Berries
Here are a few tips on planting strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
Blueberries:
- Grow well in this area, preferring acidic soil
- Nice fruit in summer and great fall foliage colour
- Need 2 different varieties to get pollination for fruit production
- Mulch with coffee grounds
- Space plants 5 to 7 feet apart in rows 8 to 10 feet apart
- Dig a hole 2 times the diameter of the plant root ball
- Set plants slightly below the ground level and fill in with soil
- Do not place fertilizer in the planting hole
- Water thoroughly after planting
- Prune out any dead, weak or broken branches
- Add 4 to 6 inch layer of mulch around base of plant (sawdust, wood chips, pine needles, etc)
- 3 to 4 weeks after planting apply 2 oz. of fertilizer (10-10-10, or composted manure) around each plant in a circle 15 to 18 inches from the base of the plant. Generaly blueberry plants do not require high amounts of fertilizer.
At the Market we have several varieties of highbush blueberries including: Berkley, Blue Crop, Blue Jay, Earliblue, Northblue, North Country, Patriot, and Polaris.
Raspberries:
- Plant in shallow trench 3 inches deep and 6 to 9 inches wide
- Place upright 18 inches apart with roots spread out
- Cover roots with 3 inches of soil—firm gently with your foot
- Leave 6 feet of space between rows
- Cut each cane to just above a good bud (9 to 12 inches above ground)
- Berries grow on previous years wood
- An application of manure is ideal in fall
- In spring apply fertilizer or manure (we suggest 6-12-12 or 10-10-10)
Strawberries:
- Plant so base of the crown is at the level of the soil surface—if set too deep the plants will smother, if set too high they will dry out
- Roots should go straight down and be somewhat spread out
- Plant in rows 3 feet apart with plants 24 inches apart
- Remember to pour water around each plant as you set them in the soil
- Apply fertilizer 4 to 6 weeks after planting (we suggest 6-12-12 along both sides of the row and worked in with a hoe)
- Strawberry plantings can be maintained for several years with proper care
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