Bharat SainiLast Updated on April 3, 2014 by Bharat Saini
Did you know that you can enjoy a wide variety of berries through summer by just finding certain berry plant blends?
It is a fact that finding plants that will comfortably grow in borders and beds as they are in hanging baskets and patio pots is quite challenging. However, that does not apply with berries as they are comfortable in almost any environments and will pollinate to produce bountiful harvests of succulent, colorful fruits.
The Simple strawberry
The great thing about the strawberry is that it is a straightforward fruit that will tolerate almost any conditions and will thrive virtually anywhere and on most soil types. The strawberry easily puts up with heat of summer and the cold of winter; making it an awesome and fruitful plant to have.
Basically, there are two categories of the strawberry plant; one is the kind that will fruit continuously and the other will fruit during summer. The alpine strawberry is a perfect example of the perpetual strawberry. It produces a tiny, but truly sweet fruit and white flowers; making it an ideal flowerbed edge or rockery decoration.
The summer fruiting strawberry on the other hand yields larger fruits and can be easily acquired at most garden centers. The most popular strawberry of this blend is the Hapil, which is known for its high, tasty fruit yields.
As it is, perpetual strawberries do not yield as heavily as the summer fruiting ones. As such, they are cheaper and can easily be acquired at most market stalls. While perpetual strawberries will not produce larger berries, they provide a regular supply of berries for longer periods than their counterpart.
When planning to grow the strawberry plant, it is important that you plant them approximately 14in or 35cm apart and in a hole sufficient enough to accommodate the plant’s roots. The crown will have to be at soil level to avoid rotting. At the same time, if placed too high, you risk it drying.
Raspberry rows
Raspberries are also another variety of berries that are easy to grow. However, this variety does require some shelter and sun. Raspberries also fall into two categories; the autumn fruiting and the summer fruiting. It is worthy to note that you can enjoy raspberries for close to six months if you grow both varieties.
The summer-fruiting raspberries mostly produce large crops towards the end of the season. Some of the best varieties of the summer-fruiting raspberries are the Tulameen and the Glan ample. As for the autumn fruiting varieties, the Joan J and the Autumn Bliss will produce crop for a couple more months as autumn sets in and continues.
However, you need to note that raspberries will require support to grow and thrive. To accomplish this, a wire setup on a series of posts in rows will provide the needed support for the plants. For a smaller garden, single posts may be used, either in a container or in the ground, with two or three raspberries planted around the base.
Beautiful Blueberries
The blueberry variety of berries is an ideal container plant. However, as the blueberry is not particularly hardy, it is important that you wrap them or move them to a covered area during winter. Blueberries are considered superfoods as they come packed with much needed antioxidants.
Nonetheless, there is one blueberry variety that is hardy and produces delicious, light-blue fruits in July and a bouquet of beautiful white flowers during spring. That blueberry is known as the Bluecrop.
If you plan to plant them out in a garden, it is important to note that blueberries will require acidic soils under a sheltered, well-drained site. The great thing about blueberries is that they are extremely appealing as their bright autumn foliage is then followed by eye-catching summer flowers. It is important that you plant them between the months of November and March, if the ground is not frozen.
Bountiful Blackberries
The Loch Ness is a thornless, compact bush that is known to produce large and glossy blackberries starting mid-August. Due to its high yields, this variety of the blackberry is what most commercial growers use.
Commercial blackberries are not the same as the wild blackberry, known as brambles. Basically, commercial ones are bred to consistently produce larger, sweeter fruits. Great thing about blackberries is that they do not require much space to thrive and not particularly deterred by soil type. The blackberry loves the sun; nonetheless, it is still able to give forth good yields even when grown under a dark shade.
Plentiful Gooseberries
The Gooseberry is known to put up with almost any soil type and disregard and yet be fruitful. However, if well looked after, the Gooseberry will yield plentiful harvests. Ideally, the Gooseberry will thrive if planted in well-drained and sheltered soils and can tolerate a partial shade. The most popular Gooseberry variety is the Invicta which is known for its bountiful large and tasty pale green berries that are used in some dishes and in desserts.
Basically, berries are easy to grow and are simply delicious. So, why not have the pleasure of enjoying your very own, freshly picked fruits through summer and over to autumn?
