Supposed to be 25 for a high on Sunday, and then a low of 5 that night! Coldest night in two years here. I think the coldest it was last winter was about 10 for a couple nights.
Sure hope my canes survive this deep freeze. My Triple Crown canes are on a wire trellis 2 and 4ft above ground. All my new UA berries aren’t trellised at all, just standing somewhat upright. They have pretty much shed their leaves via the cold or stripped by deer.
I thought I could see fruiting buds on the junctions of the canes and leaf stems. I also noticed buds on the wild canes.
My 7 raspberries’ canes aren’t trellised either, but I’m not as worried about the cold’s effects on them.
Once your berries meet their chill hours requirements, you may see bud activity when the weather warms up for a few days. Happens frequently in February. Low chill varieties are especially prone to this…like Sweetie Pie Blackberry or Kiowa.
Well, I hope they’re not about to bloom yet, or am I being a bit paranoid? We have had a very cold late fall and early winter so far, so maybe they are getting close to fulfilling their chill hour requirements.
By the way how can you tell if a cane didn’t make it through winter? Will it turn black, or do you just have to wait until spring to see if it sprouts leaves and buds?
Regarding raspberries, the ones that were planted and made it through last year for us were Prelude, Killarney, Fall Gold, Nova, Caroline, Bristol and Mac Black. I planted Eden and Anne a couple years ago, but got no fruit off Eden and just a few from Anne. Each variety has produced at least a couple canes, some four or five, of various lengths, albeit spindly.
All the rasp canes look pretty puny, so I hope they perk up this spring, and produce some new canes.
There really isn’t you can do about the blackberry plants if they start blooming early. They do have secondary buds if the primaries get frozen.
You can see signs of winter damage on the canes in late winter. I don’t have any pictures to post but you can probably do a search on Google and check the ‘images’ section. The exception, of course there is an exception, is that some damage may not present itself until the cane enters into a period where it is stressed, like at bloom (flower) time. Again, not really anything you can do.
Other than replanting your raspberries in a better spot, you might try adding some Hollytone or a light sulfur additive around them in late Winter or early Spring. Raspberries appreciate slightly acidic soil.
Additionally, I only plant summer-bearing raspberries now because the Fall crops usually arrive around when SWD is active.
I can agree with the cold late fall commnt….but not the cold early winter comment. Kentucky had a cold November, but an above average December and first week of January.
Even this week 3 out of 7 days will be about average to above on Saturday (with thunderstorms).
Then, the bottom drops out Sunday and Monday, but only for a couple days.
I’ll hush and let the conversation get back to Marionberries.
To get back to marionberries, these thornless types sound worth trying if anything like the real deal which are amazing. Since it is a sport it is probably excellent too. I hope these make it out to us soon! I would definitely purchase plants. Thanks for posting this!
OK, thanks, I guess we’ll see how they fare this weekend and the rest of the winter.
I did put a small handful of Hollytone around them last spring after they sprouted, and will do so again in a couple months.
I have some “kicker” Nitrogen fertilizer which is 27-0-0, with added Sulfur, but I’d worry about giving the plants too much N, which would give them a bunch of vegetative growth but no fruit. What do you think?
I had a soil test done on the plot they’re in and its pH was 6.0 a year ago. So, it should be okay in that regard.
Well, that is partially true, as there are several plots that have been sampled and tested as acidic. The farther down the hill the better the nutrient profile and higher the pH.
Over the last couple years I’ve added a lot of lime to get the pH up, and added fertilizer to get the key nutrients up.
My bloobs have struggled, I lost my Bluecrop and Nelson plants. I don’t know if it was because they were in a water logged area or if I didn’t fertilize them enough. I tend to think it was the former.
The two that croaked were about 8ft below the other two, so they were in a higher water table I guess. I did notice that on both of them it also looked like a few of the canes were invaded by some cane borer, as there was frass or sawdust like material under them. They may have attacked the canes after they were dead, I don’t know.
So I’m down to a Patriot and Blueray bush. The Patriot, which is no more than one-two foot tall, and bushier, gave me 5 berries last year. The Blueray has a couple tall 2ft canes, but didn’t fruit.
Yes probably wet feet. The borers could be a problem, or just taking advantage of a compromised plant. Yes growing plants can be very difficult at times! Try some rabbiteyes. next time you feel like taking them on again, if ever?
I might try rabbiteyes, but I’m thinking that we got enough stuff- dozens of berry plants and about 30 trees is almost overwhelming, and none of my trees have even produced yet.
Yeah, I’ve had some misses with quite a few berry plants, this is a list that’s either never sprouted or later croaked-
Double Gold raspberry (twice)
Caroline rasp
Prelude rasp
Joan J rasp
Royalty rasp
Nelson blueberry
Bluecrop bloob
Hinnomaki Red gooseberry (twice)
Crimson Passion tart cherry bush
25 each of Jewel and Earliglo strawberries
A moment of silence for the dearly departed…
The strawberries were an odd case, two years ago I planted them, then we had a bad flash floods the next day and almost all were washed up, so I pulled them up and re- bagged them and waited until it dried out. Well, after a couple weeks of waiting they sprouted in the bag. I planted them a week later and they never came up. Thankfully Nourse sent me 50 replacements for free, and those later all came up. I lost a few last year, but that’s normal.
Yes, you have a point there. I removed most of my blackberries, ones I didn’t really care for, and elderberries too, as I don’t really like them at all. And I removed a lot of red currants, but plan to replace them with Rovada red which has bigger berries that are easy to harvest. So I hear on that. The blackberries were really hard to maintain. thye kept getting away from me. The western trailing I kept are fairly wimpy plants that are much easier to manage.
ROLFLMAO!
Excellent!, Some tree fruit is very amazing. I love stone fruit. I like apples too, but my wife is so picky about them it’s best not to grow any. It would be hard to pick ones she likes. So far she only likes Fuji and Honeycrisp. And they are all over, no point in growing them here. I don’t wish to grow fruit I can easily purchase.
Of the dozen or so blueberry plants, three of them are rabbiteye. They can grow this far North and fruit every year. Mine are about 6-7ft and productive but fruit late in the year. By the time they are ready to pick, I’m tired of picking blueberries. They also have a slightly gritty consistency. It’s cool to have fresh blueberries but I’ll have to admit they are not much better than just buying them at the grocery store.
Thanks for the info. I’m too far north to grow them. But heck i have honeyberries and black currants. Black currant syrup is about the best thing on earth! It’s an acquired taste. But is becoming one of my all time favorite berry.flavors. They are terrible fresh! Processing only! Much like a raw cranberry, but cranberry products are very good! I’m cloning three plants and buying two new ones. Honeyberries can be astringent but Aurora has a very nice flavor,it is tart, not astringent. I need more that taste like that. Trying others that are supposed to be sweeter. And also other cultivars besides Aurora from the University of Saskatchewan. I’m buying three more. And I will be cloning Aurora eventually too.
I scored a lot of rare figs this winter, and also much plum and peach scion. I’m excited about the plums (and pluots) as they take so easily. My optimism is reserved for the peach scion. Not always easy to get takes. I got 7 last year, so I’m actually good if all fail. I have a nice selection already.
I also grew out some pluot seeds and peach too of intentional crosses. having fun keeping them alive. 2 peaches 7 pluots.
I have a seedling Morus nigra (black mulberry) and these mulberries are considered the best. just about any Morus nigra. Some say the best fruit of anything. Well this one is from a tree in Bulgaria that is growing in zone 6. These trees usually fare poorly in any zone less than 8, so hoping it will work. I’m growing it in a container. it is in the garage with my figs. It is only 12 inches tall right now. Hope it makes it there. I will graft at a later date but plan to protect this mother tree.
I have two mature black current plants (Blackdown and Titiana) that produced a nice bounty last year until something ate all of them in one evening. I’m going to protect them better this year. Yes, fresh, they taste like kerosene but add sugar and some processing and they do have a unique and rewarding flavor. I planted a couple of red currants late last year and also have five gooseberry plants in various stages of growth. I may need your advice on how to prepare gooseberries for jam.
I’m moving all of my western trailing blackberries to pots so that I can separate them from the red necked cane borers. I would like to get to try Tayberries…I have a single, puny plant but may purchase another one this spring. I was not really a fan of loganberries (no flavor), so I hope tayberries are better.
I have a nicely potted Nightfall Blackberry plant that should produce a decent amount of berries this year. They are supposed to be one of the best ‘processing’ blackberry varieties. I picked that one up in Portland OR when I was on a business trip there last year and brought it back on the flight home (yes, committed
Red currants have a rather simple flavor… I like syrups out of them, and add a little to water. It’s refreshing that way. My recipe for syrups is simple. First you need a sieve or strainer fine enough to catch raspberry seeds. I bought a couple of them when I found them. I like using a pestle to push as much pulp through as possible since it is high in fiber. I found the pestle easy to use.
So I use 2 pounds of berries, or 1000 grams. I add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. I’m usually working with frozen berries, so I put on 2 or 3 low setting till they melt, then bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes stirring fairly well to prevent any scorching. Most berries will burst by this point, especially if frozen first, if not boil longer.
Now I run through the strainer. At this point, the raw unsweetened syrup can be used for jam too. I like to use 4 cups of this for jam, not sure how many cups this produces as it doesn’t matter for the syrup recipe.
I add 150 grams of sugar, original recipe call for 6 ounces or 180 grams. I sometimes use 75 grams sugar, recipe calls for caster or fine sugar, but I use regular sugar. and 75 grams of a sugar substitute. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes, and you are done.
Sometimes the stuff wants to gel, so stir while cooling and remove any gel that forms. I found you can somewhat stir it back into solution.
I put in bottle and freeze till I need it. It probably will last at least 3 weeks in the fridge.
You could also prep for sterile storage in canning jars so you can store at room temp.
Just thought I would mention recipe for those who want to make a syrup. With black currants I add juice and zest of one or two lemons.
Syrups can be combined with vinegar for a salad dressing, used over ice cream, add to water about an 8-1 ration of water to syrup for a cordial. I like to add other flavors too. Like stuff they sell to make flavored water such as Crystal Light.liquid. Something in there that really brings out flavor.A mint garnish too You can make freeze pops, or put in tea, I like to mix 2 ounces of syrup and 1 ounce of vodka and top with lemonade as a nice mixed drink. You could probably make Margaretta’s with it, or martini’s.
You can buy strainers at many places that sell kitchen supplies or online. Here is what mine looks like. Even raspberry seeds can be removed with these.
I’ve read you and JT’s comments on currants, and how the black varieties can be rather bad tasting fresh. But, what about the red and white versions, do they taste better off the vine? I’m not too interested in planting any, but was curious. I’ve heard good things about Rovada.
I love peaches, that’s why I have planted four of them over the last three years. Back home in OK, there is a place called Porter and they are famous for their peaches. So, a bit of nostalgia. But, I know it may be an exercise in futility, considering the late spring freezes we get. Same with the pluots I planted last year. I read on here on how home grown stone fruit blow away store bought, so I thought we might get lucky every few years. Funny how you are about 300 miles north and you get them just about every year, but here we’re lucky to get them once every three or four years. Must be a micro climate that’s conducive to peaches. I know Michigan does grow a lot of them, though.
Regarding apples, yes, I like them most of the time but not crazy about them, so why I planted 17 apple trees is a bit crazy. Guess I got a bit carried away.
I think you told me before which varieties you had before. Wasn’t one of them Poorman? I have that one, but after two years in the ground it’s still only about 12-18" tall. How big should they be after two or three years? I also have a Jeanne, same age, about the same size. My other GB, an Oregon Champion is over two feet tall and doing very well, it even gave us some berries last year. It’s the same age as the other two.
They are rather tart and best processed. If you must eat these types raw, buy the pink ones
Gloire des Sablons or Pink Champagne. These are still tart but rather tasty fresh. Let them hang a long time, when you think they are ready, wait another week. The red, whites, and pinks do not have a rich complex flavor like the blacks. I still like them, many do not. Like I had some rather bland peaches, and I made crisps and added red currants. Wow, extremely good! It added the zing (acid mostly) the peaches were lacking.
In my opinion it’s the Great Lakes acting as a buffer. I’m in zone 6a if you go directly west past Lake Michigan the zones start to drop to 5 and 4. When the air pases the Great lakes the temp of the lake warms or cools the air. Today’s water temp of Lake Huron, the closest Great lake to me is 32F current air temp here is 29F when the northern winds come and are colder than 32F the lake will warm the winds. The lakes slow the cooling and slow the warming so temps are very consistent, and this is what protects us.
We are the 6th largest producer of peaches in the states. We produce more Northern Hughbush blueberries than any other state, but not the most blueberries. In the USA Today 2018 top ten grape regions, one region here placed third. Beating all but one California region. The Finger Lakes in NY won top spot.
Yes, Poorman, also Hinnomaki Red, Jeanne, and Black Velvet. I think the only one of these that produced and I was able to protect, was Jeanne. It was loaded! The largest one is probably 3x3ft. The Black Currants are larger. Poorman was decent off of the plant…it just takes a bit to get used to the tougher skin.
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