Not only should we grow veggies but also fruits of every kind that we can. This post is going to focus on what to do and plant if you want to grow your own small fruits such as berries and grapes.
These little gems are the best to grow for making jams, jellies, fruit leather and your own juices or syrups. Not to mention that growing them yourself will save you oodles of money. Let's face it stores charge a premium for these delicious fruits and the fact is home grown taste WAY better than store bought. There's nothing like picking a fresh raspberry off the vine and popping it in your mouth. Who else is totally craving some vanilla ice cream with fresh berries on top right now?!!
Just like any garden plant they do require work but the payoff is totally worth it. Most of the plants won't produce any berries the first year they are planted but will for many years to come starting the second year. Now just because they are called small fruits does not mean the plants are small or won't take up a lot of room. It just means that the actual fruit is small. Aside from strawberries, which you can grow in a pot, the rest will need lots of room and can grow anywhere from 4-8 feet tall. I have elderberry bushes in my front yard and trust me they definitely get 8' or taller some years unless I prune them back really good in late winter/early spring.
STRAWBERRIES
Strawberries are one of the most popular variety for home growers. The main reason is because they are one of the easier berries to grow and most rewarding crops, as long as you choose the right variety and take a little time to understand how the plants grow. There are 3 main types of strawberries: June bearing, ever-bearing and day-neutral. All three types grow and produce abundantly in Utah.
June bearing produce one very large crop in early summer. Ever-bearing produce two smaller crops, the first in the usual June period and the second in late summer/early fall. Day-neutral produces fruit throughout the season. They start to produce once they reach a determined
maturity level, typically 3 months after planting. They
produce a larger crop in the late spring and late fall,
and a sporadic crop throughout the summer, depending on temperature. If it’s abundance you’re after, stick with June bearing variety.
CANEBERRIES
Caneberries or more commonly referred to as raspberries and blackberrries, are another great variety to grow and will produce abundantly. Why are they called caneberries? Because they grow on woody stems called canes. It's interesting to note that while caneberry plants have perennial roots the actual cane only lives a couple of seasons. Luckily they produce new canes every year that will replace the old dead ones. Make sure you plant these in full sun if you want a bountiful harvest. Somewhere on the east side of your home and a place where they might get a little afternoon shade during the hottest months. If they only receive partial sun you will be sorely disappointed come harvest time at the lack of fruit it has borne. Generally you will be able to begin harvesting the fruit in July- October depending on the weather of course. The other great thing about caneberry plants is that once they are established they pretty much take care of themselves, it's just getting them to that point. Initially they do require extra care and fussing but after that just let them go and they will grow and grow. Also, these types of fruit do best when they are trellised. The canes will break if they don't have something to support them when the fruit gets abundant.
GRAPES
The three best types of grapes for Utah are American bunch grape (Vitis labrusca), European grape (Vitis vinifera) and hybrids(crosses between V. vinifera and several American species). For a more complete listing of common names for these grapes look at this table that USU put together.
Grapes need full sun and survive best when planted in a north south orientation. Grow them along a south facing fence where they can be trellised. Grapes need support to grow, if none is given to them then they will grow where they can find some such as along trees, telephone poles etc; so give them the support they need. There are a few different ways to prune them that will help them grow along the trellis or support. in order for them to have the best chance for growing and surviving there are 3 important prunings that need to happen over the first 3 years of growth. This sheet lays it all out. Yes grapes require some extra TLC to get them going and truly established but they are well worth it. Oh the things you can do with them!
There are many other varieties of small fruits that can be grown but not all can be grown successfully in Utah. If you would like to learn about growing other fruits such as currants, elderberries, gooseberries and chokecherries, the article link at the top of this post from USU is a great resource. If you would like to grow blueberries, well good luck to you. They don't tend to fair too well here in Utah because we have more alkaline soil and water and blueberries love acid. If you want to try your hand at it go for it but it will definitely require a lot of time, patience and perseverance.
These little gems are the best to grow for making jams, jellies, fruit leather and your own juices or syrups. Not to mention that growing them yourself will save you oodles of money. Let's face it stores charge a premium for these delicious fruits and the fact is home grown taste WAY better than store bought. There's nothing like picking a fresh raspberry off the vine and popping it in your mouth. Who else is totally craving some vanilla ice cream with fresh berries on top right now?!!Just like any garden plant they do require work but the payoff is totally worth it. Most of the plants won't produce any berries the first year they are planted but will for many years to come starting the second year. Now just because they are called small fruits does not mean the plants are small or won't take up a lot of room. It just means that the actual fruit is small. Aside from strawberries, which you can grow in a pot, the rest will need lots of room and can grow anywhere from 4-8 feet tall. I have elderberry bushes in my front yard and trust me they definitely get 8' or taller some years unless I prune them back really good in late winter/early spring.
STRAWBERRIES
Strawberries are one of the most popular variety for home growers. The main reason is because they are one of the easier berries to grow and most rewarding crops, as long as you choose the right variety and take a little time to understand how the plants grow. There are 3 main types of strawberries: June bearing, ever-bearing and day-neutral. All three types grow and produce abundantly in Utah.
June bearing produce one very large crop in early summer. Ever-bearing produce two smaller crops, the first in the usual June period and the second in late summer/early fall. Day-neutral produces fruit throughout the season. They start to produce once they reach a determined
maturity level, typically 3 months after planting. They
produce a larger crop in the late spring and late fall,
and a sporadic crop throughout the summer, depending on temperature. If it’s abundance you’re after, stick with June bearing variety. CANEBERRIES
Caneberries or more commonly referred to as raspberries and blackberrries, are another great variety to grow and will produce abundantly. Why are they called caneberries? Because they grow on woody stems called canes. It's interesting to note that while caneberry plants have perennial roots the actual cane only lives a couple of seasons. Luckily they produce new canes every year that will replace the old dead ones. Make sure you plant these in full sun if you want a bountiful harvest. Somewhere on the east side of your home and a place where they might get a little afternoon shade during the hottest months. If they only receive partial sun you will be sorely disappointed come harvest time at the lack of fruit it has borne. Generally you will be able to begin harvesting the fruit in July- October depending on the weather of course. The other great thing about caneberry plants is that once they are established they pretty much take care of themselves, it's just getting them to that point. Initially they do require extra care and fussing but after that just let them go and they will grow and grow. Also, these types of fruit do best when they are trellised. The canes will break if they don't have something to support them when the fruit gets abundant.GRAPES
The three best types of grapes for Utah are American bunch grape (Vitis labrusca), European grape (Vitis vinifera) and hybrids(crosses between V. vinifera and several American species). For a more complete listing of common names for these grapes look at this table that USU put together.
There are many other varieties of small fruits that can be grown but not all can be grown successfully in Utah. If you would like to learn about growing other fruits such as currants, elderberries, gooseberries and chokecherries, the article link at the top of this post from USU is a great resource. If you would like to grow blueberries, well good luck to you. They don't tend to fair too well here in Utah because we have more alkaline soil and water and blueberries love acid. If you want to try your hand at it go for it but it will definitely require a lot of time, patience and perseverance.
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