it was much easier for me to turn 1 acre of lawn into a food forest. 
no more old growth left in Maine due to forestry practices ( clear cuts). and we have the most acres of undeveloped land east of the missisippi!
Honeyberry USA was selling some black raspberry and blackberries both called “Pequot Lakes,” bred by Jim Fruth. Does anyone here have any info on them or have them growing? They sold out pretty fast this spring, I believe, and I didn’t get a chance to pick any up. I am mostly interested in the blackberries, as from what I’ve read there is no dependable variety for zone 4. Curious if anyone here were one of the lucky ones to get them?
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Oh, there was very little old growth forest here. There are some burr oaks probably pushing 150 years, I didn’t touch those with the saw. Most of my canopy issues here were big tooth and quaking aspen that should have been harvested 20 years ago. There was a “sub canopy” under the maple, oak, birch, basswoods comprised almost entirely of ironwood (American hop hornbeam). That sub canopy is where most of my chainsaw time has been spent.
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id be interested also. we have a wild one growing here called the canadian or smooth blackberry i discovered for the 1st time last summer its mostly thornless and the canes only get to 6ft or so . berries are small, about the size of a medium raspberry but very priolic producer and the flavor is good. supposedly hardy all the way to the arctic according to PLANTS database. they are native as far west as wisconsin. the canes are a nice deep maroon color so they give winter interest. just put a patch in this spring on the front lawn and they are growing well. i could send you some dug plants if you want to try some? they arent aggressive spreading like most cultivated ones are. lady from your zone in VT traded some of her wild ones with me and i also have a darrow i put in a separate bed the other day. both have wicked thorns tho. but at least they survived the winter here. we will see how they all taste next summer.
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thats great you preserved those old trees. aspen and balsam poplar grow like weeds here. you must be fighting suckers galore! on my fathers property, we got rid of them by drilling holes in the cambium layer of the stump after harvest, and filling the holes with undiluted roundup concentrate. no suckers!
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I want the aspens to sucker heavily…ideal deer chow Mixed age aspen stands are also fantastic ruffed grouse habitat.
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I wonder if those berries are named for the community of Pequot Lakes? It would seem reasonable anyway. P.L. is about 90 minutes NNE of me.
Yes, I believe they are. I’m just south of there as well.
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yes they are but not if you want to plant fruit trees or bushes there. i agree that its great for the game animals 2 years after a clearcut, if they dont spray, the deer and moose all flock there for the young browse. 5-6 yrs later the ruffed / spruce grouse and woodcock move back in.
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No doubt about that. The aspen re-generation is incredible in the areas I’ve dropped mature trees. As in…a guy can’t walk through those areas without some serious difficulty.
We’ve kept around 12 of our 87 acres as a “playground” for fruits/veggies/homesteading/wildflowers/etc.
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honeyberryusa and harttmanns has the pequot lakes black raspberries in stock . out of stock of the black berries still. fedco has a variety called nelson that I’ve been trying to get but always sells out quickly. its also cold hardy to 3b.
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My black raspberries are now a very deep red to mahogany, not black enough to pick, I’ve had Jewel for about six years now , I hope the flavor improves.
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my ohio treasure black caps are starting to color up. the primocanes are growing like crazy.
Nelson may be cold-hardy, but mine don’t have a single berry on them this year. Canes are vigorous. I’m in 4a.
really? how old are they? wonder if there is a underlying cause. fedco has a good reputation for quality plants. they test them extensively for production before releasing them in their line.
Picked about another 3.5 quarts of wild blacks today. I’d guess I could get another quart or two in a few days, but I think I’m done picking them for this year. Grand total for this year is right around 14.5 quarts…I’ll be enjoying those berries this winter every morning for quite a number of days. I add them to protein powder and have smoothies for breakfast.
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could i convince you to send me a few sprouts of those wild black raspberries? i can send you some wild blackberries that grow around here called canadian or smooth blackberries. they are semi thornless and very prolific with nice marroon colored canes.
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Sure, no problem. Not sure what would be the best time of the year though? About as early in the spring as you can get a shovel in the ground?
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Oop! My Nelsons are blackberries. They have no berries this year, but had some last summer just as we were leaving on vacation, so I only got a taste. They were sweet, though small.
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early may probably would be best. thats when i dug those blackberries and all 7 plants took.
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