I like what denninmi said about very early spring, as long as you can identify the plants. What Glenn says makes perfect sense too, because fall is a good transplanting time. I like to let them get settled before winter, so I choose late summer after the very hot weather is done, lots of water (in well drained soil), and for service berries, blackberries, chokecherries, and blueberries, a thick mulch of pine needles. Also a top dressing of 10-10-10 (under the mulch). Just my 2 cents~~good luck, and happy digging! Constance.

thanks Glenn i knew i was taking a risk with these to begin with as i also grow live plants in my fish tanks (my main hobby) so i decided to just get the healthiest looking canes i could find. i did want to go to a local nursery to get plants or order them offline,however i ended up going to walmart instead. If these current plants dont work out how long do i have to replant another set of raspberries/ black berries? as right now only the blackberries show green and only on the bottom half of the cane, the raspberries havent really changed in appearence. they are all in 1x3x3 hole i dug out and i hope to use the fencing as trellis so they act as border plants as well. as for the strawberries mine are in 2 rows of 10 plants each in a rough 15x3x.75 foot bed i dug out a filled up. all of them were bareroot and so far are doing well, half of them were already waking up by the time i planted them so these already have 5-6 leaves and the other half some are starting to wake up and grow. my concern with these is that the bed is just a little lower than the actual ground so my idea was to put a small 6-12" high wood box around the bed, and fill it up and replant the berries so they are elevated. also with the actual cane plants i was wondering if i could also do the same thing sorta like how Larry gene mentioned? thanks for the help guys i really appreciate it!

Tammy: The word "limited" has little meaning unless accompanied by an estimate of the size of the planting in feet or inches. Sometimes the word limited is applied to really tiny areas, that will barely support 2 or 3 berry plants. When space is truly tight, it is better to plant less stuff. Most red raspberry varieties will spread by underground shoots, some very aggressively. If planted close to another berry type, they will move right in unless you control them by frequent digging. Some blackberry varieties will also spread underground, though the tall, trailing thornless types generally will not. Black raspberries tend to grow a large bush, with canes that bend down to the ground and often tiproot. If you plant all of these berries in one bed, you will want to ensure they are separated from one another by at least 4 feet, and preferably 6. If not, they may grow together and you will end up with a big mess. It might be best to select just one of these berry types that you like the best, and plant just that for starters. There will always be opportunities to plant more. If you post again, please indicate what specific varieties of berry you intend to plant, and, if possible, the source of your plants. It might make it easier for others to advise you, based on their own experiences. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

They are tough plants. You might do better to take cuttings (6-12" long) next spring, stick them in the ground where you want the shrubs to grow, water, and wait. They root readily! If you have a sheltered area to overwinter them, you can try taking cuttings now, putting them in pots and keeping them sheltered over the winter - not so much so that they don't stay dormant, but so the roots aren't frozen hard and killed - in a shed, a garage, buried in the ground or in a mass of leaves should all work. Keep them damp but not soggy, else they will rot. Don't try to keep them indoors, it will be too warm and dry, but a cool greenhouse/cold-frame should work also. You CAN try to move them as well, and probably have good luck, as far as the basic technique for moving affects forsythias. I am not sure when the ground freezes where you are - z5-6 covers a wide area - but if it isn't for another 6 weeks or so, then you can cut them back to where they are handle-able, and try to dig them now, or wait until spring, as soon as the ground can be dug. Since they are old, and are growing under an oak tree, the root system will be pretty massive and hard to dig. Either way, you will loose the blooms for next spring, since you will be cutting them back, but you will either get them moved, or get them out of that spot. Pre-dig the holes for where you want them to go, fairly shallow, but very wide - don't amend the soil, and water and mulch well after re-planting them. Doing both - cuttings and moving - would be insurance that you will still have forsythia in future years.