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

[Sally PB]

Maybe it’s time to start actually planning and NOT stressing myself out like this!

You have a few weeks before you can plant anything, so plan on!

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
I'm no garden pro but at my old house we had blackberries, and two different kinds of raspberries growing all together with no problem. Three different kinds and they never produced anything weird. They were very prolific actually, but they make a shrubby thorny mess and grow like crazy, so be prepared to accept that, or trellis them well. We had to use twine and tie them to the fence because they got so wild.

At my house now, I have raspberries that are growing at the edge of the woods and do well. It's sunny, but the sun can't possibly hit them directly through all the trees, even though I hear they need "full sun".

 

[8Chicks4Ky]

I'm pretty sure red raspberries and black raspberries should not be close to each other (my mother did research on this several years ago and have them at opposite ends of her garden). However, she does have the blueberries next to the red raspberries.

 

[Saltysteele]

we've had blackberries, raspberries and blueberries under trees, and they've done just fine. it wasn't full shade, though, probably half and half.

blackberries have done okay in full shade, though

also, no problems with cross pollination

 

[Judy]

Wild blackberries do very well here in sun and part shade, along the edge of the woods where they get morning sun. I don't see them growing where it is full shade.

 

[KristyHall]

you should only worry about them crossbreeding if you intend on saving the seeds of the berries and planting them. Raspberries and blackberries may cross, i'm not sure on that but blueberries will not cross with either.

Even if they cross the berries will be the same. It is only when you plant the seeds do you see a change.

You may want to plant the blueberries between the raspberries and blackberries though because the pests that love raspberries love blackberries, so by having a buffer you can limit pest damage. All three like similar soil types so you shouldn't worry there either.



Just be sure to give them each enough room to spred out and get plenty of air and light. Berries are prone to disease if they do not get good air circulation.

 

[redhen]

Great info! Thanks guys!

 

[yotetrapper]

I know wild blue berries grow in clearings in the woods, so they should be able to take some shade. Also, wild raspberries grow along the edge of the woods here like crazy.

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

They may hybridize within genus and if closely related. For example, blackberries and marionberries. The flowering cycle has to correspond and other things have to line up too, so it's pretty rare. For example, a raspberry that fruits on two year old canes shouldn't hybridize with a raspberry that fruits on first year canes. An evergreen huckleberry is not going to hybridize with a deciduous one. They can't be distant cousins. Often the hybrid fruit is not viable in any case. Keeping close relatives with similar flowering cycles separated a bit should solve any potential issue. I have golden raspberries and red raspberries all in the same patch and I have never gotten an orange berry. Though now that I think about it that would be kind of cool.

As far as your woodland goes, you might look into native woodland berries in your region and plant the ones that can handle partial shade, or dappled light. Wild strawberries, blueberries and cloudberries come to mind. Lingonberries like the shade I think. Out west we have some great producing native huckleberries and cane berries that I have planted in my "forest". I wonder if you can get them out there? BTW, the chickens LOVE them it is a treat for them to be turned out into our wild berry patch. The wild berry pies I was dreaming about have been traded for eggs... oh well.

 

[redhen]

OOh Golden Raspberries... that sounds yummy!
Off to google them...