berries or trees?

[Collector]

Start a raspberry patch, easy maintenance and great tasting fruit. If apple trees are a pain to maintain there I would not plant them. Find out which fruit trees do well in your area and you can add them in the spring time.

 

[Nyboy]

You know... I've been wanting a little outdoor sitting area .. .maybe a small grape arbor.....

.. yeah - that'll happen about as quickly as that old swing rescue - it's STILL sitting next to the barn waiting for SOMEONE to actually show up when they say they will and help me move it.

Combine the 2 plant grapes on swing support. 1 on each side

 

[Carol Dee]

You know... I've been wanting a little outdoor sitting area .. .maybe a small grape arbor.....

.. yeah - that'll happen about as quickly as that old swing rescue - it's STILL sitting next to the barn waiting for SOMEONE to actually show up when they say they will and help me move it.

DH is getting a new used tractor. If we lived closer I would send him over to help you move it into place/.

 

[Carol Dee]

A grape arbor is as easy as bending a cattle panel into an arch and securing the bottom sides with railroad tie/ landscape timber etc...

 

[Carol Dee]

Combine the 2 plant grapes on swing support. 1 on each side

Great idea Alex

 

[valley ranch]

A grape arbor is as easy as bending a cattle panel into an arch and securing the bottom sides with railroad tie/ landscape timber etc...

An arbor need to be higher than that ~ maybe two panels ~ but wood is better ```

 

[sumi]

the lesson that I came away with was don't plant these 2 berries close together. Even if the blackberries can only cling to life year after year, they will crowd out the raspberries.

This is good and welcome advice for me! I just started a little berry patch in my backyard and put a blackberry fairly close to a raspberry out there. I think when we next have a cool day I'll move one of them to give the blackberry more space.

Thanks!

 

[ninnymary]

I got seduced and bought a thornless blackberry from Home Depot a few years ago. Of course I had no business getting one since I had no room for it. I planted it against the fence in my perennial bed! I've been trying to get rid of it but each year a piece comes back. Fortunately that's all it is. But I do sometimes have to remove my 4 iris plants just to get it out.

Mary

 

[Carol Dee]

An arbor need to be higher than that ~ maybe two panels ~ but wood is better ```

I will look for photo. Ours is only 1 panel. Which way are you thinking it bends?

 

[flowerbug]

It's too late to plant strawberries for this year isn't it?
I was just thinking that I brought home a couple of 'crates' that were just wooden sides about 12" high with cardboard bottoms. I pulled off the cardboard and now have 2 frames of wood that are something like 48" square and if stacked would be 24" high. That would make a lovely strawberry garden! I need to get them painted (they're not treated wood), pick a spot, and start reading up on how/when to plant & how to prep soil.
One kind of berry to check off the non-existent list.

grow them out this year for next year's crop, but if you can still find plants you may also find some flowering (ours are just flowering now), so you can leave one fruit per plant as it gets established. after that they'll grow out and you won't have a shortage. if you want to put them up get june-bearing plants, but select from a few kinds and see which work at your soils/location and taste best for your preferences.