For this category, I am referring to the culinary use of the word ‘berry’, and not the botanical term. The botanical definition is a fleshy fruit that grows from a single ovary, and includes fruits like bananas, cucumbers, tomatoes, aubergines, and grapes.
The ‘berries’ that I have chosen are blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries. None of these plants need to go anywhere specific in a crop rotation plan.
Blackcurrants
When to plant
Blackcurrants are usually sold as 2-year old plants, either bare-rooted or in pots. The best time to plant either is between October and March, during the dormant season. Avoid planting if the soil is very wet or frozen. Potted plants can be planted year-round, provided the soil is not very wet or frozen.
Plant in a hole twice as big as the root ball, 2 inches deeper than previously planted.
Where to plant
They do best in full sun, but can be planted in light shade. 5-6 ft between plants is ideal.
Garlic, nasturtiums, marigolds can all help blackcurrants if grown near them.
Growing
Water plants during their first summer. After this they will only need watering during dry spells.
Cover with fleece at night if frost is forecast while the plants are still flowering.
Prune established bushes (4 years or older) in winter. Blackcurrants fruit best on plants a few years old or less, so prune older branches (darker in colour and thicker).
If the plant is newly bought and you’ve planted it between autumn and early spring, while dormant, then prune straight after planting. You can cut all of the stems down to about an inch or two from the ground, which should give you a better plant long-term. But if you aren’t comfortable doing this, then you can leave it or just do a light pruning, which I would probably suggest for a beginner anyway.
If the plant is up to 3 years old, then in autumn or winter you can lightly prune them by removing any weak or low-lying shoots. If it isn’t growing well, you can prune it harder, cutting half of the shoots down to the base in order to stimulate new stem growth.
Harvesting
Blackcurrants can ripen from July onwards, but exactly when will depend on the variety. They are ready to pick when the fruits are blue-black in colour, still firm, but come off of the plant easily. When you think they are the right colour, try picking a couple and see how easily they come off of the plant.
Gooseberries
When to plant
Gooseberries can be bought as bare-root plants or in containers between late autumn and early spring, when the plants are dormant. You can plant bare-root plants when dormant, and container plants at any time, just avoid doing so if the ground is frozen or very wet.
Try to plant them in late autumn if you can, as this will give them the most time to settle in before spring, when the growing season starts.
Where to plant
They prefer full sun, but will grow in light shade. Choose somewhere sheltered so that the stems don’t snap in the wind.
Check which variety you are growing. If they are bush plants, then space them 4-5 ft apart. If you are growing them vertically up a permanent support, then space them 12-15 inches apart. If you are growing them up against a permanent support in a fan shape, then space them 3-5 ft apart.
Growing
Protect from birds with a cage or netting. They will eat the buds and also the berries.
Bush plants won’t need any growing support, but other varieties will.
Water plants during their first summer. Afterwards, they will only need watering occasionally during dry spells.
Gooseberries grow well with garlic, legumes, nasturtiums, marigolds and oregano.
Avoid growing them too near to blackberries and nightshades.
Harvesting
You can harvest all of the gooseberries when they are fully ripe, around July to August.
Or you can harvest half of them in June (when they are still green), trying to pick alternate berries, or close to, and then harvest the remaining in July or August, when they are fully ripe. The plant will be able to put more effort into those remaining berries, allowing them to grow larger than they otherwise would. I personally just pick them when they are ripe.
You can use unripe gooseberries for jams, sauces or pies. And you can use ripe gooseberries for the same things, as well as eating them fresh.
Raspberries
When to plant
You can get plants either in containers or with bare roots. Bare rooted plants are usually a lot cheaper. If you are getting bare root plants, they will be available during the dormant season, which is autumn to early spring. They can be planted at any time during this dormant period, providing the ground is not frozen. If you are getting container plants, they will be available for a slightly longer time.
You can also dig up suckers (shoots from the roots of raspberry plants) that are 12 inches or more away from the main plant. Dig it up, being careful to not damage the roots of the main plant. You can do this at any time of year, but between spring and autumn is going to be best.
You can also divide large clumps. This is best done in autumn or early spring, when the plants are dormant.
Where to plant
Raspberries are best planted in the ground, but they can be planted in containers if you want. Full sun will provide you with the best crop, but they can still produce fruit in light shade. A sheltered location will also be preferred. You don’t want to plant them very deep, planted 18-24 inches apart.
They grow well near alliums. But try to avoid growing them near to nightshades and currants.
Growing
Water during dry spells.
It’s a good idea to support raspberry canes so that they don’t break in the wind. You can tie them to any sort of support, including posts or fencing.
Prune summer-fruiting varieties after you finish harvesting the fruit. Cut old woody (or dead) stems down to ground level.
Prune autumn-fruiting varieties in February. Cut back all of the old fruited stems to ground level, as new ones will start growing in spring.
Harvesting
Summer-fruiting varieties will be ready to harvest between June and September, depending on variety.
Autumn-fruiting varieties will be ready to harvest from mid-August, possibly until the first frosts.
They should be ready to harvest when the colour darkens and they come off of the plant easily.
Strawberries
When to plant
If you are getting young plants, you can usually get these from late spring onwards.
If you are planting from runners, you can usually get these in late summer, early autumn, or early spring. Runners look like roots, and should have a few leaves on them.
Plant strawberries in their final position in mid spring or in late summer, doing so by the end of September.
Where to plant
You can grow strawberries in dedicated rows, plant as a border for your crop beds or flower beds, or grow in containers, pots, hanging baskets, or window boxes.
You want to avoid growing them near nightshades due to the possibility of disease spread. They also do not do well planted too close to brassicas.
Because they are a perennial plant and they don’t want to be planted too close to nightshades or brassicas, it’s probably a good idea to avoid planting them in one of the main plots in a crop rotation plan. You can plant them with salad leaves, marigolds and mint if you want to. They also do fine with alliums and legumes, but these will be in the crop rotation plots and could cause issues when those plots are filled with nightshades or brassicas.
Growing
Plants will usually last 4 years, but you can replace the plants more often, planting from runners.
Water plants frequently while they are establishing, and afterwards water during dry periods.
Make sure to protect fruits from pigeons and squirrels. You can use a cage or netting for this.
Mulching around strawberry plants can be a good idea, as they are small plants that grow low to the ground, so weeds or other plants can cause problems for them if not controlled.
Harvesting
Strawberries may start to ripen from early summer until early autumn. Wait until they are red all over before harvesting.
After you have harvested your strawberries, you can remove the netting or cage to allow birds to eat pests, like slugs.
I am proud to be affiliated with JustSeed, a company that I have bought seeds from for a few years now. I believe in what they are doing over there, and if you are going to buy seeds, garden tools, or seedlings, then please consider checking them out and using my link below to do so. Thank you for supporting me.
Leave a Reply