Growing Your Own Berries – Raspberries, Strawberries and Blueberries
June 17th, 2009
Filed in Fruits, Veggies and Herbs
Tags: berries, blueberries, raspberries, recipes, strawberries
Berries are sometimes referred to as “nature’s candy,” and for good reason. They are naturally sweet and bursting with flavor – all originally intended to entice animals to gobble them up and spread the plant’s seeds far and wide. Berry season is creeping northward – starting in February in Florida with strawberries, with the last blackberry season not ending in northern Canada until late August. If you count cranberries, berry season doesn’t end until late September. Cranberries grow in bogs, but most other berries are easy for homeowners to grow.
Why grow your own Berries?
Berries are a tremendous source of antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients. Berries have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Growing your own berries is much less expensive than buying them in the store, and you can pick them at the peak of ripeness and sweetness.
Berries to Grow
There are bunches of different types of berries you can grow, but these are some of the most common and easiest for home gardeners:
Raspberries
Raspberries grow best in a soil pH of 5.6-6.2 that is full of organic matter. To prepare the ground for growing raspberries, test the soil pH and add lime if necessary to raise the pH. Raspberry fruit is borne on canes. Canes grow through the first year, and fruit the second year. First year canes have green stems and second year canes have brown stems. Every spring, you will need to remove canes that are more than three years old to make room for newer canes.
Raspberry plants spread, so if they are against your neighbor’s fence, the roots will grow underneath and pop up into another yard. Luckily, my neighbor loves raspberries too.
Strawberries
There are several types of strawberries. Some are day-sensitive, others are day-neutral, and still others fall somewhere in between. Some strawberries spread via runners, while others are bush-forming. Strawberries need a location in full sun with lots of compost. Plant the crowns so that the junction between the roots and the top of the plant are exactly at the soil line. The strawberries you plant will fruit the following spring. During the winter, apply heavy mulch to keep the berries from frost-heaving.
Blueberries
Blueberries have the highest level of antioxidants of any berry, so it’s one of those foods that taste good and are good for you!
Highbush blueberries are the right cultivar to grow in northern climates. Rabbiteye and southern highbush grow well in the south. Blueberries need acidic soil. (For more information about that, see the article acid-loving plants.) Their preferred pH is between 4-4.5, which is quite acidic. They benefit from large quantities of compost. Full sun is needed for the plants to fruit well. Blueberries are fairly disease resistant if their moisture level is kept consistent and they grow in acidic soil.
All berries keep best if they are not washed until ready to eat. They can all be washed, dried and frozen to eat during winter months. Make jam, pies or pop in your mouth. Yum!
Very Merry Berry Pie
- 1 uncooked pie shell
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- Optional: 1-2 cups any other berries you can think of (kiwi is good!)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir in and coat berries. Place filling into pie shell. Bake for 35 – 50 minutes. (Optional – use a second pie shell and cover over, crimping closed the edges. If doing so, lower the temperature to 375 degrees and leave in the oven until the top is golden, about 45 minutes.)
Mmmm! Tastes even better if it’s stored in a cool place overnight. I find that this pie is runny overwise. If you use frozen berries, make sure they are well-thawed and drained. I tried it once straight from frozen, and the pie was soggy and fell apart (still good, but I called it a Very Merry Berry Mess!)
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