Producing your own delicious small fruits such as blueberries, blackberries and raspberries isn't as hard as you might think, said University of Georgia Cooperative Extension horticulturist Gerard Krewer. Berries are among the best home garden fruits for small spaces." /> Producing your own delicious small fruits such as blueberries, blackberries and raspberries isn't as hard as you might think, said University of Georgia Cooperative Extension horticulturist Gerard Krewer. Berries are among the best home garden fruits for small spaces." />

CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/22/07

Backyard berries not as hard to grow as you think

By Stephanie Schupska
University of Georgia

With blueberry days of summer right around the corner, the thought of fresh fruit may just be tempting enough to send you to your backyard.

Volume XXXII
Number 1
Page 13
Producing your own delicious small fruits such as blueberries, blackberries and raspberries isn't as hard as you might think, said University of Georgia Cooperative Extension horticulturist Gerard Krewer. Berries are among the best home garden fruits for small spaces.

But those fruits do take a little patience.

"It takes time, effort and money to prepare the site where you want to grow berries and keep it free of weeds," Krewer said. "The advantages of growing your own are that it's something you produce with your own hands and will hopefully have a large quantity for a little amount of money."

Don't wait

Because anytime from October to March is a good time to plant, berry bushes need to go in the ground now.

"The earlier you plant, the better in Georgia," Krewer said. "We often get a lot of root growth during the winter."

While blackberries are the easiest to grow, the more finicky blueberries are the most popular right now. When it comes to those tasty blue treats, Krewer suggests the rabbiteye types such as Brightwell, Tifblue and Powderblue.

For blackberries, he suggests planting Kiowa.

"They're proven to be well-adapted to Georgia," he said. "They're very thorny. You can use it as a hedge to keep juvenile delinquents or dogs out of your yard. And they produce huge berries, berries that weigh about a third of an ounce."

Thornless?

You can also grow thornless blackberries such as Arapaho and Navaho, but the thorny Kiowa is more productive.

"Most home gardeners are better off planting varieties with thorns," Krewer said. "They're generally a little more disease-resistant and more vigorous. But there are always exceptions to this."

Statewide, the best raspberries to plant are Dorman Red. In north Georgia, Heritage and Redwing also do well but need regular attention.

"The Dorman Red is very nice for cooking, but not very nice for fresh eating" because of their lack of natural sugars, Krewer said. "They're very beautiful, very pretty, like a jewel, a ruby. As a cooked product, they're very good, especially in jams."

When the urge to grow kicks in, Krewer has tips for making berry production easier.

1. Select a spot that gets at least half a day of sunlight, doesn't have many tree roots in it and is well-drained with no standing water.

2. Get your soil tested for pH levels. Blueberries grow well in a pH of 4 to 5.3, while blackberries and raspberries thrive in a soil pH of 6 to 6.5. You may need to add lime to raise the pH or sulfur to lower it.

3. Be patient. Depending on the size of the bush you plant, in the second year you'll get a handful of blueberries or a half crop of blackberries and raspberries. In the third summer, you should get a full crop of blackberries and raspberries and a significant amount of blueberries. This is due to the berry bushes' life cycles.

(Stephanie Schupska is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)

Stephanie Schupska is the communications coordinator with the University of Georgia Honors College.

Experts/Sources:
Gerard W. Krewer
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.