Does anyone grow blueberries or raspberries?

[weebiscuit]

I am ashamed to admit this, but even though I have my Master Gardener's certification, and have gardened for over 40 years, I've been strictly a flower gardener along with veggies and not real knowledgeable about fruits. So last year I bought six red raspberry plants and I'm not exactly sure about them because there isn't a named cultivar on the tag. I don't know if they are the fall bearing or everbearing or what. The tag just says "sp" for "species."

After they berry, do I cut all canes that had berries down to the ground and let the others grow? Also, I haven't staked these plants at all and am hoping I don't really need to.

About blueberries... I planted seven of them last year. I used sulphur and acidified the soil, plus I planted them right where we just removed several dozen 40 year old pine trees, so I know the pine needles over the years must have added some acidity. I planted 2 Northland, 1 Bluecrop, 3 Ka-blooey, and 1 I can't remember. They are all in flower now. Does anyone know how long after flowering does it take for the blueberries to become pickable? I hope it's not like apples and I have to wait till fall!

 

[Ashley]

Dont know on the BB's but I have the RB's. I dont do anything special with them. I put them in the ground two years ago and all I have done is pick the berries. This year I am attempting to keep the weeds down around them. I dont stake them up. Some grow straight up, some flip down. My mom has grown them for years and hasnt done anything either. I have acutally had better luck then her with them. My 4 plants I started out with about 2 years ago are now around 20+ plants.

I have far better luck with my fruits then veggies.

 

[kaykay]

We had a ton of rb bushes at our old farm. Unfortunately the birds always got the berries before we did. A friend told me to net them but I didnt have the heart to do it. We did cut them back in the fall. We never staked them.

I know we had cherry trees that never had cherries until we put horse manure in a ring around them. Then we finally got cherries!

 

[dianemcc]

as we live down south my aunt will pick her BB in june if that helps.

Diane

 

[Magic]

There are different types of raspberries, some are to be cut down in the fall, and others actually only produce fruit on the "old" stems, so those you don't cut down. We have the latter kind. I'm not sure how you would tell the difference though, sorry.

We don't grow blueberries (yet!)but when we lived in Michigan I would go out in the summer and pick the wild blueberries. I was a child then so I don't remember what part of summer it was, all I remember is having to be very careful of the biting ants-- they didn't care to share their yummy blueberries.

 

[uwharrie]

Blueberries mature according to variety. We usually start picking fruit in late June. We got several gallons last year off of I think 8 plants. looks like we are on track to get even more this year. We do cover with netting just before they ripen to keep the birds out.

 

[weebiscuit]

as we live down south my aunt will pick her BB in june if that helps.

Diane

Yes, it does help, because if it's June down south we will be maybe three weeks behind. At least I know now that blueberries don't ripen in the fall. I just had no idea before!

 

[weebiscuit]

There are different types of raspberries, some are to be cut down in the fall, and others actually only produce fruit on the "old" stems, so those you don't cut down. We have the latter kind. I'm not sure how you would tell the difference though, sorry.

We don't grow blueberries (yet!)but when we lived in Michigan I would go out in the summer and pick the wild blueberries. I was a child then so I don't remember what part of summer it was, all I remember is having to be very careful of the biting ants-- they didn't care to share their yummy blueberries.

I know that certain plants, like clematis, get pruned after blooming *if* they bloom on old wood. That way the stems have all summer to grow for the next year's blooms. Those would be the clematis that bloom early in the season. Other clematis, which bloom on new stems, bloom later, like in August. So, I'm going to assume it's probably the same with raspberries, then??? If they set fruit early in the summer they bloom on the old canes, but if they set fruit in late summer it's the new canes, which must mean than I should cut them back as soon as they're done having berries. *I think*, LOL!

 

[susanne]

I, too, am very experienced with ornamentals (esp. old garden roses, shade lovers, and obscure cultivars), but less so when it comes to "practical" edible gardening.

I take a laissez faire approach to my raspberries. I cut out the dead canes and rip out the ones that outstep their boundaries (they LOVE to take over), but so far, no staking or tieing up. They have fruited with abandon, though I know they shade themselves out of maximum production. I do find that I have to constantly look for ripe berries under the leaf clusters. Mine are not everbearing, and ripen in late June. I'd need to double check my AHS encyclopedia, but I believe the pruning protocol for them is to cut out dead and weak canes in spring, leaving last year's canes, as fruiting occurs on older canes.

My sister's blueberries (Portland area, @ 1000 ft. elevation, zone 7) ripen mid-July. She has an abundant crop each year (I'd have to ask which cultivars), but she absolutely always uses bird netting.

As for clenatis, I am terribly negligent at pruning, but mine bloom profusely (I'm zone 6). My SIL is a clematis "expert" (curator of the Brewster Rogerson Clematis Collection, author of Designing with Clematis), so I'm truly naughty for not following the rules!

 

[Miniature217]

I was thning of planting blueberries and raspberries,and even blackberries but we did have wild blueberries growing but they got torn up. I guess next year i am going to be planting them.

 

[weebiscuit]

I, too, am very experienced with ornamentals (esp. old garden roses, shade lovers, and obscure cultivars), but less so when it comes to "practical" edible gardening.

I take a laissez faire approach to my raspberries. I cut out the dead canes and rip out the ones that outstep their boundaries (they LOVE to take over), but so far, no staking or tieing up. They have fruited with abandon, though I know they shade themselves out of maximum production. I do find that I have to constantly look for ripe berries under the leaf clusters. Mine are not everbearing, and ripen in late June. I'd need to double check my AHS encyclopedia, but I believe the pruning protocol for them is to cut out dead and weak canes in spring, leaving last year's canes, as fruiting occurs on older canes.

My sister's blueberries (Portland area, @ 1000 ft. elevation, zone 7) ripen mid-July. She has an abundant crop each year (I'd have to ask which cultivars), but she absolutely always uses bird netting.

As for clenatis, I am terribly negligent at pruning, but mine bloom profusely (I'm zone 6). My SIL is a clematis "expert" (curator of the Brewster Rogerson Clematis Collection, author of Designing with Clematis), so I'm truly naughty for not following the rules!

Yep, I'm sort of on the shy side of planting edible stuff, too. If I gave as much attention to things we could eat as I do to things we just look at, I could open my own Farmer's Market.

The gardens have been revamped in the last few years. I've been taking out a lot of perennials and putting in more ornamental shrubs. Less work for me in the long run. But I do love my roses and clematis, and I think I have well over a thousand hostas growing all over. I used to have a greenhouse and sold hostas on line, so it was a great time to get a lot of them for myself at wholesale prices.