Planting berry bushes: raspberry, blueberry and strawberry
Soft fruit is the ideal fruit for beginners: it crops quickly, needs little space and can be grown in containers too. Late summer and early autumn are the best planting time, because the soil is still warm and the plants root in well before winter. The first harvest then comes next year.
Three berries, three sets of needs
| Raspberry | Blueberry | Strawberry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soil | humus-rich, loose | acidic, pH 4–5 | nutrient-rich |
| Spacing | 50 cm | 120 cm | 30 cm |
| Harvest | July–October | July–August | June–October |
| Pruning | close to the ground after harvest | old shoots every 3 years | remove runners |
Raspberries: autumn varieties are easier
Summer raspberries fruit on last year’s canes, autumn raspberries on this year’s. That makes autumn varieties such as “Autumn Bliss” particularly simple: after harvest all canes are simply cut back close to the ground. Cane disease has no chance this way.
Blueberries: all a question of pH
Highbush blueberries such as “Bluecrop” only grow in acidic soil. In normal garden soil the leaves turn yellow and the plant struggles. The solution: fill a large planting hole with ericaceous compost or put the blueberry straight into a container. Water with rainwater.
- Blueberry
- Ericaceous compost, rainwater, a second variety as pollinator.
- Strawberry
- Full sun, straw under the fruit, renew after 3 years.
- Raspberry
- Mulch, support frame, cut canes after harvest.
Strawberries: plant now, harvest in June
- Loosen the bed deeply and work in mature compost
- Set the plants so that the crown stays above the soil
- Water well and keep moist for the first few weeks
- Everbearing varieties such as “Mara des Bois” crop into October
Three blueberry bushes, six strawberry plants and a row of raspberries keep a family in fresh berries all summer.
