The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

Maybe you've already plowed up the front yard for this year's vegetable garden. Well, maybe not the whole yard, but at least enough to plant a few rows of carrots, some lettuce, peas and potatoes and, when the weather warms up enough, some beans and cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers, and of course, one zucchini plant.

Now it's time to think about some berries and small fruits. Here is a crash course on growing these tasty treats.


Choosing a location

• All day sun
• Good soil and drainage-consider raised beds if your soil sucks.

Choosing the best varieties

• Strawberries-June bearing or Everbearing
• Raspberries-June bearing or Everbearing
• Blueberries-dwarf or standard, deciduous or evergreen
• Blackberries, Marion berries, Logan berries, etc.
• Grapes-must be suitable for the northwest
• Kiwis-fuzzy or hardy types
• Currants-they come in several colors
• Gooseberries-it must be an acquired taste!

Pollination
Requires bees, either honey or Mason (native)

Self-pollinating
Everything other than blueberries


Planting and Spacing

• Blueberries-3-4 feet apart, dwarf can be closer
• Raspberries-2 feet apart in rows
• Strawberries-1 foot apart
• Blackberries-2 feet or more
• Grapes and Kiwis-6 feet or more
• Currants and Gooseberries-4-6 feet

Watering
Shrubs like blueberries, gooseberries and currants and vines like grapes and kiwis can be watered once a week or less if you use a basin and mulch. Strawberries probably need more frequent watering. The important thing is to not stress the plants for best fruit quality. Always check soil moisture with your fingers before watering.


Feeding
Feed in spring and again after harvest. Use a well-balanced fertilizer unless your plant is struggling or needs a swift kick in the butt. Then use a higher nitrogen fertilizer like an organic lawn food.


Mulching
I am a big fan of spreading a 1-2 inch layer of compost over the soil in the spring after you have weeded and fertilized. This will keep future weeds at bay, hold in moisture and provide micronutrients to the soil complex.


Thinning
Very important for grapes and kiwis but not really an issue for anything else. Thinning is done by pruning in the winter.


Insects
Not too many to worry about as a general rule, sometimes aphids, mites or thrips. Use anything other than a systemic insecticide.


Diseases

• Blueberries-mummy berry, sanitation and/or copper spray, change variety
• Grapes-mildew, most any fungicide
• Lichens and Algae-not really diseases
• Gooseberry and/or Currants-rust, use a fungicide
• Strawberries-sometimes rust or mildew; use a fungicide

Pruning

• Blueberries-only remove dead wood and shape; old plants can be rejuvenated by removing 1/3 of growth yearly. Remember, pruning stimulates growth
• Raspberries-depends on whether they are June bearing or Everbearing. I will explain below.
• Strawberries--Prune back and clean up in spring.
• Grapes and Kiwis-heavy whacking in the late winter is mandatory. If you are a pruning wimp, then let someone else do it.
• Blackberries-remove two-year-old canes after harvest
• Currants and Gooseberries-occasional pruning is all you need to do

All of the above fruits can be easily incorporated into any landscape. Blueberries are an attractive shrub with fabulous fall color. Gooseberries and Currants also fall into this category. Grapes and Kiwis need strong support for growing, so plan on using them with an arbor or trellis to add structure to the garden. Strawberries can essentially be used as a ground cover. So that just leaves raspberries and blackberries, which admittedly can be kind of homely, so it might be best to locate them somewhere out of sight.


As for pruning raspberries, if they bear just once a year like blackberries then cut the canes to the ground after harvest. The remaining canes will bear the following June. If they are "everbearing" or "fall bearing" types, then you have two choices. These types of raspberries bear on current season's growth starting in the late summer and on into the fall. These same canes will produce a second crop the following spring just like a traditional raspberry. You can either cut all the canes to the ground every winter and start out fresh in the spring or treat them like a June bearer and cut them down the second season after harvest.


Now is the perfect time to plant any or all of the above fruits. Remember, unlike vegetables, you won't get much of anything to eat this year. You will see a few more treats next year and then in the third season you really start to see the results of your investment. So the sooner you start, the sooner you get to enjoy.


Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville. You can reach Steve at
425-334-2002 or online at info@sunnysidenursery.net