*This post is sponsored by Bushel and Berry
Have you ever wanted to grow your own juicy berries?
It’s easier than you might think and you don’t need a large backyard or garden.
Enter Bushel and Berry®, a collection of self-pollinating berry plants specifically created for small spaces.
As long as you have room for a container on your deck or patio, you have room for a backyard berry stand!
Berry Basics
Overall, growing your own berries is pretty low maintenance.
But there are some general guidelines to growing the different range of berries, so keeping these tips in mind are a good way to ensure success.
A key point with these varieties by Bushel and Berry® is that the plants are self-pollinating.
Basically, that means it’s transfers pollen to itself and doesn’t need other flowers or the help of pollinators like bees and butterflies to grow. This is key for city dwellers or would-be home growers who only have a tiny space to work with.
Wherever you are going to be growing your variety of berries, make sure you are positioning the plants in full sun. Full sun is considered at least 6 hours of sun a day. With berries, the more sun the better. However, in regions with extreme heat, berries will perform best in afternoon shade to protect from excessive heat.
Because Bushel and Berry® plants are perfect for containers, be sure to get the right size planter. For blueberry plants, look for containers measuring 12-16″ in diameter and at least 10″ deep.
For blackberry and raspberry plants, you’ll want something a little bigger. Large containers, like whiskey barrel styles, work really well. Look for large pots that measure at least 16″ in diameter and 12″ deep.
It’s important to have good soil in your home garden. But the good news for these berries is that a quality potting mix works just fine.
A quick tip around blueberry plants: they need more acidic soil, so be sure to mix in peat moss while preparing your potting soil before planting.
Also, make sure you have good drainage for your berry plants. It’s important to water your plants regularly so that the soil stays moist, just don’t overwater.
With most berry plants, while you’ll likely have some fruit the first year, you’ll really start to bring in plenty of fruit the second year and beyond.
The Best Berry Varieties
Did you know there are over 150 different varieties of blueberry bushes? Not all of them produce edible berries, and not all of them are the right choices when you’re dealing with limited space.
One of the things I’ve always loved about blueberry plants is the different foliage that the various varieties feature. I might be growing these plants for the berries, but if they look pretty too, that’s even better!
For my deck this year, I chose 3 different kinds of blueberry bushes.
Pink Icing® Blueberries
Pink Icing® has breathtaking foliage colors and large, sweet berries.
In spring, the foliage has many shades of pink, mixed with blue and deep greens. The leaves turn a stunning iridescent turquoise-blue in winter.
I can’t wait for that! Turquoise in my garden? Wow!
Pink Icing will do well in zones 5-10.
They have a mounded habit and will grow to 3-4′ at maturity. The white blossoms against the pretty hues of the foliage look spectacular!
Sapphire Cascade Blueberries
Clusters of classic and sweet-tasting blueberries will cover the plants throughout the season, and the leaves will turn deep red and green in the winter months.
This variety does well in hanging baskets too. Best for zones 5-9, it will produce medium size berries from summer into fall.
Just look at all of those clusters getting ready to bloom! I’m already dreaming of all the delicious blueberry recipes I’ll be making this summer!
Silver Dollar® Blueberries
Silver Dollar is a unique blueberry with a sweet, pineapple flavor.
As it matures, its foliage resembles eucalyptus! White flowers in the spring lead to a summer crop of large blueberries. Foliage will have hints of silver throughout the spring and early summer before turning emerald green in the fall.
Silver Dollar will produce medium-sized berries summer through fall and stay compact in size, growing to about 2-3′. Best in zones 5-9.
Better Berries By Far
Blackberries and raspberries are 2 of my favorite fruits! But I’ve never thought much about growing them myself because the plants can be a bit prickly with thorns.
But NOT with these specialty varieties from Bushel and Berry®! Not only are both the blackberry and raspberry bushes THORNLESS, but they’re also compact and can easily grow in a container on your patio!
Easy to handle when planting, but even easier when I want to reach in and taste some of my own delicious berries… no prickly thorns to worry about!
Look at all of these beautiful blossoms! This means I’m going to have an abundance of fruit by early summer!
Raspberry Shortcake
This revolutionary thornless raspberry offers everyone a chance to enjoy raspberries like never before!
Raspberry Shortcake® is compact, with a rounded growth habit, and it thrives in a patio pot or in the landscape. This raspberry plant requires no staking or big garden spaces.
It has a sweet, vanilla flavor that is uniquely delicious! This plant will do best in zones 4-9 and has a dense and compact habit. It will grow to 2-3′ at maturity and produces fruit in the summer.
Baby Cakes Blackberries
Baby Cakes® is a dwarf, thornless blackberry perfect for patio pots with its compact habit. Get ready for large, classic and sweet-tasting berries!
In most regions, this blackberry will produce twice in one season!
This plant will grow best in zones 4-8, has a rounded habit and will mature to 3-4′ in height. Just thinking about being able to pick these sweet berries all summer makes my mouth water!
It’s Going To Be A BERRY Wonderful Season!
So now that I have planted all of my Bushel and Berry plants, the waiting begins!
Be sure to keep checking back on my social media platforms (@justjillbauer on FB and IG) for my Berry Updates! I’m excited to share all of my learnings and tips with you!
If you’re ready to try growing some of these berries yourself, be sure to look for the Bushel and Berry® brand at your local garden and home improvement centers.
Use this link: https://www.bushelandberry.com/shop to find the closest store near you.
And if you can’t wait for these berries to bloom, check out some of my favorite berry recipes in the meantime!
- Grandma’s Easy Blueberry Cobbler
- Easy No-Bake Lemon Blueberry Pie
- Low-Fat Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Simple Blueberry Tart
From my home berry garden to yours,
Jill
