I had to dig out about 4 feet square and 3 feet down just to make sure I got every last bit of root.

Soft Fruits(Berries!) Advice Needed

Comments (7)

wizzard419

Kevin Reilly

Related Discussions

wizzard419

Bradybb WA-Zone8

ibuzzard
Original Author

Bradybb WA-Zone8

wizzard419

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Soft Fruits(Berries!) Advice Needed

Comments (7)

wizzard419

Kevin Reilly

Related Discussions

wizzard419

Bradybb WA-Zone8

ibuzzardOriginal Author

Bradybb WA-Zone8

wizzard419

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

ibuzzard
Original Author