berries or trees?

[valley ranch]

How much room have you got ~ Semi dwarf are great ~ but if you're not pinched for space you can train your fruit trees so ~ the center is open and the fruit isn't out of sight ``` do you have a couple acres where you'll be planting ```

 

[flowerbug]

do you like strawberries? they are quick to give results.

 

[digitS']

Blackberries have problems living through our winters. Wild blackberries grow everywhere near the Pacific and show up here where the vines may grow but might not produce much of anything and seem to only live out short lives.

Raspberries are a cinch . But, I had the advantage of watching raspberries and domestic blackberries grow in close proximity for about 20 years. A neighbor set up 2 trellises with about a 4' path between. They were also only about 6' from my garden.

The blackberries produced a fairly nice crop in this sheltered garden but still struggled to survive the winters. After about 10 years, they were either dead on their trellis or just pulled because of their weakened condition. However, the neighbor had allowed them to move across the path and they were pushing out the raspberries!

By the time I left that garden, there was only 1 or 2 blackberry vines but they had completely displaced the raspberries! For about the final 5 years that I was there, the raspberries were trying to escape into my garden. The neighbor and I set up a trellis for them right on the border but, during the final year, a blackberry was crawling onto that trellis!

Anyway , 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.

Steve

 

[baymule]

Plant some grapes!

 

[canesisters]

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.

 

[Nyboy]

Cane you might want to pick @majorcatfish brain he had a fruit orchard. I put in a small one learned fast fruit trees a lot of work needing spraying all growing season.

 

[valley ranch]

You've plenty of time for strawberries ```

 

[Nyboy]

If you have a problem with birds stealing from garden plant white strawberries, birds leave them alone

 

[canesisters]

The green areas are sunny & open and are grass that I currently have to mow. These are the areas that I'll have available for adding - probably dwarf - trees or setting up berry patches.

 

[canesisters]

Plant some grapes!

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.