Page 26 - ALG Issue 4 2021

fruit
Hybrid Berries
Those of you thinking about creating
or refreshing your soft fruit area
could do no better than considering a hybrid berry or two; plants created by crossing cultivars of Rubus species – raspberries, blackberries, dewberries etc. A selection of these will provide fruit over a long season, they will establish quickly, and, if maintained well, will stay healthy and fruit for many years. Plant in full sun or light shade. The fruits freeze well, make excellent jam, or can be used to flavour liqueurs.
Hybrid berries have perennial root systems and biennial stems, which fruit on last season’s growth. Many are available as bareroot plants over the winter period and have thornless varieties for ease of harvesting.
Loganberry:
A raspberry-blackberry cross with large cone-shaped berries and thornless varieties. The fruit are rich tasting and hold their shape when cooked.
Boysenberry:
A blackberry, raspberry, and loganberry cross with large deep purple fruit on thornless canes.
Tayberry:
A raspberry–blackberry cross with sweet elongated, red-purple berries. Bred in Scotland 50 years ago and named after the River Tay, it is one of the finest hybrid berries. Buckingham is a thorn-free variety.
Tummelberry:
Scottish-bred variant of the tayberry with large, rounded fruit with a bright red colour and good flavour.
TRAINING HYBRID BERRIES
Before any planting is carried out, a trainingsystemofpostsandwires must be erected to tie and train the canes against. Set two stout end posts at least 5metres/15ft apart. The posts need to be 2metres/6ft above ground
The hybrid berry is planted in the centre and the fruiting canes fastened to the wires
and have 60cms/2ft firmly buried in the ground. Fix the lowest straining wire 45cms/18ins above the soil level and two more tiers of wires, one near the top of the post and the other in the middle.
The hybrid berry is planted in the centre and the fruiting canes fastened to the wires; next year’s canes will develop over the season and need to be separated from the old canes – lay alongthegroundor trainvertically between the old canes. The fruited canes are cut back to the ground in winter once they have cropped and the new canes trained along wires.
Tayberry Buckingham available at Kings seeds
Loganberry available at Kings Seeds
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26 Allotment and Leisure Gardener