Berries are not only delicious but also versatile. Enjoy them fresh, freeze them for smoothies, or turn them into jams and sauces. With their vibrant colours and health benefits, berries add beauty and bounty to any garden .
Growing Tips for Berries
Position: Choose a sunny spot with adequate moisture, especially during fruiting.
Soil: Improve soil with compost before planting. For pots, use a high-quality mix like Oderings Shrub & Tub.
Mulch: Retain moisture and suppress weeds with mulch such as pea straw or bark.
Support: Set up trellises or stakes before planting for varieties that need them.
Protection: Use bird netting to safeguard your crop.
Berry Varieties to Try
Cane Fruit
Blackberry: Produces rich, dark fruit with a sweet, intense flavour. Best left on the vine for a week after colouring for optimal taste.
Boysenberry: A hybrid of blackberry, boysenberries are large, purple, and sweet, perfect for desserts like crumbles.
Loganberry: Thornless and tart, these blackberry-raspberry hybrids are great for jams. Grows best with strong support.
Raspberry: Known as the "Ida Berry" by ancient Greeks, raspberries are prized for their flavour. These upright canes need staking.
Bush Fruit
Blueberry: High in antioxidants, blueberries thrive in slightly acidic soil. They have attractive blue-green foliage and ripen from December to February.
Cranberry: A cousin of blueberries, cranberries produce vibrant red fruit in April and turn purple in winter. They take 2–3 years to bear fruit.
Gooseberry: Ripening in late spring, gooseberries prefer a touch of afternoon shade. The "Invicta" variety is mildew-resistant and vigorous.
Orangeberry: Doubling as a ground cover, orangeberries yield small, bell-shaped orange fruit with a tangy flavour.
Get ready to plant your berries for next summer’s harvest! With a little care and preparation, you can enjoy the taste of fresh, home-grown berries straight from your garden.
