Hi all! I’m moving into a new house and our back yard unfortunately faces north, so I’ve got some sun along the back edge of our yard but the house casts varying amounts of shade on each potential spot. Will you help me rank each of these different berries (already purchased so not in need of other suggestions) in order of which I should plants in the area with the most sun down to which can tolerate the least amount of sun? (I grew Caroline raspberries at a different house and they did great with only 4-5 hours of sun, so I know that not every berry needs a full 8+ hours). I’m in hot/humid 7a in Bethesda MD and temps often get up into the mid 90s if that matters. All will be in raised beds.
Would help to know where you are. I would say the blackberry needs the most light…raspberries and blueberries can grow with shade but harvest will reduce quite a bit as it gets towards full shade. Red currants and haskaps(honeyberries) as well as elderberries seem to do well in more shady areas without as much of a production drop off
Thanks Carlin! I wrote “ I’m in hot/humid 7a in Bethesda MD and temps often get up into the mid 90s if that matters. All will be in raised beds.” just before I listed the berries.
Jen
Its probably down to variety on all those and i am not sure but would say probably blueberries or raspberries on that list need the most sun and the blackberries will do with the least? but all those really enjoy sun and produce more in more sun. If its really shaded and they do not get more than 4+ i think you should listen to @Carlin and go with his honeyberry currant and elderberry recommendations.
I am about an hour from you and have grown all of those but double gold. I would not put the blueberries in a low sun area, I have some getting only a couple hours and I get no fruit on them at all. They used to get sun but the tree next to them got a lot bigger…
I have grown both raspberries and blackberries in very low sun areas, even less than two hours a day. I always got berries, but the more the shade the fewer the berries. I had blackberries in 2-3 hours for several years but decided it was not worth the measly harvest. But some with 4-5 hours were OK, and similar for raspberries. My guess though is you will get 3x the harvest in full sun.
Zone 7a is borderline for the northern berries (haskap, currants, etc). May work, may not? I’m in 6a. I have raspberries up against my house. All they get is eastern or early sunlight. By 2pm they are in the shade. They grow fantastic. I also have a patch with southern exposure. The ground is lower, although they are in raised beds, it’s still low. The wall rasps are in ground. The eastern exposure out preforms the southern. I would shade them during the hottest part of the day. Blueberries can take fun sun just fine, at least for me. But they need to be heavily mulched and the soil must be acidic or forget it. Here too you are in a zone where northern blueberries may not do well. Rabbiteye might be better? Ask local blueberry growers.
They all work fine here, but the northern high bush have done the best. They are in full sun and seem to love it. I agree for the rasps that afternoon shade helps.
Thank you all — yes, when my Caroline raspberry did great at my previous house where I had them planted on the east side right up against my house - Morning sun until noon or 1pm max and they did great. I was guessing the blackberries would need the least since they grow in the Pacific Northwest so well, followed by raspberries, and then blueberries. Sounds like My instinct was probably not way off.
Interesting. Where my grandparents lived in New Hampshire, there are lots of wild (or naturalized?) blueberries, and while the ones that get more sun definitely do bear more heavily, there are bushes in part shade that still bear well and bushes in pretty heavy shade that still bear something. (More shaded bushes do tend to be leggier.)
@GeorgiaGent, you had me rethink my plans and yes, I have changed my mind and will put the blueberries in our front yard along to front porch where they’ll get sun and look pretty, too. Certainly prettier than brambleberries! Thanks for the suggestion.
Jen
