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Grow Your Own Berries

tom olofsson

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Location: Chicago

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posted 1 year ago

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I want to grow my own berries as a "hedge" against inflation.

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Matt McSpadden

gardener

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Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

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Hi Tom,
I don't know if it will help in the large scale... but taking a $2 blackberry or raspberry cane and planting it will give far more than $2 worth of berries over its lifetime. And you can develop them into a hedge.

Also, with fruit trees. Where else can you invest $30, wait 5-10 years and it will pay back in hundreds of dollars every year for 100 years with minimal work and no more money input.

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roberta mccanse

pollinator

Posts: 175

Location: Near Libby, MT

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I would love to have blueberries but our soil is very basic, a high ph. I tried and lost two bushes with lots of pine mulch and additives intended to lower ph, to no avail. Should I try growing them in containers? Raspberries do OK , not terrifically well, on a sunny slope. I would like more of these as well. And of course I have lots of birds. We are zone 4.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Each generation has its own rendezvous with the land... by choice or by default we will carve out a land legacy for our heirs. (Stewart Udall)

Joel Bercardin

pollinator

Posts: 675

Location: Western Canadian mtn valley, zone 6b, 750mm (30") precip

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roberta mccanse wrote:I would love to have blueberries but our soil is very basic, a high ph. I tried and lost two bushes with lots of pine mulch and additives intended to lower ph, to no avail. Should I try growing them in containers? Raspberries do OK , not terrifically well, on a sunny slope. I would like more of these as well. And of course I have lots of birds. We are zone 4..

What pH has your soil tested?

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Kaarina Kreus

pollinator

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Location: Finland, Scandinavia

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Tom, where do you live?
If you want to hedge against inflation, grow something you use a lot or that has become much dearer. If you use a lot of berries, great.

You should buy plants at garden center, they are at least 2 years old and will start to produce in a couple of years.

You need to have lots of bushes. A mature bush will give you minimum 10 pounds a year, often up to double that more, if tended well.

Also, it would be a good idea to get lots of differen varieties. Some years, some berries may not do so well, but others will thrive. So spread the risk by ålanting lots of different berries.

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Mk Neal

pollinator

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Location: Chicago

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[quote=tom olofsson]I want to grow my own berries as a "hedge" against inflation.[/quote]

I’m in Chicago and have berry bushes to share (black raspberries and both red and black currants). Send me a purple moosage if you want to coordinate a pick up.

Weeds are just plants with enough surplus will to live to withstand normal levels of gardening!--Alexandra Petri

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Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 16058

Location: USDA Zone 8a

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One way to "hedge against inflation" while you grow your own berries is to propagate more plants from the ones you have or that your buy.

Here are some threads that might help you or others learn how to propagate new berry plants:

https://permies.com/t/207070/berry/ensure-raspberry-plant

https://permies.com/t/136697/Elderberry-cuttings-summer

https://permies.com/t/170864/berry/Optimal-Care-Blackberry-cuttings

A search might lead to threads on the berries you plan to grow.

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Mercy Pergande

gardener

Posts: 372

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roberta mccanse wrote:I would love to have blueberries but our soil is very basic, a high ph. I tried and lost two bushes with lots of pine mulch and additives intended to lower ph, to no avail. Should I try growing them in containers? Raspberries do OK , not terrifically well, on a sunny slope. I would like more of these as well. And of course I have lots of birds. We are zone 4.

Thanks for any suggestions.

I know that blueberries (and other berries) are grown very successfully in substrate with hydroponic methods, which can be good when the soil isn't the correct type of the climate is too dry (since the hydroponic is a very moisture efficient system when managed correctly).

Some info on container growing in general: Blueberry season: Top 10 requirements for growing blueberries in containers

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roberta mccanse

pollinator

Posts: 175

Location: Near Libby, MT

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posted 1 year ago

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Thanks for the information about container growing berries. I will do more reading about containers and perhaps try container growing raspberries and strawberries. I would like to add another hoop house with shade cloth that lets in good sunshine. Hoping that this will discourage the birds. My tubs raised on cement blocks also discourage the chipmunks and ground squirrels. We will see. I am unsure about my soul ph, need to test.

Each generation has its own rendezvous with the land... by choice or by default we will carve out a land legacy for our heirs. (Stewart Udall)

Dennis Barrow

pollinator

Posts: 845

Location: 10 miles NW of Helena Montana

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I was able to get several dozen raspberry canes from a couple of neighbors here in my area last spring.
Majority of them took off and I harvested close to a gallon last summer. I have a feeling that this summer it will be in the multiple gallons!

I built several 4' X 4' raised beds a couple years ago and one of them we put strawberries in. This past fall I transplanted a bunch of those into another raised bed. I am thinking that I will do the same this fall.

My wife and I have canned, dehydrated (and now we have a freeze dryer) our produce from the garden for many years. Our biggest problem is storing the preserved foods. Space is running out!! lol

We are building a green house this spring and are planning a root cellar for next year.

Blue berries are on our to do list for this spring. Just a few plants to start.

We are fortunate enough to only spend around $200 a month on groceries because of our preserved foods.

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Cathy James

Posts: 112

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The key thing to remember with all of these options is the "wait 5 to 10 years part". Getting fruit trees or even berry bushes large enough and established enough to produce significant fruit is a long-term project.

If you are not yet at your permanent homestead and expect to move in the next 5 years, it may not be worth it.

On the other hand, strawberries establish themselves faster than anything else I have tried. You can get some fruit in Year 1, and lots of fruit in Years 2 and 3. After that, it's recommend to move the bed to a new location.

Has anyone gotten strawberries to grow well as a truly perennial crop, without needing to move beds or pull out old plants by hand?

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