Small Fruits

Nothing beats the taste of a fresh berry picked strait off the bush and popped in your mouth. Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are never sweeter than the second they are picked and you can’t get closer to that experience than picking them out of your own back yard. There are many different varieties of small fruits and berries that are grown with ease in Colorado.

Strawberries - Possibly the easiest and best producing berry to grow in any yard. Strawberries are perennial plants that may be grown in patches,

hanging baskets, or containers like a small decorative strawberry pot. This makes it possible to grow strawberries even on a small deck or patio to add a bit more green and reap the benefit of a sweet reward. Strawberries grow fast and will start producing berries the first year they are planted. Strawberries are grown in three main types with many varieties in each; June bearing, which produce once a year over a 2-3 week period usually with larger fruit and the plants tend  to send out more “runners” spreading the patch out; Everbearing strawberries will produce in three flushes of flowers in Spring, Summer and Fall.  Day Neutral strawberries will produce fruit throughout the Colorado growing season. The last two varieties tend to produce fewer runners and therefore are better suited for containers and small garden plots. Runners are stems called stolon that

shoot out with rapid horizontal growth. These stems will then grow a node with leaves and will grow new roots if contacting soil. This is how strawberry patches can quickly spread. To prevent your strawberries from spreading too quickly or in the wrong direction simply cut the stolen close to parent plant. Do not use toxic sprays as it can be transferred into the fruit of desired plants rendering them inedible. Like all plants in Colorado, strawberries will benefit from a heavy mixture of organic material mixed into the soil while planted. This is also a good time to mix in a good fertilizer such as Osmocote Flower & Vegetable Smart-Release. Nick’s Garden Center carries an assortment of fertilizers and organic soil mixes to suit any size garden and any style of gardening in Colorado. Strawberries should be allowed to ripen and not be picked until at least ¾ of the strawberry has turned red. If the strawberry is picked too early it will never develop a full sweet taste. This is why so often the store bought strawberries lack in flavor. Leading us back to the point that nothing beats home grown

Raspberries – Raspberries are another very easy to grow and fast spreading berry. Although there are many different types of raspberries from the standard red, to black yellow and even purple they all are grown essentially the same. It is easiest to purchase mature canes usually pruned short but with developed healthy root systems. Depending on the variety some raspberries won’t produce many if any berries the first year but will begin producing vigorously the second year. Variety of the raspberry you have in your home garden will determine the pruning and harvesting practices which are the most important subjects when growing raspberries. All raspberries produce the most fruit on two year old canes. Summer bearing raspberries are varieties that only produce fruit on these canes whereas everbearing varieties will bear fruit on newly grown canes at the end of the season as well. For this reason raspberries cannot be pruned indiscriminately or mature wood will be lost and you will have no fruit production. This is why it important to maintain your raspberry patch with regular pruning as to avoid overgrowth and the necessity of massive pruning. Raspberries spread through rhizomes which are underground horizontal root structures that will eventually grow new canes. This is great for keeping a patch healthy even while pruning heavily, it is also important to be thoughtful of your neighbors. Prevent raspberries from growing into yards where they may be unwanted as your neighbor may use a toxic herbicide to control them that will transfer through the root system into the fruit you and your children will eat. Keep a small buffer between raspberry patches and fences where property owners might spray chemicals. Till this buffer once a year in the fall to prevent spread of your patch into areas where it is unwanted.
 

Blueberries – Yes blueberries can be grown in Colorado, quite successfully too. The key to growing healthy and productive blueberries in Colorado is soil amendments. Blueberries require a much more acid soil than most Coloradans can provide naturally. There are several ways to help Mother Nature along in providing an acidic environment. The easiest and most long lasting is to add a MAJOR amount of peat moss to the area where you are planting. Peat moss has a much lower pH than compost and in our heavy alkaline soils it is a must when growing blueberries. In fact some Coloradoans have had great success planting DIRECTLY into a bale of peat moss. Blueberry bushes have been known to suffer because of our arid climate as well. Battle this problem by keeping roots particularly moist but not saturated and protect the bushes from wind. It could also be suggested to provide a little protection from our intense

Colorado afternoon sun during the hot months. Fertilize blueberries with a fertilizer specifically created for acid loving plants. Nick’s Garden Center carries a few different choices and sizes for this purpose including Miracle Grow for Acid Loving Plants

These are just some of the small fruits we carry at Nick’s Garden Center. We have hundreds of small fruit plants including hardy kiwi (yes it will survive in Colorado), hops, grapes, gooseberries, currant, and many MANY more. Along with tropical fruits that need the protection of our houses during the winter: Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Grapefruit, Avacado, Banana, Fig, and whatever else our tropical fruit supervisors can get their hands on.