I don’t see a berry thread for 2021, so I figured I’ll start it off. We’ve been picking several colanders full of strawberries every day from our little patch beside the driveway. This is what I froze from last night’s haul. We’ve been eating a lot of these, giving some away, making jam, and freezing the rest. This is what I froze up last night.
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Here is a few raspberries I’ve been pick’n
Joan J thornless reds. Not too impressed so far.
Mystery Golds that were labeled reds. These are sweet.
The king of raspberries IMO, Blacks! These happen to be Cumberland, 5 gallons so far almost ready to make jelly. If you have never tried black raspberry jelly you’re missing out!
Blackberries to come later.
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@Joe - nice harvest on the strawberries. I have strawberries and love them - I need more.
The varieties I have now are Surecrop (june bearer) and Eversweet and Seascape (everbearing).
We have HOT summers and falls here and I need everbearing varieties that can produce thru that.
Last year the Eversweet did a pretty good job of that, but they were mostly small berries.
I just started SeaScape this spring, will keep the blooms and runners off until August and then see how they do.
@JCW - I just got into raspberries last spring…
I ordered 3 heritage reds, 3 fall golds, and planted those… and well later on figured out I got 3 heritage reds, 2 fall golds, and some type of Mystery Black raspberry.
Last fall we got berries off the Heritage and Fall golds from early Sept, until Dec 3 (our first hard frost). I was impressed.
This spring/summer… My HR’s and a Few FG, started ripening May 26 and the HR’s have produced a BUNCH of berries. Still producing, but slowing down some now. The FG have produced just a few since May 26, but are now starting to put on more berries, as the HR’s are slowing down (nice).
The Mystery Blacks, have mostly tiny black cap type berries… sometimes only 5-6 drupelets in a berry… but then every once in a while (down in the shady areas) I will find some larger black caps (more the size of HR’s).
I tell you one thing about those black raspberries… is not many of those make it back to the house… I eat them while picking. They are so good. I just wish they were larger (like yours).
No idea what Black variety it is that I have, complete Mystery.
I purchased and planted some Ohio Treasure Black (everbearing) this spring, hope they make larger berries.
I have heard that Jewel is a good Black ? You like your Cumberland ?
My wife likes sweeter berries, I like a good combo of sweet and tart.
My preference is like 50/50 sweet tart… hers more like 70/30 sweet tart.
She likes the Fall Gold, they are more sweet.
Is there a nice Sweeter Black Raspberry ? or Red or Gold that you have had good luck with ?
Oh and I have a LoganBerry too, not sweet at all unless you let them get very very ripe… then something like 30/70 on sweet / tart … but the flavor is outstanding. It is by far my most productive berry plant.
Heritage Reds…
Loganberries
TNHunter
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The first time I planted my own strawberries I filled in a 30x30 area with nothing but Surecop and then proceeded to move away from the house that fall, before I got to enjoy any of the strawberries.
I have Earliglow, Jewel, Flavorfest, and AC Valley Sunset.
Raspberries are something I just haven’t gotten around to planting. Part of it is because it grows so quick I can afford to put it off, part of it is because my wife doesn’t want me planting so many things, and part of it is that Fall raspberries are pretty much not an option nowadays with SWD. I WILL get around to it.
My blueberries are coming in good this year. The Bluecrop is so overloaded that I’m concerned the quality of the fruit will suffer. My Berkeley and Earliblue are showing what I think is the “right” amount of fruit relative to number of leaves. Patriot and Blueray were chopped close to the ground but are recovering very nicely, they even have a few berries. Hannah’s Choice and Spartan, also victims of winter foraging, are looking quite sad and will be replaced next Spring if they do not recover.
I have 10 blueberry bushes… 2 are early variety … climax I think and have produced some nice berries the past few weeks.
The others ripen later…powder blue, tiff blue, brightwell.
All are rabbiteye varieties.
Have to fight the birds for them.
TNHunter
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I’m at 10 here, too. I have two of some of my varieties. My grandparents had dozens. Based on some of my obsessive research here and scanning the old GW threads, I think Berkeley might be the variety I liked the most. It was certainly not the most flavorful of my grandfather’s berries but those two bushes were loaded with extra large, mild but sweet berries right in the late July to early August window. The bush would spread wide and grow high if you let it. Early on in the season I never minded picking medium sized berries but it gets more tedious as July drags on and goes into August. Whatever that type was, and I think it was Berkeley, it was perfect. I let the birds eat all of the Berkeley that came in last year. It was only a few handfuls worth. There’s more now so I’m going to have to cover it.
I have Illini hardy blackberry near 20 years.
And have a new bed of ouachita that look like they will be ripening some this next week. My illini are ripening now too… so it looks like they are going to start ripening about the same time.
Not sure how long the ouachita produce… but my Illini will continue to produce nice berries into early August if we get some rain.
Below is a pic of my Illini from previous year.
They taste much like our wild berries but sweeter and much larger too. Like them very much.
I have and harvest lots of wild blackberries too.
Other berries I have had success with and like are goumi … red gem and sweet scarlet. They ripened here May 10-30… quite early.
Others I have tried but not had much luck with yet… honeyberry 3 years no fruit… jostaberry 2 years almost no fruit… same for red currants… 2 years 4 or 5 berries. May be too hot/humid for them here.
TNHunter
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