The ideal soil is free-draining, loamy and compost-enriched. If your soil is heavier (such as clay) or on the lighter side (such as sandy), additions to the soil such as Ican Premium Compost, Ican Planting Mix or Tui Compost are recommended. If the area is wet, creating a raised bed is advisable. When planting, the soil should be prepared with Tui Sheep Pellets, Yates Dynamic Lifter or similar organic matter mixed into it to enrich the structure and fertility. The plants perform better if the roots are kept cool with mulch such as pea straw.
If you have enough room, creating a couple of areas will allow you to grow a good range of berries. An area with a structure such as a trellis, old wire gate or a north-facing fence is the ideal spot to grow and train climbing and rambling types such as thornless blackberries, the boysenberry types and loganberries which all need something to grow on.
Raspberries can be grown in rows without support needed.
Once established, berry plants benefit from being fertilised in September as the plants come into leaf and then again in late December/January. Combined with regular watering and mulching during dry periods, this will ensure a healthy plant and great crops year after year.
Plant selection is the fun part - deciding which varieties to plant while thinking about the berries you want to eat.
Raspberry varieties
Raspberry Aspiring: A favourite as it fruits twice, first in the summer period over December and January followed later in the autumn months with a second crop. This double fruiting trait makes Aspiring a popular choice for the home garden.
Raspberry Mini Me: A recently released raspberry variety, Mini Me makes this even easier for the home garden. It is a true dwarf that grows with a nice round compact habit. The pluses of this variety keep on going; while the plant may be small the fruit is full-sized and delicious. It is self-fertile and thornless. The compact habit makes it ideal for container growing - and perfect for the patio or the smaller garden.
Raspberry Waiau: Very large to medium sweet red berries that are easily removed when ripe around January. It is a strong and productive plant which spreads fast and is one of the easiest to grow.
Raspberry Heritage: Known for exceptionally good quality fruit of delicious large red berries with a harvest season that can extend from February until frosts.
Raspberry Tulameen: Good-sized berries during mid-summer with a deliciously sweet taste. Almost thornless canes.
Raspberry Kaituna: A high-yielding variety with large firm red berries with good flavour that are good for eating fresh from the garden; also for freezing, jam etc. Fruits about late December to early January.
Raspberry Tadmore: A newer cultivar with an unprecedented combination of late maturity and superb fruit quality. Produces heavy crops of bright red berries with a sweet flavour weighing up to 7g each. Fruits have an excellent shelf life, can be eaten fresh from the bush or cooked in sweet dishes, raspberry jams, raspberry gin or frozen. A great variety for beginners, being easy to grow, and great for small spaces or patio growing. The bush itself is compact and virtually spine-free.
There are some fantastic berries to grow at home that need support; there are limitless creative ways this can be achieved. Some of the rambling/climbing berry varieties that are well worth growing include:
Thornless Blackberry Black Satin: Large glossy black conical fruit of excellent sweet flavour. Thornless upright canes of serrated green leaves turn to beautiful dark autumn colours. Grows about 1.8m x 1.5m. Harvest in summer from February to March.
Berry Delight: Delicious large, dark red fruit with a yummy boysenberry/loganberry flavour. Strong-growing, thornless canes that make harvesting easy. Harvest in summer from December.
Thornless Jewel: A boysenberry cross, producing mouthwatering large, almost black berries with that traditional boysenberry taste. It is strong-growing and has thornless canes that make harvesting easy. Harvest in summer from December.
Boysenberry Mapua: Large, delicious berry that crops well. Strong-growing, relatively thornless canes that make harvesting easier. Harvest in summer from December to January.
Bird control is essential for getting a good harvest from your berries. Stakes with bird netting draped over and secured at the ground will keep the birds out.
How many berries to plant is a common question. A general guide is to plant two plants that are ready at the same time for each berry lover in your family. Although I have never yet found anyone who has so many berries they do not know what to do with them.
For more gardening information visit www.springvalegardencentre.co.nz.
* Gareth Carter is general manager of Springvale Garden Centre.
