Two-handed picking is far faster, although many home growers do not pick large enough quantities to make that method a must. Two-handed picking also helps in finding more "hidden" berries that would otherwise be found as moldy or over-ripe at the next harvest. Assuming we're discussing caneberries, any container depth of more than about 3 inches will start juicing the bottom layer of berries, but that is fine if the berries will be processed into jam or whatever. Rinsing pre-smashed berries for fresh eating is difficult. Any berries destined for fresh eating as single berries should be picked in the morning; they will be firmer and not be damaged as easily as on a hot afternoon. I'm not sure how you would keep a berry-harvest bag from being stained! When I harvested berries as a youngster for local growers, we always used a metal pail with a handle and looped it through our belt or had a carabiner-type device to attach it to pants/belt. These pails would hold enough berries to fill a 12-pound crate (12 hallocks), so the pail must have been about 2 gallons. Those berries went straight to the cannery. The grower would send everyone home early if the afternoon was hot.

Well, I think that happens to everyone pretty much, unless they're retired or something. I know that this summer, I've neglected my garden a LOT compared to last year, because I've been doing major home improvement projects that I neglected for a couple of years to do my garden. You just take the good with the bad, and realize that NEXT YEAR will come fast. Six months ago, it was snowing here and I was just starting to sow peppers, etc., indoors under lights. It practically seems like yesterday. Now, those things are bearing, frost will be here soon, then the holidays, then it will be time to start again. The cycle of the seasons. Most species of berries don't self-sow all that much from what I've found. Black raspberries, mulberries, and shadberries can be bad. The rest not so much.

Okay bboy thanks for that helpful info. Yeah if the picture that hopefully is attached to this post is showing, you can see the bright redness of the leaves on just this one or two branches of the particular barberry bush with the berries, whereas the remainder of the leaves are the more typical purple color I usually see on the several of the same kind of barberry bushes I have. So as you mentioned then, likely this is indeed a sign of a root or branch problem, because the whole bush isn't changing to the red color evenly, just that one or two branches. I'll keep an eye on it but yeah probably not just "harmless" winter color happening here. Looking closely at the fifteen or so other identical species barberry shrubs I have, I notice absolutely no berries on any of those right now, nor any of the brighter red looking leaves/branches as on the shrub in question. In regard to the ash trees, I don't know what type they are but I will look into that further and try to find out. thanks!

In the Piedmont it seems like it's late June, early July. In south Georgia, there was a blueberry festival on June 7 (Alma, GA). I guess the berries were ready by then (?). The pickyourown.org link below might help you. You could call a farm. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Pick Your Own Farms in Georgia