How to Grow Fruits
Fruits are a mainstay of the garden and can grow wonderfully in a VegTrug. Aside from being a healthy diet choice for the whole family, little ones will love picking their own sweet treats!
How to grow Blackberries
Named as one of the world’s super-berries, thanks to their nutritional value, blueberries are easy to care for and great in smaller spaces too. When they thrive, you’ll also get an array of attractive white flowers.
How to grow Raspberries
Raspberries are one of the world’s most popular berries. They’re great for any size garden and grow well in a VegTrug too.
How to grow Strawberries
Depending on where you get your information, strawberries are one of the most consumed and popular fruits in the world.
How to grow Blueberries
Named as one of the world’s super-berries, thanks to their nutritional value, blueberries are easy to care for and great in smaller spaces too. When they thrive, you’ll also get an array of attractive white flowers.
How to grow Blackberries
How to Grow Blackberries
Blackberries grown at home can produce a larger and tastier crop than wild versions. You’ll find they’re cheaper than the shop-bought packs too.
Most often you’ll find blackberries running along a fence but if you’re growing in a VegTrug, or other container, you can find smaller varieties that are perfect.
Read more on how to grow blackberries below.
Sowing Blackberries
Blackberries are usually bought as container-grown plants. A single plant can be incredibly productive, but if you decide to plant more make sure they have plenty of room. Spacing depends on the vigour of the cultivar, ranging from 2.5m (8ft) to 4.5m (13ft) apart. When planting, cover the rootball with about 8cm (3in) of soil.
Blackberries can tolerate light shade, but they will be more productive in a sunny, sheltered site. They prefer moisture-retentive, but free-draining soil.
If you have chalky, sandy, or heavy clay soil, improve it with plenty of bulky organic matter at roughly two bucketfuls per square m before planting.
Vigorous cultivars need a sturdy support system. Use a wall or fence, 1.5-2m (5ft – 6ft 6in) high, with horizontal wires spaced 45cm (18in) apart, with the lowest wire 23cm (9in) from the ground. Alternatively, run the wires between two strong vertical posts.
After planting, cut down all canes to a healthy bud. This may seem drastic, but it will ensure plants throw up lots of vigorous, healthy shoots in spring.
Growing Blackberries
The good news is, that once you know how to grow blackberries you’ll be rewarded with a bumper crop.
Top-dress blackberries with 100g per sq m (4oz per sq yard) of general-purpose fertiliser in mid-spring and cover with a 7cm (3in) organic mulch annually. Make sure the mulch is placed 5cm (2in) away from the new canes and the crown to prevent rotting.
Water young plants every 7-10 days during dry spells. While mature plants shouldn’t need extra watering, their fruit size will benefit from watering every 10-14 days if the summer is particularly dry.
Blackberries are vigorous and need regular pruning and training. Regularly tie in the shoots of newly-planted canes. Once these reach their first winter, cut back all side-shoots produced on these main canes to 5cm (2in). It is mainly from the resulting fruiting spurs that flowers are formed.
In the second year after planting the crown will throw up new canes from ground level. Loosely bundle these together; insert four bamboo canes in a square vertically around the crown and pull the new canes into the centre; then tie some sturdy twine around the square to hold the new canes in place.
Remove the one-year-old canes once they have fruited by pruning them into shorter sections with loppers, then extracting them carefully to prevent their thorns snagging on new canes. Then untie the twine around the new canes and train them along the wires.
Pests and Problems
Birds, in particular pigeons, love the fruit from blackberries but netting can be effective in preventing your crop being eaten.
Red Berry or Blackberry mites are microscopic bugs that feed on blackberries and cause the fruit to ripen unevenly. You can cut away the affected foliage in the more extreme invasions, even cutting the cane to ground level, but in general there’s not a lot more that can be done.
Aphids, raspberry beetle and fruit flies are among the other pests that will feed on berries. Introducing natural predators can help organically control these pests.
Raspberry cane and leaf spot, and the less serious purple blotch are diseases that have similar symptoms. Purple blotches will appear on stems although with raspberry cane the blotches will form shallow holes on the stems that have purpley-brown edges and grey centres. Purple blotch legions form near ground level and begin dark green before turning a reddy colour.
You should cut away any affected stems to help control the diseases.
Harvesting your Blackberries
How to grow Blackberries is part of the VegTrug Grower’s Guide.
How to grow Raspberries
How to Grow Raspberries
Raspberries are one of the world’s most popular berries. They’re great for any size garden and grow well in a VegTrug too.
Try growing both summer and autumn varieties and you’ll enjoy a good crop of raspberries from the middle of summer and throughout the autumn.
Read more on how to grow Raspberries below.
Planting Raspberries
Raspberries can be planted any time during the dormant winter season, providing the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. They are sold as either bare-root canes (the roots are exposed when you buy) or in containers.
Most people grow summer-fruiting raspberries, which are ready for harvesting in early summer. You can also buy autumn-fruiting raspberries, which are ready for harvest in the autumn.
Before planting, clear the site of perennial weeds, as these are difficult to control once raspberries are established. Dig over the site and add a bucket of well-rotted farmyard manure per square metre or yard and a general fertiliser such as Growmore or fish blood and bone at 90g per sq m (3oz per sq yard).
Space the plants around 45-60cm (18in–2ft) apart if planting in rows. Top with a 7.5cm (3in) thick mulch of bulky organic matter. Avoid alkaline mushroom compost or overly rich farmyard manure, which can burn the new shoots.
Prune the canes to within 25cm (10in) of the ground after planting. However, summer fruiting raspberries can be supplied as one year old canes (long canes). Don’t prune these as they’ll fruit for you that season.
Single raspberry plants can be grown in containers that are at least 38cm (15in) diameter. Mix the soil as 80 per cent multipurpose compost and 20 per cent loam-based potting compost, to add weight. Use bamboo canes to support the raspberry canes.
Keep the compost moist and feed monthly with a liquid general-purpose fertiliser during the growing season. In hard water areas try to use harvested rainwater.
Growing Raspberries
Raspberries thrive in moisture-retentive, fertile, slightly acidic soils, which are well-drained and weed free. They dislike soggy soils and shallow chalky soils. For best results, plant in a sunny position (although they will tolerate part shade). Ideally, site your rows running north to south, so that they do not shade each other.
Raspberry flowers are self-fertile and pollinated by insects, so avoid a very windy site. Also, the fruiting side branches of some cultivars are very long and may break in the wind.
In early spring, sprinkle a general-purpose fertiliser such as Growmore around the base of the plants, then add a mulch of garden compost or well-rotted farmyard manure. This will prevent weeds growing. Keep raspberries well-watered during dry periods.
Once you know how to grow raspberries you can enjoy a season of tasty fruit.
Summer-fruiting Raspberries
In early summer, pull up suckers between the rows of summer raspberries. Cut back fruited canes to ground level after harvesting in summer; do not leave old stubs.
Select the strongest young canes that have grown during the current season, around six to eight per plant, and tie them in 8 –10cm (3–4in) apart along the wire supports. These will fruit for you the following summer.
Remove the remaining (excess) young stems to ground level.
Autumn-fruiting Raspberries
Cut back all the old, fruited canes to ground level in February. New canes will start growing in spring. These will bear fruit for you later in the year.
Reduce the number of canes slightly in summer if they are very overcrowded. Thin to around 10cm (4in) apart.
Pests and Problems
Birds, pigeons in particular, love the fruit and leaves from raspberries. Netting, or a VegTrug cover, can be effective in preventing your plants being attacked.
But probably the biggest issue facing raspberries is the raspberry beetle. The fruit or stalks will show dry patches and you’ll likely see a white maggot inside the emerging berries.
Removing the affected berries can slow down the spread but will not eradicate it.
You might also come across a couple of fungal diseases when learning how to grow raspberries.
Raspberry cane blight and raspberry spur blight attack the plant’s cane, but the former is more serious. Raspberry cane blight sees the leaves wither and the cane darken and turn brittle.
With raspberry spur blight won’t kill the plant but can weaken the plant so you’ll get less fruit.
In both cases keep the air circulating and cut out the affected parts. With raspberry cane blight cut the affected canes back to ground level. Disinfect any tools.
Harvesting your Raspberries
As soon as your raspberries are full and ripe, pick and use them fresh. When ripe, they should be succulent, full of colour and easy to pick. If you get too many, they can be easily frozen too.
How to grow Raspberries is part of the VegTrug Grower’s Guide.
How to grow Strawberries
How to Grow Strawberries
Depending on where you get your information, strawberries are one of the most consumed and popular fruits in the world.
And luckily, when it comes to how to grow Strawberries, they are so versatile. With just sun, shelter and fertile, well-drained soil you can enjoy delicious home grown strawberries all season.
Summer-fruiting varieties have the largest fruit. They have a short but heavy cropping period over two or three weeks. There are early, mid and late fruiting cultivars cropping from early to mid-summer.
Perpetual strawberries – sometimes called everbearers – produce small flushes of fruits from early summer to early autumn. The crops are not so heavy as the summer-fruiting ones and the fruits are smaller, with the plants less likely to produce runners. Perpetual strawberries are useful for extending the season.
Read more on how to grow strawberries below.
Sowing Strawberries
Strawberries grow in raised beds, which improves drainage and increases rooting depth. Alternatively, try growing in containers, like a VegTrug, or growing-bags.
Strawberries can be bought as potted plants or bare-rooted runners. Strawberries for sale in pots or packs can be planted as soon as you buy them.
Runners look like little pieces of roots with very few leaves. Don’t be alarmed, this is how they should look. You can buy runners from late summer to early spring, and they should be planted in early autumn, or early spring (avoid planting in winter when the ground is wet and cold).
You can also buy cold-stored runners. These can be planted from late spring to early summer and will fruit 60 days after planting.
Prepare your ground by digging in two buckets of well-rotted manure or garden compost per sq m (sq yd). Add a general purpose fertiliser such as Growmore at 100g per sq m (3oz per sq yd).
Avoid areas prone to frost, and soils that have previously grown potatoes, chrysanthemums, or tomatoes because they are all prone to the soil-borne disease verticillium wilt.
Measure out planting holes 35cm (14in) apart. Space rows 75cm (30in) apart. Dig out a hole large enough to accommodate the roots. Trim the roots lightly to 10cm (4in) if necessary, then spread them out in the hole. Ensure that the base of the crown rests lightly on the surface before firming in gently. Planting at the correct depth is important: if the crown is planted too deeply it will rot; if it is planted too shallowly the plants will dry out and die. Water the plants in well.
Once you know how to grow strawberries, you’ll soon have a season of tasty strawberries.
Growing Strawberries
If planting in the autumn or early spring, remove the first flush of flowers of perpetual strawberries, but remove flowers of summer strawberries only if the plants are weak.
If you’ve planted cold-stored runners in late spring to early summer, leave the flowers on. These will produce strawberries in 60 days, reverting to their natural cropping period the following year.
Water frequently while new plants are becoming established. Also water during dry periods in the growing season. Try to avoid wetting crowns and fruit as this can promote disease.
In early spring, apply general fertiliser such as Grow more at a rate of 50g per sq m (2oz per sq yd). During the growing season, give strawberry plants a liquid potash feed – such as a tomato feed – every 7 to 14 days.
As fruits start to develop, tuck straw or fibre mats underneath plants to keep fruit clean. This will also help suppress weeds. Pull out any weeds that do emerge.
After cropping has finished, cut off old leaves from summer-fruiting strawberries to allow fresh leaves to develop. This isn’t necessary with autumn fruiting plants, instead just remove old leaves during the end of season clear up. Also remove the straw mulch, fibre mat, or black polythene, to prevent a build-up of pests and diseases. Take off any netting so birds can feed on any pests.
Expect strawberry plants to crop successfully for four years before replacing them. Rotate your strawberry patch onto fresh ground to minimise the risk of disease build up in the soil.
Pests and Problems
There are a number of viruses that are strawberry-specific. Known as strawberry virus they attack the plants as one or in combinations. Symptoms include yellow spots, crinkled leaves and stunted growth.
Affected plants should be removed and rotate where you plant, to reduce the chances of disease.
Birds, slugs, aphids and red spider mites all love strawberries too. Netting, or a VegTrug cover, may be required to protect from birds. You can remove aphids by hand if you see them or try a horticultural soap. Or, in both cases, you could try introducing a natural predator.
Strawberries can also suffer cold damage, so protect your bed with fleece if an overnight frost threatens.
Signs of grey mould or powdery mildew can be reduced by keeping good air circulation and removing the affected parts.
Harvesting your Strawberries
How to grow Blueberries
How to Grow Blueberries
Named as one of the world’s super-berries, thanks to their nutritional value, blueberries are easy to care for and great in smaller spaces too. When they thrive, you’ll also get an array of attractive white flowers.
Read more on how to grow Blueberries below.
Planting Blueberries
You can plant a blueberry bush throughout the year, as long as the ground isn’t frozen.
Plant in moist, well-drained, acidic soil. Blueberries prefer light soils rather than heavy clays. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot. While blueberries are tolerant of shade, better crops (and autumn colour) are obtained in the sun.
Blueberries are very fussy about soil acidity and they will not grow well if planted in alkaline soil. Soil acidity can be measured by a pH testing kit, which you can buy from most garden centres. The pH of your soil needs to be pH 5.5 or lower for blueberries to thrive and if your soil is marginally higher than this, you can try lowering the pH by adding sulphur chips well in advance of planting.
If your pH is higher, if your soil is a heavy clay, you’re best planting blueberries in a container.
If you want to know how to grow blueberries in a container successfully, choose one that is at least 30cm (12in) in diameter for young plants. Move the plant to a 45-50cm (18-20in) container when it outgrows the first one.
When planting, place a crock (small piece of broken clay pot, or polystyrene) across the drainage hole to retain the compost and use an ericaceous compost
Ericaceous compost has a higher acidity and is named after the family of plants that like to grow in it including azaleas, cranberries and blueberries.
If growing blueberries in garden soil, add plenty of bulky, acidic organic matter such as pine needles, leaf mould or composted conifer clippings. Avoid well-rotted farmyard manure as this is too rich and alkaline.
While some blueberry cultivars can produce a good crop on their own, all yield much more heavily if planted near another, different cultivar. Check the labels on the plants when you buy.
Growing Blueberries
Once you know how to grow Blueberries you’ll find they are relatively easy to look after. Keep the compost or soil moist, but not soaking wet. Don’t allow it to dry out between waterings. Water plants with rainwater, not tap water, unless you have no alternative in a drought. Tap water will raise the pH level and blueberries like acidic conditions.
Ensure the soil stays at pH of 5.5 or lower, to avoid problems. Check the pH of the soil in spring and add sulphur chips if it needs lowering. This shouldn’t be necessary with container-grown plants provided ericaceous fertiliser and rainwater are used.
Feed container plants every month using a liquid fertiliser formulated for ericaceous plants (lime-hating plants), following the manufacturer’s recommendations.
You may find open ground plants don’t need feeding apart from the annual ericaceous mulch and a high nitrogen feed such as sulphate of ammonia in late winter. Blueberries are sensitive to overfeeding.
Pruning is rarely needed in the first two years. After that you should prune in late February to early March. Once you start pruning, you should aim to remove a quarter of old wood at the base every year to keep the plant productive.
In colder regions, many cultivars will need winter protection. In spring, flowers may need some fleece protection if frost threatens.
Pests and Problems
You’ll find many birds, but pigeons in particular, love the fruit from Blueberries. Netting, or a VegTrug cover, can be effective in preventing your crop being eaten.
You might find aphids and vine weevil on new shoots. Vine weevil are hard to spot and the larvae eat the roots. You might first see notches on the leaves or wilted plants.
You can remove aphids by hand and introducing natural predators can also help organically control these pests. You can purchase nematodes, an organism that eats the vine weevil larvae.
Powdery mildew can sometimes be an issue. Giving the plants plenty of room can reduce the chances of this occurring.
Harvesting your Blueberries
How to grow blackberries is part of the VegTrug Grower’s Guide.