Plant of the Month
Berries
By Rich Sherman, Horticulturist

It's berry planting season in Southern California and in most warmer climates across the country. Here's some quick tips about Boysenberries, Raspberries, Strawberries and Blueberries - some of our favorite berries!

Boysenberries
Boysenberries are the most productive and adaptable of all the berries. The Boysenberry is like a large blackberry and can be used for canning, cooking (pies), jams, freezing and they taste great right off the vine. Plant them 2-4’ apart in rows that are 6-9’ apart. They’ll be ready for harvest in June.

Raspberries
When choosing a raspberry, look for an ever-bearing variety. These ripen in June-July on the last year’s growth, then again with another crop on the current years growth. Also, ever-bearing varieties have very hardy canes and do not require staking.

Strawberries
Grow them in the full-sun in a well drained mounded soil planted 6-10” apart. They also do well in containers. Look for ever-bearing varieties, we recommend the Sequoia variety because of their large size and great flavor.

Blueberries
There are some great warm-climate Blueberries available now. We recommend the Southern Highbush varieties. They do well in our Southern climate and are semi-self fertile, meaning they do O.K. when planted alone however, they would produce more when planted with another plant for cross-pollination.