14 Small Fruits NC State Extension Publications

Plant so the crown is 1 inch below ground level; tissue culture plants should be set at ground level. Be sure to ask at the nursery if the plants were produced through the tissue culture process. Tamp the soil firmly to remove air pockets around the roots.

The term “bramble” has a negative connotation for some folks. However, most of the new blackberry cultivars and many of the raspberries are now essentially thornless. Set strawberry plants so the crown is level with the soil line. Remove berries damaged by insects and diseases as the damage occurs (Figure 14–5).

Types and Growth Habits of Blackberries

Those in cold climates should grow highbush blueberries, and those in mild climates should grow southern highbush varieties or rabbiteye blueberries. Some cultivars (‘Fry’, ‘Higgins’, ‘Scuppernong’, and ‘Jumbo’) have only female flowers and must be planted near a perfect-flowered cultivar to produce fruit. ‘Carlos’ is a perfect-flowered variety that is fairly common and good for fresh fruit or winemaking. All of the cultivars listed are perfect-flowered , so a single vine will produce fruit. ‘Southern Home’ is a new cultivar with attractive, unusual fig-shaped leaves.

• Cut off all canes to ground level at planting to help manage disease.
• Allow root suckers to develop in a 12-inch to 15-inch band in the row; all other shoots should be removed.
• Other fruits that need a pollinator include apples, plums, peaches and pears.
• Prune the plant to leave only the strongest three or four shoots.

You can begin your fruit garden with seeds, plants, bare roots or a combination of the three. Ground cherry plants are annual and reach up to three feet wide and tall. They produce dozens of small, golden-orange, cherry-sized fruits that are covered with a papery husk. If you’ve never tasted ground cherries, they have a taste similar to a tomatillo with a pineapple flavor. Gardeners can grow black, white, or red currants; all of them taste great as a fresh snack.

A small space fruit garden might include dwarf fruit trees planted in containers, apples coaxed into espaliers on an empty wall or melons crawling up a trellis. When you plant strawberries, you have to remember that they spread via runners, so you have to watch their growth. It’s best to limit the runner to only a few plants and prune off the rest for best fruit production. You should always prune off the blossoms in the first season to prevent fruiting; this leads to a better harvest in the following year.

Subtitle Planting and Tending Small Fruit Trees and Berries in Gardens and Containers

Four-foot cross arms of 2-inch by 6-inch treated lumber can be attached to treated posts to support double wires. The double-wire system yields about 30% more than the single-wire system. Blueberries are very sensitive to drought, and supplemental irrigation is absolutely essential the first and second years after planting.

Documenting the strategies implemented and their success or failure helps you make management decisions in the future. While SWD-infested fruit may be unpalatable, larvae are not harmful if consumed. The area drains well, so no standing water occurs.

Now in mid-July, half of the berries appear damaged. See appendix C, “Diagnostic Tables,” for problems that are common to grapes. Arms or cordons – the horizontal perennial part of the vine along which fruiting spurs are distributed.

Use 8-foot treated posts 3 inches to 4 inches in diameter. Set the posts 2 feet into the ground and allow for two vines per panel to provide adequate support for a mature vine’s fruit and foliage in a high wind. End posts should be 8 feet apart, 3 feet into the ground, and braced.