Berries are some of the most generous plants you can put in a garden. A strawberry bed planted once produces for three to five years. Raspberries, once rooted, spread on their own and bear fruit every June. Blueberries ask a little more in soil prep, then reward you for decades. Few crops on a homestead give more return on the initial effort than berries.
This category will focus on realistic, small-scale berry growing — what works on 100 square feet and what scales to a full patch.
Future berry articles will cover:
- Strawberry beds: the June-bearer vs. ever-bearing debate
- Raspberries — and why they're worth the thorny commitment
- Blueberry soil: getting pH right from the start
- Blackberries: the thornless varieties worth planting
- Protecting berries from birds without ugly netting everywhere
- Pruning schedules for brambles that don't outgrow the space
Whether you have a small garden bed or room to spare, berries belong on every homestead.