Thoughts on tayberries? I am excited to try them! Was kind of hard to find sellers, I only found Isons and Burpee. Do they runner as badly as regular raspberries? Do I need to prune to increase yields?
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I’ve had them for a few years. They don’t produce runners. The canes can grow up to 15 feet or so. I’ve got the space and a fence and I can weave them through so I don’t do much pruning. They are quite productive this way, I could pick a bowl full every day or two for fresh eating and managed to make a batch of jam and froze 3+ lbs of berries off of two plants
@757Will — I have considered Tayberry myself… mostly because of SWD here (early July, thru August) seems to be my peak pest time.
And Tay’s are supposed to be Early…
I have this document on Blackberry/Red Raspberry hybrids that list many by Ripening date.
Logans are at the top… then Tayberry, then Newberry.
They made some comments on each.
NOTE… I found a Guy on youtube last year growing both Logan and Tay… and he said his Tay ripened almost 2 weeks earlier than his Logans.
I have a Loganberry and it is my TOP Producing cane berry (Ripens May 22 thru early July)… 2 crowns and they send out some very vigorous canes, that will grow 15 ft long easily… 2 crowns covers a 8 x 12 trellis and runs off the ends, and would go across the yard (if not pruned).
I think the document above was produced by those out West Oregon berry breeders.
I lost the source for it (link) but still have the hard copy printed out and scanned.
Obsidian is the earliest ripening Trailing Blackberry in their list and I am considering adding it too. I think it would ripen Blackberries and finish before July for me… which is what I need.
Silvan is another I am considering…
I have my Loganberry planted in a morning sun only location… it gets lots of morning sun, until about noon, then indirect light the rest of the day… It LOVES that location and is thriving and produces a BUNCH of really nice berries.
TNHunter
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I have questions about the accuracy of this chart for tayberries (I believe this is the Oregon state chart). We did receive our plants from a friend so I can’t guarantee with100% certainty they are tayberries like they told us they were. My canes are quite thorny and everywhere else I’ve found info on them describes them as being thorny. Fruit definitely was damaged when we had the heat dome hit us and it well over 100 degrees here last June though, but so was everything else in the yard
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Yeah, as far as I can tell the thorns are more on the raspberry side which isn’t that bad.
They don’t look big but they are a ton of them and they are quite sharp. They will prick you good, even the small ones on the underside of the leaf stems. I wear gloves if possible if I have to handle them.
I have to agree it is strange the chart says they are thornless. I will update my experience in the Spring with them. I will try tayberries from two sources. I probably wont get any fruit this year, so not sure I will be able to compare ripening.
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From what I have heard Tay’s and Logans are similar in size and color…
That is my Logans from June 8 last year.
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Yeah those look almost identical. How is the flavor with your logans?
The Flavor of Logans is very intense… One Green World (where I got mine… which are thornless) says Rich Delicious Flavor and they say it makes great Syrup, Preserves and Pie.
I never noticed they did not mention Sweet in there anywhere… and well they did not lie.
Logans are not sweet, quite tart, but very flavorful… if you wait until they are about to perish on the cane, deep purple and shriveling some… they do get sweeter and that is ideal time to pick.
I can eat them alone, no problem, but my wife has a hard time (she prefers sweet stuff).
If you eat a few logans with some other sweeter berries, like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries… out of this world combo.
When I eat berries it is almost always a mix of berries, and logans are great for that.
This morning for breakfast… french toast… with loganberry topping.
A 3/4 pint jar of frozen logans and a few heritage raspberries… simmered with some maple syrup… very very good. I sort of took a chance ordering a Loganberry a few years ago… and very glad I did. Makes me want to try some others.
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Yeah I probably wouldn’t enjoy that one for fresh eating. I think tayberry will be much better suited for my taste. That does sound good in jams/preserves.
Per 2020 OGW catalog…
Tayberry is a cross of logan and a black raspberry.
Vigorous, easy to grow, abundant crops very large reddish black berries, great for preserves and ice cream toppings.
They never mention SWEET on Tay’s, Logans, or Silvan.
On Logans and Sylvan they do mention excellent flavor or rich delicious flavor.
That is just catalog talk though… but usually when a berry is at least somewhat sweet, they don’t leave that word out.
@757Will — pretty sure below is the YT Vid that I watched last year… on Logans and Tay’s.
He shows them both up close and talks about berry ripening and flavor.
I think he is in the UK and is the one that said that his Tayberry ripens before Logans.
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That is very true, but from what little info I can find on them, they are suppose to be very sweet.
@757Will … the guy in those vids… has both for 20+ years…
Per him the Tays are very thorny… and he shows that… the logans are thornless.
He does say his tays flower and ripen fruit a couple weeks earlier than his logans… and he shows that…which interest me.
At the end he says the flavor is a little different on the two but he never says one is sweeter than the other.
He recommends eating raspberries fresh… and using logans and tays for jams… which makes me think that neither is sweet… but both are very flavorful.
I would like to know if tays are sweeter myself… but even if they taste very similar… with no difference in sweetness… getting a ripe berry a week or two earlier would be worth growing it for me.
I have grown them for eight years. Tayberries that is. They are very sweet when fully ripe. Seem low acid to me. Taste more like strawberries than raspberry or blackberry. A very unique flavor. I love mixing them with boysenberry for jam. Outstanding.
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I’d also call Tayberry a sweeter berry. My wife doesn’t really care for tart things and she’d tell you they are tarter than a raspberry. I do enjoy the jam I make out of them.
can either of you confirm that tays ripen b4 or after logans in your location ?
Here in TN my logans ripen may 25 to July 5.
Thanks
@TNHunter sorry I can’t confirm. I don’t know when Logans ripen where I am. Tayberries here in the PNW have a similar window as I had been harvesting for a two weeks or so before we had the heat dome in midJune and we had a couple weeks afterwards where berries were still produced
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