Small fruits

The majority of small fruit crops‑such as the grape, raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry‑are classified as "berry"‑bearing plants. For our purposes, the term "small fruit crop" has been expanded.

Many areas of the United States offer a great variety of small fruit crops for backyard production. Some, like blueberries, are not adapted to the alkaline soils that characterize most New Mexico gardens. For an uncommon small fruit, gardeners can try tayberries, currants, gooseberries, elderberries, and bush cherries. Improve your chance of success by planting in heavily composted soils in areas with better quality water (low salt levels).

Strawberries are subject to several serious virus diseases, and at one time these threatened to make commercial cultivation quite uneconomic and garden culture most disappointing. However, there has been considerable improvement in the general health of strawberry stocks since the introduction of a government scheme of inspection.

It is of the utmost importance to start with disease-free stock and one should purchase from a grower with a good reputation to maintain.

Site Although the strawberry is of woodland origin, the modern fruit requires all the sun it can get. On the other hand, the site for the strawberry bed needs to be sheltered, for cold spring winds can very seriously check growth. The garden sloping gently towards the south, unshaded but sheltered, will yield the earliest crops.

Although strawberries may be grown in most parts of the world, late spring frosts may be a limiting factor. This can be quite a local problem and if your garden lies in a frost-pocket there is not much you can do about it except to be ready to give some kind of protection with cloches, plastic or row covers to plants in flower or to sidestep the difficulty by growing only the so-called perpetual fruiting types, removing the first trusses of blossom and concentrating on late summer or autumn fruits.

Soil Strawberries do best in a rich medium loam with high humus content. Well-rotted leafmould is an excellent material to incorporate in soils deficient in organic matter, but any other decayed vegetable matter can be used. The site needs to be well drained. Heavy clay, peaty and very light, sandy soils should be prepared well in advance of planting time. Soils with a very high lime content are unsuitable for strawberries.

Preparation Early preparation will not only assist soil improvement but will also ensure freedom from perennial weeds, which can be a considerable nuisance. When digging, rotted farmyard or stable manure should be worked in, 5kg (10lb) per sq. m sq. yd) being regarded as a normal 'dose' and twice this rate is recommended for poor, sandy soil. If a soil test shows low potassium follow with a surface dressing of 28g (1oz) per sq. m sq. yd) of sulphate of potash.

Where no natural manure or garden compost is available 28g (1oz) per sq. m sq. yd) each of superphosphate, sulphate of ammonia and sulphate of potash should be sprinkled over the bed after digging and lightly raked in. If the soil is not already rich in humus, add up to half a bushel of peat per sq. m sq. yd).

Planting Strawberries are usually planted in beds, the rows being 0.7 to lm (2? to aft) apart, the plants 38 to 46cm (15 to 18in) apart in the rows, according to the richness of soil. One reason for early soil preparation is that the soil should be firm.

Summer-fruiting strawberries may be planted either in the late summer to early autumn or even in the spring, provided that in the latter instance all blossom is removed the first summer. The earlier plants can go out, the bigger and stronger plants they will make their first year-so, if you can obtain plants so early, plant in July, August, or even September, but October is late.

The perpetual-fruiting varieties can also be planted in autumn but rooted runners are not available so early. However, as they have time to catch up in spring, October planting is quite satisfactory, provided the soil is workable and will break down to a friable tilth. On cold, heavy soils the planting of perpetual strawberries is probably better deferred until spring.

When ordering, for preference stipulate plants which have been rooted in pots. These will be slightly more expensive but they will transplant more readily, with less root damage, and they will have better root development.

Use a trowel for planting and take a hole out for each plant deep enough to accommodate the roots without bending them. Then return a little soil at the center of the hole to make a mound on which the strawberry plant can 'sit' with its roots spread evenly around it.

The base of the crown should be just at soil level: if it is too high, roots are exposed and dry out, resulting in eventual death of the plant; while if the crown is half buried, it will either produce unwanted weak secondary growths or rot away entirely.

Plant firmly, using the handle of the trowel as a hammer. As you proceed, see that the roots of plants waiting their turn are not exposed to the wind. Finally, rake the bed smooth and give a good watering to settle the soil.

Follow up Keep an eye on the weather and the state of the soil because many strawberry plants are lost or seriously retarded by the effect of drought during the weeks immediately after planting. Also inspect the bed after hard weather, and refirm with your boot any plants, which have been lifted by frost action.

In the early spring scatter fertilizer dressing down the rows at the rate of 56g (2oz) per sq. m sq. yd). This is made up of 1 part of sulphate of potash, 1 part of sulphate of ammonia and 2 parts of superphosphate (all parts by weight). Be careful that these fertilizers do not go on the leaves, and gently rake them into the surface soil. Then apply light mulch of well-rotted farmyard manure, garden compost or peat to help to preserve soil moisture in the event of a spring drought but be prepared to water as well when necessary.

Timing the fruit When, in the spring following planting, the first blossom buds appear, you have to make a major policy decision. First-year flowers on maiden plants will give the earliest crop and the largest individual berries, but if you remove this first year's blossom and wait until the second crop, the yield will then probably be greater than the total of two years' crops on plants fruiting in their first season.

If you are very anxious to secure early fruit and if you are going to protect them with cloches or polythene tunnels, then first-year blossom should be left on. Indeed, where earliness is considered all-important, the strawberries may be treated as an annual crop and a fresh batch of earlies planted every year, to be dug up and burned immediately after harvesting. In such instances, strawberries may take their place in the regular annual rotation of the vegetable garden.

Where size of crop is considered more important than earliness, and the plants are deblossomed in their first year, there is every prospect of the strawberries continuing to yield well for three years, possibly for four.

The perpetual-fruiting varieties, in fact, bear at least two distinct crops. In the first year after planting, the first batch of blossom should be removed to give the plants a chance to gain size and strength. Blossoms appearing after the end of June are allowed to develop and the fruit will be ripe from late summer onwards. In subsequent years, you have the choice between two crops, one in June and one in autumn, and one, larger crop, earlier in autumn or in late summer.

Not long after the berries begin to develop, runners will appear. Unless these are required for propagation they should be cut off at once with scissors so as not to waste the plant's energies. With early-rooted plants set out early, runners may even be produced in the first autumn and these should certainly be removed. Perpetual fruiting varieties tend not to produce runners so freely as the summer-fruiting kinds, but nevertheless these, too, should usually be removed unless required for increase.

Protection Before the first ripening strawberries are heavy enough to weigh the trusses down to the soil, some kind of protection is necessary to prevent the berries being splashed by mud. The traditional method is to lay straw on the soil, barley straw being more easily tucked close to the plants than the stiffer wheat straw and less liable to be a carrier of pests than oat straw. Before putting down the straw, weed by gentle hoeing, handweeding, or spot application of weed killer.

You should not be in too much of a hurry to put down the straw because, as it is light in color, it loses heat rapidly and increases the risk of radiation frost damage to open blossom or tiny fruitlets.

Straw, however, is not always easy to obtain, and you can buy patented strawberry mats or specially made wire supports which hold the berries clear of the soil. Even a scattering of peat is better than nothing.

Slugs can do much damage in a strawberry bed and slug bait pellets should be scattered freely among the plants and kept renewed as necessary during the fruiting season.

Picking
Out of doors the first berries are likely to ripen between four and six weeks from when the blossom opened. The fruit should be picked by taking the stem about 1cm (0.5in) behind the berry between finger and thumb. In this way the berry can be broken off without being touched.

Blackberries are vigorous and exceptionally spiny, hardy perennial cane fruits belonging to the genus Rubus .The species and hybrids listed below are grown for dessert, bottling, tarts, jam and wine.

Blackberries prefer deep, moist and rich loam but are adaptable to light sands and stiff clays, given free drainage and freedom from perennial weeds. Incorporate bulky organic such as farmyard manure, compost, shoddy, and feed with fish- or meat-meal and sulphate of potash. Correct iron deficiency on soils containing free lime by dressings of iron.

Planting sites subject to frost are suitable as flowering is late, in early July. Provide shelter from strong winds for the brittle laterals and tie them into training-wires.

Cultivation Plant first-year plants, shortened to 23cm (10in) in the autumn at up to 3.6cm (12ft) apart, against walls or fences or posts and wires. Train the young replacement shoots has established plants to one side of, or above, the fruiting canes to prevent contamination with fungus diseases. Cut out fruited shoots after harvest.

Propagate by tip layering in June or July, by leaf bud cuttings in August or by rooted suckers in the autumn.

Control greenfly, capsid bug, raspberry beetle and cane spot and destroy plants infected with crown gall.

Released in 1979 by the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute, the tayberry is a cross between a loganberry ('Aughinbaugh' blackberry X red raspberry) and a black raspberry . The tayberry has a growth habit and a fruit similar to the loganberry, which in turn are similar to the blackberry.

Fruit of the tayberry are borne on short, strong laterals on prickly canes 6 to 7 feet long. Tayberry fruit, like that of the raspberry and blackberry, is an aggregate fruit consisting of a collection of drupelets. Plants are very vigorous and require a sturdy trellis for support. Commercial yields can be heavy ‑ up to 12 tons per acre. The juicy fruit are cone‑shaped, deep purple, and up to 1‑1/2 inches long. Like a blackberry, the core remains in the berry when picked. Fruit are somewhat less acid than the loganberry with a strong, slightly tart flavor. Fruit can be eaten fresh. frozen or processed into jams or jellies.

Training and other cultural requirements are similar to those for trailing blackberries . Plants will need protection below -15⁰F. Tayberries make an excellent crop to grow under windows as a home security barrier because the canes are so prickly.

Red currants (Ribes sativum) and gooseberries (Ribes grossularia) grow best in higher elevations of New Mexico under cool, moist growing conditions. Both can be grown in warmer areas of the state in partial shade or with a northern exposure. Avoid exposures subject to dry, desiccating winds. Currants and gooseberries are quite hardy (down to ‑40⁰F), but bloom early in the season, requiring good air drainage to protect them from late frosts.

Gooseberries reach a mature height of 4 to 5 feet with compact arching canes. Canes are thorny. Currants grow 4 to 6 feet tall and have thornless canes. Both are deciduous shrubs.

Plants prefer well‑drained, loamy to clay soils with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. Complete a soil test before planting to determine initial fertility levels, pH, and salt content. Add ample quantities of compost and/or peat moss to help improve the soil structure and waterholding capacity.

Plant I ‑ or 2‑year‑old plants early in the spring 4 to 5 feet apart in the row. Remove any damaged roots from bareroot plants before planting. Set each plant I to 2 inches deeper in the garden than it was grown in the nursery. Cut the canes back to within 5 inches of the soil surface. Water immediately

Maintaining the plants requires good fertilizer and pruning programs. Mulch the plants with compost, which improves the soil and keeps it from drying out. Under good soil conditions, plants should thrive with an annual spring application of a low analysis fertilizer (such as 10‑10‑10) at a rate of 1/4 to 1/3 cup per plant.

Red currants produce most of their cluster‑type fruit on spurs 2 to 3 years old. Remove older canes.

Gooseberries tend to bear somewhat heavier and earlier than red currants on 1‑year‑old and older canes. Fruit are borne singly along the canes. To prune both currants and gooseberries, remove any canes older than 3 years and thin the younger canes. Each bush should ideally have a combination of canes 1, 2, and 3 years old. Leave no more than 6 to 10 canes per bush. Both currants and gooseberries eventually form a hedge.

Pick red currants when they are soft and have a deep red color. Pick gooseberries when they reach full size and the berries turn slightly pink or red. Both can be eaten fresh or used in juice, jam, jelly, and pie. Currants tend to have a milder flavor than gooseberries.

'Red Lake' and 'Perfection' are two of the most popular red currants with medium‑sized fruit borne in loose clusters. 'Pixwell' and 'Welcome' are popular gooseberries with half‑inch berries. Both red currants and gooseberries are generally self‑fruitful, so only one variety is necessary for pollination.

The most common elderberry in the United States is the American elderberry, or sweet elder (Sambucus canadensis). Reaching a mature height of 8 to 12 feet, it's a vigorous grower. Thick clusters of numerous creamy white flowers are borne on five‑stemmed, umbellate cymes (flat inflorescence). The elderberry produces round, 1/4‑inch purple‑black berries. The juicy fruit are a rich source of iron and vitamin C. Berries are used for making jelly, jam, pie, juice, and wine. Seeds are quite large and can become a nuisance if they get stuck in your teeth.

Elderberries will thrive in most soils but prefer loams. Light, sandy soils should be well‑conditioned with ample quantities of compost and/or peat moss to hold water. Don't allow elderberries to be stressed for moisture, and protect them from dry winds, especially during fruit development. Mulch the roots to help control weeds and keep the soil moist. No fertilizer is required the first year, assuming they are planted in a fertile soil. In the spring of each following year, apply a balanced fertilizer at moderate rates.

Elderberries are partially self‑fruited, but their yields will increase significantly with cross‑pollination from another variety. Fruit are produced on I‑ to 3‑year‑old wood. To prune, remove wood older than 3 years and thin weak wood to encourage strong growth of new wood.

Harvest the berries by removing the whole cluster with pruning shears. Then strip the berries into a clean bucket for processing. Strain the seeds from the juice and sweeten the juice with sugar. Popular varieties include 'Adams', 'Johns', 'Nova' 'Kent', and 'York'.

The Nanking cherry (Prunus tomentosa) is one of the most popular cherries growing to a mature height of 10 feet. This deciduous shrub bears white to pinkish flowers early in the spring. The half‑inch diameter, tart, red fruit are similar to sour pie cherries and make excellent pies, jellies, and jams.

The Nanking cherry makes an excellent windbreak for home gardens. Its relatively short height makes it easy to protect from light frosts in the spring with a tarp or blanket.

Hansen's bush cherry (Prunus besseyi) is somewhat more tolerant than the Nanking cherry. Small, white flowers that blossom in the spring produce purplish black fruit on a 4‑ to 6‑foot shrub. The tart, tangy fruit are used in pies, preserves, and sauces The silvery green leaves turn crimson red in the fall, making it an excellent multipurpose shrub for landscaping and fruiting.

Ground cherries are not cherries (prunus) at all but because of the similarity in appearance are so named. A member of the nightshade family they are sometimes grown in garden.. Ground-cherries are cherry sized but they look like miniature tomatoes (to which they are related) covered with a papery husk.

The technical term is Chamaesaracha coronopus and because of their unusual wrapping they are part of a group of plants known as the Chinese lantern family.

Ground-cherries grow from low spreading perennials. The berry can be green or purple but is most commonly yellow. It gives off a sweet slightly musky smell that sometimes tastes plummy or even slightly appleish. The plant grows easily along roads and cultivated land in many parts of North America. In cold climates it is usually grown indoors and transplanted because it rarely survives our winters.

Because they grow so easily on farmland, they can become a pest, particularly in the American south west. Most gardeners treat them as a weed and control them with a combination of mechanical tillage and chemical herbicides.

This is unfortunate because the ripe fruit is delicious. It can be eaten fresh (peel off the papery covering), or made into compotes, preserves and jams like other berries. When not yet ripe (if the stem end is still green) ground-cherries taste bland and look like tomatillos, a standard ingredient in Mexican salsas.

Another member of the same family is the garden huckleberries. which has dark fruit and is used in ways similar to the true huckleberry or blue berry. For additional information Click here: huckleberry.html

*It should be noted that some people are allergic to members of the solanum family and therefore should be cautious in eating these fruits.

Juneberries

In the genus Amelanchier (Rose family), the Juneberry, Amelanchier alnifolia, known as serviceberry, saskatoon, sarvisberry, and shadbush, is a widely distributed slender shrub that can grow from 6 to 15 feet in height at maturity. Plants prosper over a wide range of soil types and pH variations. Drooping white flowers give rise to dark purple blueberrylike berries that mature in midsummer. Flowers are borne on 2-year and older wood. Prune a mature bush so five to seven shoots remain.

In the past, North American Indians prized the fruit for making pemmican, a dry mixture of fruit, meat, and suet. Today, people eat the berries fresh, use them in preserves, and make them into wines. Fruit harvested at an early stage of maturity have a higher pectin content and are more suitable for preserves. More mature fruit, having higher sugar content, are better suited for wine. Juneberries have no serious insect or disease problems; birds feeding on ripe berries can quickly strip the bushes.

Highbush cranberry, Viburnum trilobum, also called the American cranberrybush, forms an open, spreading bush that grows from 6 to 13 feet; a dwarf type grows to half that height. Highbush cranberry shrubs display showy white flowers in the spring. Bright scarlet fruit mature during late July. You can use the berries as a substitute in cranberry sauce if you strain the large seeds out first. Particularly high in pectin, the fruit is suitable for preserves. While cooking, add lemon or orange peel shavings to eliminate the odor the berries give off. Highbush cranberries have no reported serious insect problems. Powdery mildew may occur in limited air movement. The plants are hardy enough to grow anywhere in Washington.

Evergreen huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum, is an evergreen shrub that can grow to 2 to 3 feet in full sun (twice as tall in the shade). Its blackish berries covered by a white bloom make the evergreen huckleberry a strikingly attractive ornamental. The fruit are used in preserves, and cut branches often are used in flower arrangements. Like other Vaccinium species, this one thrives in acidic soil. A closely related species, the red huckleberry, Vaccinium parvifolium, produces small, clear red berries on a slow-growing, spreading bush that prefers partial shade and an acidic, humus-rich soil.

Although blue berries usually require acid soils and therefore will not do well in most New Mexico alkaline soils some varieties are being developed that will grow in neutral soils. For this reason, I have added this link for help on growing blueberries.

In the last 5 years, researchers have developed dwarf, or so-called half-high blueberries, by crossing the standard highbush blueberry, noted for its large fruit size and productivity, with the lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, low in stature and cold-hardy. This cross produces a winter-hardy plant that can survive the extreme low winter temperatures of the upper Midwest. In the Pacific Northwest, these plants have become desirable landscape plants that require minimum care and produce edible fruit. Popular cultivars are Northcountry, Northblue, and Northsky. While the yield of these cultivars will never match that of standard highbush types, they have a place in the container garden or container situations.

Lingonberry, also known as the mountain cranberry and foxberry, Vaccinium vitis-idea, is a low-growing, evergreen groundcover, producing red new growth that later turns a glossy green. It grows to a height of 6 to 12 inches and prefers partial shade and a large amount of water during the summer. Clusters of white, urn-shaped flowers produce bright red, tart berries that mature in August and September, but may persist on the bushes all winter. Berries are tart to bitter when first picked, but their flavor improves when picked after the first frost. Fruit are highly regarded for use in preserves and syrups; use them as substitutes for the true cranberry. The plants are hardy enough to grow almost anywhere.

Another small fruits that may be tried are the hardy kiwi. For information, Click here: Hardy Kiwi