2020 berry and harvest report

I hope so, I just got it about two weeks ago… it was sent with a root ball the size of a golf ball.

one PAF in the ground is established and producing well.
the cane snapped due to the heavy load, but with makeshift trellising, the distal parts are surviving and fruiting.

another PAF in shadier conditions produced a decent floricane crop but doesn’t seem to be interested in producing primocane flowers.

and a couple PAFs in containers are producing decently but a bit less than they did the previous year.

my cascade gold rasps did ok the first two years, but this year I’m getting a ton of leaves without fruit. will probably replace them with a more vigorous variety.

When i use my well water i usually will fertilizer at the same time hoping ot drop the pH some with the ferts. I’ve had to use it a few times because the rain has been very spotty around here.

For picking i prefer Chandler and the bigger size berries. The small ones are annoying to hand pick.

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PAF doesn’t seem to sucker at all.
but cascade gold, wowzers. it must have roots like tentacles.

in udder news, i still haven’t found ponca blackberry plants for sale. mebbe next year.

I already placed my order for Ponca, and good to hear about the cascade gold suckering, I have a young plant that I got a few weeks ago, will be a while before it develops enough roots to sucker or produce a proper sized cane though. Starting to feel I would of been better off waiting for next season and getting some dormant canes instead of young plants.

My raspberries have been mostly a failure this year. Some got no berries. The blacks just had tiny, hard, flavorless berries. The leaves on many are yellow. I planted several new varieties this year, so we will see how they do. Maybe they are suffering ag chemical drift or a virus. I’ve tried about any varieties that are supposed to grow in this area. I’ve lightly fertilized and they have gotten sufficient rain, full sun.

How long have they been in the same ground?

About six years. They have only produced well on a couple of those years.

Some of the black raspberries were just planted last year.

First raspberry of the season Joan J


Followed the next day by heritage

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First strawberry off my plant, fall bearing blueberry just started blooming. the heat is doing a number on my raspberry shortcake, the ripening berries are a bit head damaged.


My Babycake blackberry is developing fruit


The bare root Anne yellow I got late in the season is about to open it’s first flower buds on the floricane.

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I have 3 rows (60’ each) of triple crown blackberries on 6’ T Trellis that are in their 4th bearing year. The season is winding down but this was yesterday morning’s picking - at least 4 gallons.

Probably will end up with 40 gallons this year. The birds get some, but I figure they are eating a lot of bugs so they deserve it.

My blueberries were less than half production because we had frosts until May 10, and they started blooming weeks before that.

Planted new raspberries this spring. The old patch was not in a good place and never really did well. My husband mowed them down hours after I planted them (my fault–hadn’t marked them yet :slight_smile: ) but they were still in stick form and came back fine. Doing well now and should have a few this fall.

We lived 25 years in Ohio and PA and always had beautiful raspberries, but they don’t seem to like TN as well. Blackberries are making up for it!

A friend gave me a different variety - I think it is Chester. It is bearing well but the flavor is just not as good as Triple Crown. Love those berries. They do sunburn, but they are huge and juicy and I use them for juice mostly anyway.

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I could only wish to have that much space for my berries. I make berry wines, I just hope to produce enough at some point to eat fresh and make a couple gallons as well. Time will tell, I just started a few canes this year.

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I went through my blackberries yesterday, pruning out the old dead canes. I found a sweet spot hiding under the elderberry that grow next to them. Huge berries.

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Our first pie made from home grown blackberries, mostly Triple Crown, some wild berries.

Good stuff, but the seeds can be a pain…

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Don’t worry about the seeds (unless you have false teeth).

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I had a very good black currant harvest and decided to do a vodka infusion. I used 400 grams of berries, juice of one lemon, and the zest too. I added 4 black currant leaves according to the recipe I saw. It came out fantastic. I let it sit for 8 days. Which was long enough to flavor the vodka very well. Excellent unique flavor. I also did a red currant infusion and it’s good too. But the black really stands out. I use Smirnoff as it never gives me a headache. Some of the premium vodkas do. Probably matters what is used to make the vodka. I’m sensitive to alcohol and can’t really drink any wine anymore. The headaches are just too intense.

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you drink it strait or use a mixer?

Usually with soda or tonic water. I prefer tonic, but sometimes feel like the less sweet soda. I like my tonic with fresh lime too. I usually drink vodka with tonic to help with cramping (quinine) I may drink it straight as a nightcap before bed.
This stuff is still 80 proof so best if mixed. Use whatever you like with vodka, orange juice, cranberry etc. I like tonic so i can taste the flavor, but can be used as you would any vodka. I love absolute’s own infusions like elderberry flower, it’s delicious!

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Ha! I have 160 proof hand sanitizer… Just saying…

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