The Double Hill System
The double hill system is a versatile method that is also effective in raised beds. To plant this way, begin by removing any runners from the mother plants. Set your plants 10 to 12 inches apart in paired, hilled rows that are themselves 10 to 12 inches apart. Space the pairs of rows 18 inches apart.
A variation on the hill system requires raised beds, usually of timbers, that are 24 inches wide. Fill the beds with sandy loam amended with compost or rotted manure and adjust the pH to between 6.0 and 6.5. Set plants in twin rows 6 inches from the edge of the timbers and 12 inches apart.
Fertilization
Beginning in the spring of your plants’ first year and continuing into fall, water every other week with a low-analysis fertilizer such as fish emulsion. This will normally supply plants with all the nutrients they need. In some soils of the South, East, and Midwest, extra phosphorus is needed. In the Northwest, applications of trace minerals may be required. From their second season on, fertilize the plants at the beginning of the growing season and when blossoms open.
Watering
While the fruits are ripening, strawberries need about 1 inch of water per week. This watering regimen will produce large, juicy berries. Too much water at this time will yield large fruit that has a watery, diluted flavor. In general, moistening the soil in a way that does not get the leaves wet reduces the spread of foliar diseases.
Strawberry Systems
In the matted row system, arrange runners around the mother plant.
Strawberries trained to a double hill system are less susceptible to fruit rot diseases.
Cold and Frost Protection
Mulch helps keep moisture in the soil, which protects root systems. It also reduces heaving of soil in late winter and early spring. In areas where the temperatures drop to 0°F (-18°C) without a snow cover, a thick straw mulch can prevent severe damage.
Harvesting
When is it time to pick the berries? As strawberries ripen, the fruit changes color, from white to pink to red. As the color changes, sugars are deposited in the fruit. Berries picked before they are fully ready will not have as much sugar as ripe ones. Pick in the cool of the morning, when the berries are firm.
When Will They Ripen?
In mild weather, strawberries mature about 30 days after blooming. In warm weather, they mature more rapidly.
Basic Strawberry Jam
Strawberries and sugar, plain and simple. This basic jam is beloved by all, especially when it’s made from handpicked, sun-sweetened berries.
2 quarts washed, stemmed, crushed strawberries
6 cups sugar
1. Preheat a boiling-water-bath canner, sterilize eight half-pint jars, and prepare the lids.
2. Combine the berries and sugar in a tall, heavy, non-reactive saucepan.
3. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Boil rapidly until thick, about 40 minutes. As the mixture begins to thicken, stir frequently to prevent scorching.
4. Test for doneness — 220°F (104°C) on a thermometer, or when the jam sheets off a cool saucer or spoon.
5. Remove from heat and skim off any foam that has formed during boiling.
6. Pour into the sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch of headroom. Run a rubber spatula around the insides of the jars to release air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth. Place lids in position and tighten screw bands.
7. Process in the canner for 5 minutes once the water has returned to a boil. Adjust for altitude, if necessary.
8. Use a jar lifter to carefully remove the jars.
9. Cool sealed jars. Check seals; remove screw bands. Label and store.
Making Pectin
You can use apples to make your own fruit pectin for use in jam made from strawberries and other low-pectin fruits. Choose hard, tart, ripe apples. Weigh, wash, and cut fine, leaving stems and cores in. Add 1 pint water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice for each pound of apples. Cover and boil rapidly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Press through a jelly bag or damp cheesecloth, then strain through several layers of cheesecloth without squeezing. Heat liquid back to the boiling point, seal in canning jars, and process in a boiling-water-bath canner (see page 80) for 10 minutes. To use, mix the pectin and the juice of a low-pectin fruit in equal amounts.
Raspberries and Blackberries
Raspberries and blackberries are prolific, reliable, useful, and long living. They blossom late, so spring frosts never ruin the crop. The diseases and insects that trouble them are easy to control if you buy virus-free and virus-resistant plants. They need little care and are easy to pick (no bending over).
Classes of Raspberries
Red raspberries are the most familiar bramble. The reds come in both one-crop and two-crop varieties. The one-crop type bears fruit that matures in midsummer on canes that have grown the previous season. The canes die within a few weeks after bearing. Two-crop raspberries are often called everbearers. They bear once during the summer and put out an additional crop in fall on canes grown during the current year.
Yellow raspberries are closely related to the reds and vary in color from yellow to pale pink. These berries are so fragile that they are seldom seen in stores. However, they are ideal for home gardens and many fruit lovers regard the ripe yellow raspberry as the finest fruit in the world.
Black raspberries have an unusual flavor that many people enjoy. They differ from red raspberries in that they never produce suckers. Instead, they start new plants when their long canes bend over and touch the soil. The tips form roots and grow into new plants.
Blackberries come in three types: the upright, the semi-upright, and the trailing kinds (called dewberries).
Purple raspberries are closely related to the blacks, with a similar flavor and growth habit. Some varieties send up suckers, like reds.
Classes of Blackberries
Blackberries come in three types: the upright, the semi-upright, and the trailing kinds (called dewberries). The growth habit of the upright is very similar to that of red raspberries. Dewberries, however, resemble black raspberries in that they don’t form suckers. Their vine-like canes trail on the ground unless supported, forming new plants by tip layers. The semi-uprights share some of the characteristics of both.
Hardiness
Many of the red and yellow raspberry cultivars are hardy as far north as Canada. Others have been developed for Zones 5 through 8. Black and purple raspberries are slightly less hardy, although some cultivars are suitable for Zone 3. Most fall-bearing raspberries are winter-hardy, but many of them fail to ripen their second crop before the early frosts of Zones 3 and 4.
Most blackberry cultivars have hardy roots. Their canes are not as hardy as those of raspberries, though, and are apt to die to the ground over the winter in cold climates. Few nurseries carry the older, hardy kinds, so growers in cold areas may have trouble locating a blackberry that will produce fruit. Trailing blackberries are even more tender. Most are suitable only for Zone 6 and warmer climates.
Starting a Patch of Raspberries
No fruits are tastier or more perishable than perfectly ripe raspberries, a fact that argues for growing them within arm’s reach. Get your patch off to a good start by purchasing certified disease-free plants. Those dug from a neighbor’s patch may seem economical, but they often carry diseases. Choose a site that has full sun and well-drained soil and is as far as possible from other cultivated or wild raspberries. Don’t plant them where you have recently grown eggplants, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, or strawberries, which are hosts to raspberry diseases. Clear the area of any sod or weeds before you get started.
Raspberries by Region
South
Bristol (black)
Cumberland (black)
Heritage (everbearing red)
Sunrise (red)
Mid-Atlantic Coast
Fall Gold (everbearing gold)
Jewel (black)
Sentry (red)
Northeast 1
Allen (black)
August Red (everbearing red)
Heritage (everbearing red)
Latham (red)
Royalty (purple)
Midwest 2
Black Hawk (black)
Durham (everbearing red)
Jewel (black)
Southern Plains
Indian Summer (everbearing red)
Jewel (black)
Upper Plains and Rockies 3
Durham (everbearing red)
Latham (red)
Pacific Northwest 4
Munger (black)
Willamette (red)
Blackberries by Region
Mid-Atlantic and South
Chester (semi-upright)
Comance (upright)
Northeast and Midwest 1,2
Chester (semi-upright)
Youngberry (trailing)
Pacific Northwest 4
Black Satin (semi-upright)
Dirksen (upright)
Marion (semi-upright)
1 and southern Quebec and the Atlantic provinces
2 and southern Ontario
3 and the Canadian prairies and Rockies
4 and southern British Columbia
Planting a Raspberry Patch
1. Prepare an area 2 feet wide and as long as the row you intend to plant. Work a few inches of compost, peat moss, or rotted sawdust into the top 12 inches of soil. Of all nutrients, raspberries need nitrogen most, so add a high-nitrogen fertilizer as well. Top the fertilizer with the recommended amount of lime or sulfur necessary to adjust the soil pH to about 6.0.
2. Erect a trellis to keep the plants upright. Set a 4 × 4 cedar post at each end of the row, sunk into the ground at least 2 feet deep and braced. Use 12- to 14-gauge wire, placing one wire 5 feet above the ground and the other 2 feet above the ground.
3. Before planting, soak the roots for a couple of hours in a bucket of water. Dig holes 2 to 3 feet apart in the rows. Set each plant in its hole, spread out the roots, and backfill with the loose soil, making sure the crown is just below ground level. Tamp the soil with your fingers. Cut back all canes nearly to ground level, then pour a gallon of water around each plant.
Care and Harvesting of Brambles
Pruning. To keep your patch productive, cut each dead cane to ground level. You’ll recognize the dead ones by their pallid color and brittleness. Insects and diseases overwinter in the old canes, so burn them as soon as possible.
As your berry patch ages, more pruning becomes necessary because the plants produce too many new canes each year. Cut off all the weak new canes when you remove the old ones, and thin out the strong, healthy canes if they are closer together than 6 inches.
Keep rows of red and yellow raspberries and upright blackberries no more than 2 feet in width, and those of black or purple raspberries and trailing blackberries no more than a foot and a half wide. This permits easier harvesting and pruning and also allows better air circulation.
Harvesting. Raspberries ripen a few weeks before blackberries, and the long ripening season of both lets you enjoy fresh picking every day for several weeks. If you want to further extend the season, plant early, midseason, and fall-bearing raspberry cultivars.
Use only small pails for picking raspberries, because too many piled together will crush those on the bottom. Avoid handling the berries any more than is necessary, and move freshly picked berries out of the sun as soon as possible.
Steps for Success in the Bramble Patch
First Year
Prepare the soil carefully and plant the berries 2 feet apart. If you set out bare-root plants, cut back the tops to 2 inches above the ground after planting, but leave potted plants unpruned. Water potted and bare-root plants with a liquid fertilizer, then mulch.
Second Year
Spring. Cut back all plants that didn’t make a strong showing the previous year to 2 inches above ground level. Add to the mulch, and apply a light helping of plant food.
Fall. Cut back tops of plants so canes are about 4 feet tall. This makes a stiff plant that doesn’t fall over in winter. Install a fence or other support.
Third Year and Thereafter
Spring. Add fertilizer and fresh mulch. Trim out any broken canes.
Early summer. Mow or pull out tips or sucker plants growing in the wrong places. Cut off and burn wilted tops. Remove any sick-looking plants.
Late summer. Cut to ground level and remove all canes that bore fruit. Cut out weak canes and thin remaining canes to 6 inches apart.
Late fall. Cut back canes to 4 to 5 feet in height for winter. Tighten wire supports if necessary.
Freezing Fruit
Few items are as easy or rewarding to preserve as fruit, and almost all fruits are suitable for freezing. The requirements are simple:
• Pick or process small quantities in order to avoid temporary loathing caused by processing dozens of quarts at a time.
• All fruit should be ripe when preserved, unlike vegetables, which are at their best when slightly immature.
• A mellow flavor in peaches, plums, figs, and some berries is acquired by letting the fruit sit at room temperature to mature overnight. Apples may require several days to develop maximum flavor. Pears are usually picked green and allowed to ripen in the dark for several days.
• Freeze only fruit that you would want to eat fresh. Bruised or slightly overripe fruit makes excellent jelly.
• Prepare fruits for freezing much as you would for the table. Wash the fruit gently in cool water. Don’t let fruits soak, or they will become waterlogged.
• Avoid iron utensils, which may darken fruits. Use stainless steel or enamelware instead.
• Consider adding ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or lemon juice to fruits that darken quickly after being peeled (like peaches and apples).
Wash and stem berries, flash-freeze on a metal sheet, then transfer to freezer bags or containers.
Blueberries
Blueberry pie may sometime soon replace apple pie in the expression “as American as apple pie” because the treat has become one of the most popular desserts in restaurants. Furthermore, blueberries are a North American fruit, whereas the apple tree is an import.
Three species of blueberries are commonly grown in North American gardens: the hardy lowbush, the popular high-bush, and the rabbit-eye, which grows in the southern United States. In addition, crosses between highbush and low-bush blueberries have resulted in several hardy, large-fruiting cultivars.
All types of blueberries do best in acidic soil, pH 4.5 to 5.0. If your soil tests from 5.5 to 6.0, mix sphagnum peat moss with the soil around the plants. Cottonseed meal, composted pine needles or oak leaves, or compost made from pine, oak, or hemlock bark also helps acidify the soil. After planting, mulch your plants with pine needles, oak leaves, or shavings from oak, pine, or hemlock to help maintain the soil’s acidity.
Blueberries can be planted in fall, but a cloudy afternoon in spring is best in most areas. Plant as soon as the ground can be worked.
Blueberry Pie Deluxe
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
N cup water
1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups fresh blueberries Baked 9-inch pie shell Whipped cream (optional)
1. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the 2 cups of fresh or frozen (thawed) berries and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils, thickens, and clears. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Cool.
2. Place the 2 cups of fresh berries into the pie shell and top with the cooked mixture. Chill. Serve with whipped cream.
Yield: One 9-inch pie
Planting and Care of Blueberries
Blueberry plants from the nursery come bare-rooted, canned (potted), or
balled-and-burlapped. Place bare roots in a trench and mound soil or damp peat moss around them until ready to plant. They can be planted in fall, but a cloudy afternoon in spring is best in most areas. Plant as soon as the ground can be worked. Prune off any damaged or long roots, any weak or broken wood, and all flower buds, because fruiting the first year may stunt the growth of the bush.
10 Great Blueberries
Highbush Blueberries
Bluecrop
Fruit: Very large
Ripens: Early to midseason
Hardiness: Zones 4 to 8
Blueray
Fruit: Very large
Ripens: Early to midseason
Hardiness: Zones 4 to 8
Earliblue
Fruit: Large
Ripens: Early
Hardiness: Zones 5 to 7
Eliot
Fruit: Medium
Ripens: Late
Hardiness: Zones 4 to 7
Jersey
Fruit: Small to medium
Ripens: Late
Hardiness: Zones 5 to 8
Patriot
Fruit: Medium
Ripens: Midseason
Hardiness: Zones 3 to 7
Highbush and Lowbush Hybrids
Northblue
Fruit: Medium
Ripens: Midseason
Hardiness: Zones 3 to 7
Northland
Fruit: Small
Ripens: Midseason (one week before Northblue)
Hardiness: Zones 3 to 7
Rabbit-Eye Blueberries
Bluebelle
Fruit: Large
Ripens: Early to midsummer
Hardiness: Zones 6 to 10
Brightblue
Fruit: Medium to large
Ripens: Early to midsummer
Hardiness: Zones 6 to 10
The highbush grows 6 to 15 feet high and produces large berries in midsummer and later. It is less hardy than the lowbush, but some cultivars do well in Zone 3 when sheltered from the wind. Yields vary widely among the cultivars, but most gardeners can expect 5 to 15 pounds of fruit per bush.
The Backyard Homestead Page 9