Berry, berry good

Homegrown grapes and berries burst with flavor

Easy to grow and delicious, thornless varieties of blackberries created by University of Arkansas researchers put the spiny wild sort to shame.
Easy to grow and delicious, thornless varieties of blackberries created by University of Arkansas researchers put the spiny wild sort to shame.

"Locally grown" and "fresh from the garden" are hot commodities nationwide. Everyone is getting into the act of growing their own gardens or trying to buy from farmers markets.

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Blackberries aren’t picky about soil, as long as it drains well. Give them room to expand.

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Strawberries are perennials in the home garden, multiplying every year.

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Wet soil is death to strawberries, which are best planted on low mounds.

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Blueberries star as an edible ornamental in the home landscape.

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Requiring well amended, well drained, acidic soil and irrigation in summer droughts, blueberries also like mulch.

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Raspberries have small blossoms.

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Raspberries are tricky to grow in Arkansas, especially in the southern counties.

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Muscadines are the easiest grapes to grow in Arkansas.

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Table and wine grapes require support for their vines, annual pruning and routine spraying to keep diseases at bay.

This is the time of year when both are easy to do, since farmers markets are open for business statewide and there is still time to plant some of your own fruits and vegetables.

When home gardeners think "fruit," they typically think peaches, which are one of the toughest fruits for a home gardener to grow in Arkansas without a routine spraying program for diseases and insects. Thankfully, other fruit crops are a tad more forgiving.

Fruit crops are typically divided into two categories -- small fruits and tree fruits. In general, small fruits are the easiest to incorporate into a home landscape, since they take up less space and begin to bear in a relatively short amount of time.

There are a number of new varieties of blueberries and raspberries that have been bred to grow even in containers.

Fertilization schedules and pest problems vary by crop, but for the most part, they also don't need rigorous spraying schedules.

All fruit crops need full sun and supplemental watering during dry periods.

HOMEGROWN AND BRED HERE, TOO

The University of Arkansas conducts a large fruit-breeding program. The university has released many varieties of fruit crops that are available at local nurseries.

It has set the standard for blackberry production worldwide, and its scientists are key players in the study of grape and blueberry varieties.

The Clarksville Fruit Substation is the hub of research for the fruit program.

LUSCIOUS STRAWBERRY

We are in the middle of strawberry season, and they are easy plants to grow. All they need is a well-drained soil and full sun.

Hill up the rows and plant. Planting on a small hill aids in drainage and can help with weed control.

They can be planted in a stand-alone strawberry bed or to the side of your vegetable garden or flower bed. Most commercial growers treat them as annuals, planting new crops each fall, harvesting in the spring and then using the ground for other crops.

In home gardens, they are perennials, with more plants appearing each year. They need to be thinned out after harvest to ensure healthy plants that aren't too crowded. Fruit-rotting infections are more of an issue with overcrowding.

Slugs can also be a challenge, so prepare to do combat with them.

In Arkansas, the strawberry season usually starts in April and is over by early June, depending on the variety. There are many varieties to choose from with "June-bearing" and "everbearing" types. I prefer the once-a-year June-bearing production types. Everbearing strawberries may produce fruit over an extended period, but it's never enough to do anything with unless you have a lot of strawberry plants.

TRUE BLUE

Blueberries will be the next small-fruit crop to come into production this season, and there are many varieties available.

Most blueberries need another variety to cross-pollinate with to ensure fruit set. Even if you plant a newer self-fruitful variety, it will produce better if there is another variety nearby.

The three main forms of blueberries on the market are:

• Highbush, which grows in the northern half of Arkansas;

• Rabbiteye, for the southern half;

• Southern Highbush, which does well in central and southern Arkansas.

Blueberries need a well-amended, well-drained, acidic soil and are not drought-tolerant. Mulching and an irrigation system are necessary.

They are easy to work into a garden as an edible ornamental since they have showy white flowers in the spring, pretty and edible blue fruit in the summer and outstanding red fall foliage.

They produce a multi-stemmed bush with the mature height varying from 3 to 6 feet based on variety. The best production is usually on 3- to 4-year-old canes, but you want an even number of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-year-old canes for a long-producing plant.

As canes age beyond four years, they tend to be woodier and less productive. Pruning of blueberries is done in the winter months when they are dormant.

The biggest pest problem is birds -- they love the fruit as much as you do. For a small home planting, bird netting is the best method for protection.

BLACKBERRY SUMMER

Many of us remember picking wild blackberries in the heat, coming home with scratched arms from the thorns and a nice case of chiggers, but also some delicious fruit. Today's blackberries put those wild ones to shame.

Arkansas has long been the leading breeder of blackberry varieties, and there is an impressive array from which to choose. All of the blackberry cultivars developed by the University of Arkansas have been named after American Indian tribes. My favorites are the thornless varieties including "Apache," "Arapaho," "Ouachita" and "Navaho."

Once you have harvested blackberries from a thornless plant, you will never want to pick from a thorny one again -- even though there are some excellent thorny varieties.

By choosing your plants wisely you can start to see berries in late May and still be picking fruit in late July.

Give blackberries a spot in the garden where they can expand, but be prepared to contain them as they begin to spread. They are not picky about soil type but still prefer well-drained soil in full sun.

Blackberries produce their fruit on the canes that grew the year before. After you have finished harvesting, prune those fruiting canes out to make room for the new canes, which will carry your crop next year. Keep the new canes pruned to a manageable height to aid in picking and encourage a fuller plant.

RASPBERRIES

Raspberries are more of a challenge to grow in Arkansas, but it can be done. Raspberries prefer a milder summer than we usually have, but if you properly manage them, they can be productive for several years.

The farther south you go in the state, the tougher it is to maintain them. "Dorman Red" and "Heritage" are the best varieties for the heat of our summers.

FRUIT OF THE VINE

The last of the small-fruit crops for Arkansas gardens are grapes. Again, there are several categories, including table grapes, wine grapes and muscadines.

Muscadines are the easiest to grow, requiring the least amount of maintenance. If you have a chain-link fence or an arbor, you can plant new self-fruitful varieties and then sit back until it's time to harvest in late summer to early fall. A general pruning should be done annually before new growth begins.

Table and wine grapes need a more precise spraying schedule and usually a training or trellising system. All members of the grape family are prolific vine producers, so they need annual pruning to keep producing at peak performance.

The UA has released many grape varieties, this time with planet names. "Mars," "Jupiter," "Venus" and "Saturn" are outstanding varieties, but my favorite for flavor is "Reliance."

If you are interested in producing small fruits along with vegetables and flowers in your garden, there are many resources for you on the UA Cooperative Extension website, uaex.edu. A list of recommended varieties for each crop is at bit.ly/1VN9nSg.

As with any type of gardening, start small and build on success. With proper selection and care, you can start harvesting delicious little things this summer and continue to harvest more for years to come.

And in the meantime, don't forget about farmers markets.

Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

HomeStyle on 05/21/2016

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