In contrast to cherry, apple and pear trees, berry bushes can also be grown in comparatively small areas, and they can also be harvested without a ladder. If a few basic things are taken into account when planting berry bushes in the garden or in the planter on the balcony, nothing stands in the way of enjoying your own vitamin-rich enjoyment.
What should you consider when planting berries?
When planting berry bushes, you should pay attention to the location, planting time and suitable substrate. Currants, gooseberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are popular varieties. The optimal planting time is in autumn, with a humus-rich substrate and a sunny to partially shaded location being recommended.
How to choose suitable plants for your own garden?
When it comes to berry fruit, you are sort of spoiled for choice, after all, there are numerous varieties of the following berries to choose from:
- currants
- Gooseberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
Of course, this list could also be expanded to include more exotic berry varieties. Since most types of berries have similar requirements for their location, you should make your selection based on your personal taste. If different types of berries are combined when growing in the garden or on the balcony, the harvest time will of course be correspondingly varied and long.
Which locations are suitable for growing berries?
While currants and gooseberries feel very comfortable in sunny to partially shaded locations, wild blueberries, in contrast to cultivated blueberries, can also be grown in the shade. Raspberries and blackberries can cope with different levels of sunlight under otherwise suitable location conditions.
What should be taken into account when planting or transplanting berry bushes?
Make sure to injure the roots of the shrubs as little as possible when planting and transplanting. The planting hole should ideally be dug a little larger than necessary and filled with humus-rich substrate and sometimes also some horn shavings (€52.00 on Amazon) as a long-term fertilizer.
How can berry bushes be propagated?
Currants can be propagated very easily via cuttings. Raspberries and blackberries usually form underground runners on their own, which can easily be cut off with a sharp spade and transplanted to another location.
When is the best time to plant berry bushes?
Basically, autumn is the optimal planting time for berry bushes. This is especially true when it comes to bare-root plants. When it comes to blackberries, it can sometimes be more advantageous to plant them in spring. This means the plants can root well in their new location before winter.
When are the most common garden berries on the bushes ready for harvest?
Raspberries can usually be harvested from June to July, some varieties also bear a second time in the same year. Blackberries can provide fresh fruit from June to October as their fruits only ripen slowly. While currants were named after St. John's Day on June 24th and can be harvested from the end of June, gooseberries only develop their full ripeness and sweetness in July and August.
What substrate do berry bushes need for he althy growth?
Basically, all garden soils with a reasonably humus-rich substrate are suitable for growing berries. The shallow-rooted berry bushes are quite sensitive to the waterlogging and lack of oxygen in loamy soils. Very sandy soils can be supplemented with humus-rich substrate components by incorporating mature compost before planting.
Tip
Do not plant currants and gooseberries too close together, as they will grow into large bushes in a very short time anyway. Raspberries and blackberries can be planted in rows along a trellis at a distance of around 30 to 40 centimeters and then ensure their own propagation by forming new canes.
