When the seasons change from Spring to Summer, we all look to the garden to see how nature transitions and ushers in a new family of blooms. With Summer a month away now is the perfect time to add some sweet fruit to your garden bed!
Adding fresh berries to your backyard gives great opportunity to incorporate them into all your Summer recipes-whether its to start your day with a home-grown smoothie, adding some sweetness to your salad, or whipping up a pie to serve as a tasty treat!
Bushel & Berry offers a wide variety of blueberry plants based on your flavour and foliage preference, as well as blackberry and raspberry plants. Let’s learn a little more about each variety:
Blueberry Myrtille: Blueberry Glaze
With its boxwood like shape able foliage, Blueberry Glaze is a treat unlike any other! In Spring, white flowers ripen into a dramatic display of colour as the berries turn yellow, to red, then a dark blue!
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Zones: 5-8
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Exposure: Full Sun
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Size: 2-3’ Tall, Bushy, Mounded
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Water Needs: Moderate
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Berry Size: Small
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Fruit Season: Summer
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Berry Flavour: Wild, Aromatic
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Growing/Care Notes:
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Acidic Soil (pH 4.5-5.5)
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Good drainage
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Fertilize early Spring with a granular/liquid acid fertilizer
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In Spring, prune out any dead branches. After harvest, prune out fruit-bearing branches, leaving new branches to fruit the following season.
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Blueberry Myrtille: Perpetua
Perpetua has a unique nature; in that, it produces two crops of delicious blueberries! The first fruit will appear in mid-Summer and then the plant will flower and set fruit a second time in the Fall. The dark green leaves turn to deep red in the Winter, making it a beautiful year- long addition to any landscape.
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Zones: 4-8
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Exposure: Full Sun
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Size: 4-5’ Tall, Vase shaped
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Water Needs: Moderate
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Berry Size: Small
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Fruit Season: Summer
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Berry Flavour: Mild and Sweet
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Growing/Care Notes:
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Acidic Soil (pH 4.5-5.5)
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Good drainage
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Fertilize early Spring with a granular/ liquid acid fertilizer
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In Spring, prune out any dead branches. After harvest, prune out fruit-bearing branches, leaving new branches to fruit the following season.
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Blueberry Myrtille: Jelly Bean
Large flavourful blueberries that taste like homemade blueberry jelly. Jelly Bean foliage has unique, elongated green leaves with highlights of red in cooler climates.
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Zones: 4-8
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Exposure: Full Sun
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Size: 1-2’ Tall, Mounded
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Water Needs: Moderate
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Berry Size: Medium to Large
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Fruit Season: Summer
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Berry Flavour: Sweet, Like Homemade Jelly
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Growing/Care Notes:
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Acidic Soil (pH 4.5-5.5)
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Good drainage
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Fertilize early Spring with a granular/liquid acid fertilizer
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In Spring, prune out any dead branches. After harvest, prune out fruit-bearing branches, leaving new branches to fruit the following season.
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Raspberry: Raspberry Shortcake
Raspberry Shortcake is a revolutionary thornless raspberry. Its compact nature and rounded growth habit thrive in both a patio pot or in the landscape.
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Zones: 4-9
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Exposure: Full Sun
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Size: 2-3’ Tall, Dense, Mounded
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Water Needs: Moderate
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Berry Size: Medium
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Fruit Season: Summer
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Berry Flavour: Sweet, Vanilla Essence
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Growing/Care Notes:
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Neutral soil (pH 6.5-7.5)
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Good drainage
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Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer in early Spring
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Only prune dead canes with no new growth in the Spring, pruning new canes can affect fruiting.
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Framberry Strawberries
A breakthrough in soft fruit breeding has resulted in this fabulous Strawberry ‘Framberry’ – if you like strawberries and raspberries, you’ll love this clever combination of the two! It looks and like an ordinary strawberry with uniform heart-shaped red fruits, but has a distinct and surprising raspberry flavour. A wonderful variety to pick and enjoy fresh as a snack, or add it to desserts, jams and puddings. Its neat and compact habit is well suited to container growing or planting out into rows on the allotment. Grow it just like any other strawberry plant and enjoy a summer harvest.
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Height: 20cm (8”). Spread: 20cm (8”)
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Plant: Plant strawberry plants in autumn or late spring in a sheltered, sunny position in well manured, free-draining soil. Plant strawberry runners every 45cm (18″) in rows spaced at 75cm (30″) apart. Spread out their roots and place them in the soil at a level where the crown of the plant is just poking above the surface. Avoid planting them too deeply as this may cause them to rot. Alternatively, try growing strawberry plants in hanging baskets or in specially designed strawberry planters for the patio.
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Water: frequently throughout the growing season and weed regularly between rows. When growing strawberry plants in baskets and containers, they will also need feeding every two weeks.
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Maintenance: From early summer, remove any runners that are produced as these will weaken the plants vigour. Protect the developing fruit from slugs and snails by spreading straw around each plant. Positioning a net over the plants will also prevent crop damage by birds. The netting and straw can be removed after cropping to allow better airflow around the crown of the plant. Mulch strawberry plants with well-rotted manure in spring. Although strawberry plants will continue to fruit in successive years, the crop will become considerably reduced and it is advisable to completely replace strawberry plants every 3 years.
Everbearing Strawberries: Fort Laramie
Strawberries are high in Vitamin C and rich in fibre. This variety produces sweet, delicious berries all season long. Ideal for pies, jams, and eating fresh. These easy to grow high yielding plants will offer bountiful crops for years to come. Strawberry plants make an excellent ground cover or attractive borders. Normally planted in rows or solid beds, strawberries also produce and show very well in
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Harvest Time: June-September
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Zone: 3
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Exposure: Full/Partial Sun
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Soil: Thrive in almost any garden soil, but prefer a thoroughly spaded loam to which sand and decomposed manure have been added.
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Planting: Full Sun or Partial Shade
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Growth: Due to their spreading growth habit, strawberries should be given at least 30 cm (12″ diameter area to grow. Carefully pull apart plants from the 875526+pot. Plant so that the crown is exactly flush with the soil surface.
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Watering: All new plants need to be kept moist during the first season they are in the yard. Once established the need for watering decreases. Be careful not to overwater.
Pineberry Strawberry
The word “pineberry” is a fusion of the words “pineapple” and “strawberry” and refers to a relatively new pale pink or pale orange to a white strawberry cultivar that is adorned with red achenes. A unique variety that features white berries which have a flavour reminiscent of pineapple. Great for containers, patios or hanging baskets.
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Flowering/Harvest: Small white flowers in spring, followed by white berries.
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Exposure: Full Sun
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Size: 2 ft. (H) X 10 in (W)
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Soil: plant into rich soil that’s been supplemented with garden compost and/or composted manure, plant no deeper than the top of the crown
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Watering: Keep well watered
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Mulch: with straw or egg crates when the berries begin to form
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Planting: Net the plants when the berries are forming to protect against birds and other animals
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Helpful Hints: Feed the plants with a top dressing of composted manure in winter or early spring. Plants should be most productive in their first three years. Afterwards, replace them with new ones.
Canada Red Rhubarb
This easy to grow rhubarb produces juicy stalks that are cherry-red clear through. Keeping its colour when cooked. Stalks are high in sugar and tender. Perfect for pies!
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Harvest Time: May & June
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Zone: 3
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Exposure: Full/Partial Sun
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Soil: Grows well in almost any garden soil, although working well-decayed manure into the area will help the plants grow.
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Planting: Choose an area where the plants will receive at least 4 hours of sunshine daily. Allow 75cm30″) each way between plants.
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Harvesting: The stems can be harvested the first season, however, these plants have been proven to be more successful if allowed to produce numerous stalks so that three or four stems remain at all times to shade the original crown. Remove stems by pulling gently and twisting.
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Watering: New plants need to be kept moist during the first season they are in your yard. Once established the need for watering decreases. Be careful not to overwater.
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Helpful Hint: In future years, the crown will be large enough to divide and replant
Thornless Blackberry: Chester
“Chester” is the moist hardy thornless blackberry. Produces extra large, firm berries that are great for eating fresh or for making jams and pies.
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Harvest Time: July & August
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Zone: 4
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Exposure: Full/Partial Sun
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Planting Preparation: Dig a large hole at least twice the size of the pot in width and depth. Discard any clay or gravel as this will not be suitable for backfilling.
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Planting: Place some dirt back into the bottom of the hole. Remove the plant from its original container and place up-right in the hole. Begin to backfill the hole with dirt, adding some premium soil. You want to be sure that the original soil line of the plant is even with the ground. While filling, pack the ground gently and add water to fill any air holes.
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Watering: All new plants need to be kept moist during the first season they are in your yard. Once established, the need for watering decreases. Be careful not to overwater.
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Mulch: Mulch is a garden’s best friend. It is a true workhorse for your garden. It holds down grasses and weeds that will compete with your new plant roots for water, and also helps the soil retain water. It also helps keep the soil from becoming overly compacted and acts as an insulator during the winter months. Create a mulch bed 4-6 cm (2-3″) thich around your plants.
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Helpful Hint: If you have to wait to plant, make sure your plant is kept moist. Do not allow the pot to dry out. If you are experiencing extreme heat, take measures to keep plant at least partially shaded, protecting it from the harshest conditions
Have some favourite Berry or fruit recipes you love? We would love to hear from you, so be sure to comment below and let us know which berry plant you plan on trying out this year!
Berry Variety Description & Images:http://home/primitiv/www.annasflowers.ca.bushelandberry.com
