Growing Berries: Strawberries, Blackberries and more

Love berries and want to grow them yourself? Here are some ideas to get you started.

Strawberries

Strawberries are one of the berries that needs the least amount of space to grow. They can be planted in the spring, summer or autumn. Planting them in the fall allows the strawberry plant to grow strong roots during the cool weather. When planting in the spring time, you will need to remove buds as the flowers grow to allow for more robust growth in the next season.

The simplest way to grow strawberries is to plant them in a low mound of rich soil. They don’t need to be planted too deep, though you’ll want to keep them happy with organic compost and lots of sun. With great care, they can produce fruits for a good 3 to 4 years.

Blackberries

Blackberries are high in fibre and are a great addition to your garden. They are low maintenance, growing in all sorts of soil. Though, for best results, slightly acidic soil (ph 6.0) with lots of organic matter, good drainage, and plenty of sun is where they thrive best.

When planting blackberries, make sure you don’t plant them where strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants or potatoes are or were growing in recent years. These plants attract certain bugs that are also attracted to blackberries. Plant blackberries as early in the spring as you can.

Blackberry plants produce fruits for 15 to 20 years with great care.

Raspberries

Raspberries are best planted in autumn. Similar to strawberries, they can be easily grown in a mound of compost-enriched, fertile soil. They tend to grow a lot of new canes. To maximize your yields for the following season, make sure you prune them after each cropping season. Leave about 6 to 8 canes at 30 inches tall.

Raspberry plants can produce fruits for over 8 years.