Berries comin' on

Blueberries!

My daughter actually harvested the first blueberry on Memorial Day. I picked about 20 yesterday. All in all, a small harvest, but I have been acidifying and "babying" these plants for three years. There are still several bushes that did not bloom this year, so zero berries from them. Gardening is a learning process, and I knew significant soil amending of our Missouri clay would be necessary to create the right environment for blueberries. I am getting closer to getting this process right since this is my best yield so far!

Blackberries

My son's blackberries are doing well again, and this is only their second season in the yard. These are thornless and we have supported them with a combination of bamboo stakes and wattle fencing made from pruned weedy yard shrubs. These need no additional soil amending, just fencing protection from the nibbling bunnies.

Raspberries

I love raspberries and have spent a few years coddling the one bare root raspberry twig I purchased from our local farm store. Last year, it  produced several handfuls of berries, then last fall I noticed the main bush had some sucker spread. This spring I added two more plants in hopes I will ultimately get a row of raspberry bushes. I had considered moving the first bush, but it seems happy enough to spread and produce, so I consider that success. I will need to get some bird netting coverage to protect the berries though, because as soon as they get pink the crows arrive to eat my harvest. They don't bother the blackberries at all, but these red raspberries are apparently food beacons to the birds.