Although the bees seem to be out in full force this year, I can tell already our raspberry patch will not be producing a bumper crop this summer. I expect the berry output to be around half of what it was last year. In some ways it’s a little disappointing. I still have plenty of raspberries in the freezer from last year, but Chino the Handyman’s kids and the little Hillbilly children like to come pick berries every summer in our patch. And I’m happy to let them. But this year, I may have to direct them to something else in the garden.
I’m not sure if it’s because I cut too many canes down while I was pruning them, or if I added a little too much Tagro to the crop this year, but one thing is for sure, we won’t have as many berries to pick come this July.
The blueberries are a totally different story. BUMP. PER. CROP. Holy canolies Batman! We have 12 blueberry plants {3 each of the following varieties: Bluegold, Patriot, Bluecrop, and Sunshine} and the berries are coming on like gangbusters this year. I’m not sure if it’s because of the soggy spring we’ve had up here in the the Pacific Northwest, or because this is the first year the chickens have been fenced off from the blueberry patch. But look out. I may not even have to BUY blueberries this year to have on hand for winter smoothies, and that could save me about $50!
The 500 strawberry crowns I planted this spring are filing out nicely too. I know there are some people out there who like to pinch off the blooms the first year and forgo the picking season until the second year. But I don’t, simply because I cannot wait to start hauling in baskets of fruit. I just plant them and let them do their thing. It all seems to work out in the end.
Are you growing berries this year?
If so, what kind are you growing and how are they doing?
Mavis wants to know.
If you are looking for a book about how to incorporate berries into you yard, check out the book Landscaping With Fruit: Strawberry ground covers, blueberry hedges, grape arbors, and 39 other luscious fruits to make your yard an edible paradise by Lee Reich. Amazon currently has it on sale for $13.57.
* Amazon prices can change at anytime.
Becca says
I planted FREE raspberry plants last week & only two have survived the dogs :-/ But, the lady I got them from said I could come get as many more as I wanted so I am not out any money, thankfully! Next year I am hoping to have strawberries & some veggies & maybe even a mini apple tree!!
Kathleen says
Hi Mavis!
I truly enjoy visiting your blog everyday!
No red raspberries for us this year…the whole patch died over the winter. I have no idea why. My family is so sad there will not be a glazed raspberry pie! A handful of suckers have sprung up, so guess I’ll pamper those along for next year.
Luckily, the wild raspberries are loaded and ripe. We take a stroll each evening and eat them right on the spot! The wild blackberries are loaded as well, but critters always seem to beat us to them.
Our strawberries were disappointing, only a handful to enjoy.
I can’t wait to see how your garden does this summer!
Sally says
Oops on the Tagro and the raspberries. We did that last year too; the crop was looking good, hubby dumped the tagro and all the new growth went crazy and overtook the bearing canes. Nada (or next too it). I am going back to the steer manure and top dressing my canes early in the season, a nice light layer. What DO you think about that Tagro? I, myself, having some second thought about using it in my veggies and fruits. Biosolids, I just think I will stay with my steer manure (even tho it is made out of recycled antibiotics).
Suz says
Mavis,
So sorry to hear about your raspberries. That’s always such a bummer when something like that happens. But how ’bout those blueberries!!! I have 3 blueberry bushes but they’re only a couple of years old so we don’t get much from them yet but one of them, small as it is, is loaded this year too.
I have never seen so many bumble bees as I have this year on my raspberries. We will definately have a bumper crop this year. We started out with some plants that some friends gave us a few years ago. They dug them up mid summer, however, so only 3 of them survived but those 3 are now a nice sized and ever growing patch.
Our Strawberries, on the other hand, are very sad this year. We even have to plan a trip to the berry patch because we barely have any on ours. We had very strange weather this spring so that must have had something to do with it.
I planted 2 blackberry plants this year as well but only one has come up. Oh well, I’ll plant more next year.
Mavis says
Thanks Suz,
you just never know what’s going to happen in the garden. Always an adventure. 🙂