Can you plant different berry plants/trees right beside each other?

[redhen]

So i want to plant berries this year.... but i only have a small area in which i can plant a few different bushes.
I'd like a few different types of berries..maybe blueberry/blackberry/rasberries...
If i plant them right beside each other will they cross pollinate each other and make mutant mixed berries?
Any info?

OOh,..and even though my yard is small..i have plenty of woods surrounding my house... can you plant berries in the woods? Would they make it with little sunlight?

 

[sourland]

@redhen, @Laurajean, @Imp, @KristyHall - I miss you all.

 

[Sally PB]

Start doing your sun survey now. You can get the general pattern. If your soil is not frozen, you can do a pH test now too.

I tend to order plants and seeds based on , "Oh! That looks tasty/pretty!" So I know a bit about lack of impulse control when it comes to gardens. I try to remember that reality will set in when I have to find places to put them all.

I don't have a link to the cartoon, but the text is:

What do we want?
All the plants!
When do we want them?
Now!
Where will we put them?
We don't know!

 

[Sally PB]

One thing you need to look at before planting is what kind of soil each type of berry needs. For instance, blueberries like very acidic soil, pH 4.5-5.5.

I have some blueberries, and lots of oak trees/leaves, so I assumed my soil was acidic. I got very few berries, so I tested the soil. 7.0! I added soil acidifier, and will do so every spring and fall until it tests in the appropriate range.

Last year (the first year I added the acidifier) was my best berry year so far, and the plants themselves look better.

 

[bhawk-23]

@Sally PB

Hmmm… I have been assuming the same thing. We have 2 large white pines and an enormous oak tree so I assumed with the oak leaves and pine needles we would be ok. I’ll definitely check that this year!
I wish I could ask on my local chicken group for someone to come over and help me plan. We have a ton of front yard gardens and raised beds in our town and I know many of our chicken peeps do. Unfortunately, my flock has MD and MG so I do not want to potentially spread that to another flock.

 

[Sally PB]

Unfortunately, my flock has MD and MG so I do not want to potentially spread that to another flock.

Thank you for be so conscientious. You could post pictures here on BYC and ask for feedback and input.

Another helpful exercise: Make a "sun map" of any area where you want to plant something. Unless it's in an open field, almost any area will have periods of sun and shade. For instance, the south end of my garden gets shaded about an hour before the north end, due to the surrounding topography and treeline.

 

[bhawk-23]

Thank you for be so conscientious. You could post pictures here on BYC and ask for feedback and input.

Another helpful exercise: Make a "sun map" of any area where you want to plant something. Unless it's in an open field, almost any area will have periods of sun and shade. For instance, the south end of my garden gets shaded about an hour before the north end, due to the surrounding topography and treeline.

Do I just check every hour or so to see where the sun is at that point? I’m assuming it would be best to wait until March/April when the days are longer?

And I would NEVER wish these diseases for any flock manager nor chicken to deal with. The pain and suffering the chickens, my poor son and I have endured over the last 1.75 years has been tremendous. Too much for any 10-12 yr old to have to accept. As I was unaware of MD when I trusted a chicken sitter to care for my flock I find many other people do not even consider it. I try to educate when I can and ask every friend that comes over if they have chickens first. I’m pretty neurotic, as you can see. lol

My plants won’t ship until mid April so plenty of time to try a sun map and post pictures once that is made. Thank you!

 

[Sally PB]

Do I just check every hour or so to see where the sun is at that point? I’m assuming it would be best to wait until March/April when the days are longer?

I would start looking for this information the beginning of April. Put a stone or a stick or some kind of marker where you will plant each berry bush (or whatever). Something big enough that you can see it from a few yards away.

You need a sunny day for this experiment. Walk by early in the morning, whenever the sun starts shining on that area. Take a picture with your phone, facing the planting bed. Go back in two hours or so, take another picture. Go out around noon, 2pm (ish), and late afternoon.

Look at the pictures. That will tell where the shadows will fall, and if one part gets more sun than another, like my garden. As the season progresses toward the solstice, you'll get more hours of sunlight.

The best orientation of a planting bed is east to west. That lets the most sunlight shine on the row of plants, since the sun is to the south (here in the Northern Hemisphere).

If you're working around something immoveable, like a shed, tree, or you're in a valley, you might want to take pictures more often, say every hour.

There is an apple tree that shades part of my garden in the early morning. In the spring when there's frost on the ground, that area thaws more slowly. That means that in the early part of the planting season (before tomatoes, for sure), greens planted where that shade falls will get about an hour less sunshine. By the time I'm planting out the tomatoes in late May/early June, the sun is rising earlier, setting later, and is higher in the sky, and makes less of a difference to that particular spot.

Look for information for whatever you want to plant. Some plants need well drained soil, and if their roots end up sitting in soggy soil, the plant may not do well, or even die. Some plants need light, sandy soil, and other don't mind if you have heavy clay soil.

I have a garden of each. Fortunately, the best amendment for both of those soils is the same thing: lots of organic matter. Sometimes the answer is easy.

 

[bhawk-23]

@Sally PB

Yowza! You’re talking a lot of patience and impulse control now. Yeah, that’s my downfall. I have pretty severe adhd and I just tend to buy on impulse and plant it where I want it. But you are absolutely correct. I need to do the sun survey. I bet that, and a soil check, will give me the best chance of actually being successful with the blueberries. It just requires patience and planning. Unfortunately, those are qualities I just don’t naturally have

 

[bhawk-23]

Start doing your sun survey now. You can get the general pattern. If your soil is not frozen, you can do a pH test now too.

I tend to order plants and seeds based on , "Oh! That looks tasty/pretty!" So I know a bit about lack of impulse control when it comes to gardens. I try to remember that reality will set in when I have to find places to put them all.

I don't have a link to the cartoon, but the text is:

What do we want?
All the plants!
When do we want them?
Now!
Where will we put them?
We don't know!

You just defined me to a tee!

I always buy half dead fruit bushes or native plants because they are 90% off. I bring them back to life only to find I have no good place to put them. Then I have to water all these plants in pots, trying to keep them alive, to finally just stick them somewhere. It’s a 50/50 chance they survive. Maybe it’s time to start actually planning and NOT stressing myself out like this! Hahaha