Backyard
Berry Plants
Specializing in Organically Grown Blueberry, Blackberry, and Red Raspberry Plants
Raspberry & Blackberry Plants
Index to Brambles:
Potted brambles start shipping in June
Fall Raspberry Plants
Black and
Purple
Raspberry Plants
Blackberry Plants
All Raspberry Plants $12 each
Autumn Britten Fall Red Raspberry
Autumn Britten is one of the earliest fall bearing raspberry
varieties. Britten’s berries turn red in mid-July,
right on the heels of the summer bearing raspberries. Large, sweet
fruit are firm yet juicy, and
the canes are upright and vigorous.
This is our primary variety for farm production, as it makes large
berries that come ripe earlier in the season.
Half of the fall crop will ripen over a
month, with the remaining half coming ripe from August through
October. Autumn Britten is disease resistant and should have a low
trellis, for though the canes are sturdy, they bow under the weight
of the berries. zones 3a-9
Caroline Fall Red Raspberry
Inventory low
Caroline has large berries that are the sweetest red raspberries
I
have ever tasted. When ripe, the berries are velvety soft and
deep red. Best for fresh eating, I find them okay for
freezing, but Autumn Britten does better. This is a vigorous
grower, second only to Autumn Britten in
its ability to jump up and start growing in spring. The canes
will need to be supported due to their height (5') and fruit load, so a good
trellis or support is important. The fruit begins to ripen
just after Autumn Britten, which will usually be late July here in
Brown County, Indiana.
zones 3a-9
Polana Fall Red Raspberry
Inventory low
Developed in Poland, this is an excellent fall bearing red raspberry,
and works well in tight spots or small growing areas. Polana is very short
statured, reaching fruiting height at 3 feet. This means
no trellis is needed, and the fruits
are borne at the tops of the canes. Polana is the first of the
fall bearers to come into full fruit, with opalescent red, dome
shaped, and tasty berries. At our latitude, Polana is
slightly susceptible to
sunscald, which is a serious concern for market
growers, less so for jam makers. I have found that Polana
avoids sunscald damage when I plant them just east of a tree
line or tall (15' ) hedge. In doing this, they receive afternoon
shade, yet plenty of AM sun to make a fine crop of tasty berries.
zones 3a-9
Anne Fall Golden Raspberry
Anne is a golden yellow, fall
raspberry that I have started to increase here on our farm. It
is the last of the fall raspberries to ripen, beginning in August
here in Brown County, Indiana. It is not a heavy producer, and
although it is hardy to zone 3, I would advise it as an experimental
planting in zones 3-4a, due to its very late ripening time.
I
believe Anne would produce well from zones 4b-9.
My
daughters love its flavor, which is distinct from the red
raspberries. It is mildly sweet, yet has an elusive, tropical
fruitiness as you chew it up. The berries are large and
glowing golden-yellow, and are produced on the ends of the canes.
Like all of our fall raspberries, we have seen no bird predation on
Anne. Moderately strong canes do best with support when fruit
begins to ripen. zones 4a-9
Jewell Black Raspberry
SOLD OUT for 2008 Season
This is the Rambling Lady of our farm, naturalizing wherever I
try to keep her in an orderly way. I have probably had to
destroy more of these than any other plant on our farm, as they take
aggressive advantage of my easy going nature in berry growing (they
are no match for the bush hog). Unless you possess a
totalitarian nature, plan on your Jewells becoming a tangle, and
plant them in an appropriate location (a little bit away from your
house). Birds love these, and they ripen a little before (but
then extend past) the wild black raspberry season. Jewell is
about twice to three times the size of wild black raspberries, with
every bit of their flavor and rambunctiousness (they are not,
however, as mean and thorny as the wild blackberries). It is
pure heaven on earth to put a handful of these jet black berries in
your mouth. These are the first of the brambles to ripen, so
they take on a very heraldic nature here on our farm.
zones 4b-8
Royalty Purple Raspberry
This raspberry is a very prolific bearer of VERY large, dusky purple raspberries. Royalty is a blend of red raspberry vigor and black raspberry habit, with the best flavors of its parents. Royalty ripens in early summer, just after black raspberries. Royalty grows like a black raspberry or blackberry, from a crown, relying on cane tip-rooting for propagation. Royalty does not spread vigorously via underground runners like summer red raspberries do, and it will usually produce a quarter more fruit per cane than summer red raspberries. zones 4-8
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Blackberry Plants
All Blackberry Plants $15 each
Apache Blackberry
Low Inventory
The Apache blackberry was released in 1999 by the University of
Arkansas (a center of dedicated blackberry breeding). It has
an erect, strong form at maturity, but I have noticed the young
canes on 1 and 2 year old plants to be a bit trailing. It has nice, medium-large berries
that get very sweet when fully ripe. Like all blackberries,
best flavor of fruit occurs when it is a dull black. Apache
has performed well for us, making up half of our
blackberry plantings. Apache is resistant to cane anthracnose,
and I have not observed any foliage disease upon it since it has
been growing here (first planted in 2000). Apache is thorn-free and the fruit comes ripe in
July-August here in Brown County, Indiana. zones 5-9
Triple Crown Blackberry
This blackberry was released in 1998
by the USDA breeding program in Beltsville, MD. Triple Crown
has been an excellent blackberry, and was the only blackberry
cultivar to produce some fruit after the 2007 April Freeze (even the
wild blackberries were fruitless that year). Triple Crown is a
trailing blackberry, which means you have some options on how you
would like to manage it. I have one area that has just become
a tangle of canes (12'x12' roughly) and it produces a copious amount
of fruit. I hack the canes out when they are done fruiting,
while trying to keep the new canes from rooting and expanding this
fruit monster. I also have a trellised area, where I can prune
easily, and keep the canes tied up and neat. My neighbors have
one that they train along their porches privacy lattice, allowing
them to pluck berries as they relax in the shade cast by the canes.
One plant has produced a good 22# of fruit, the berries being medium
to large sized (better pruning gives consistently larger berries)
with sweet flavor. Triple Crown is also
thorn-free, and ripens a bit after Apache has started
producing. It also has a longer harvest period than Apache.
zones 5-9
Points about our different raspberry plants for your backyard.....
Raspberries need very little fertilizer, and often thrive in poorer soils in which it would be difficult to grow garden vegetables. The most important aspect for successful bramble production is good drainage. If you dig a hole, and fill it with water, it should drain away in a few hours. If it is still full after 24 hours, you can still plant there, but only in a raised bed or ridge.
All of the fall red raspberries we sell have done great here on our farm, earning us both money and loads of home-made jam. Polana is the earliest, and needs no trellis, while Autumn Britten has been the most consistent producer over the past 4 years. Caroline has the sweetest berries, but is later in the season and definitely requires a good trellis system.
The Jewel black raspberry is an excellent berry for naturalizing, especially given that it occurs natively across much of the East and Midwest.
Blackberries are the most durable and hardy of the brambles, growing well on poorer soils, withstanding drought, heat, and other stresses. On our farm, I reserve the worst slopes for blackberry brambles. As long as the soil is not boggy or poorly drained, they thrive.
Here in southern Indiana, blackberries are a common, weedy plant of
pastures and meadows, and produce berries that range from kerosene
to sweet flavored. And, they are thorny, with the tall grass
and weeds holding chiggers, as well. Thorn-less, sweet
blackberries are quite a treat to pick, with the only scratching
being that of your head, as you wonder why you didn't plant these
low-care brambles earlier.
If you have overpopulated deer in your area, you may have to protect
blackberries and other brambles from browsing damage.