Edible berries for the garden

[IlanaK]

i have an unused space at the back of my garden that I am thinking if putting a large rectangular raised planter into (1.8m x 45cm and 45cm high) and was thinking if using it to grow berries. We already have other large vegetable planters in the garden so I don't need more vegetable growing space.

The planter would be in the sunburst spot in the garden. In summer it would be in full sun for pretty much the whole day. What would grow well on this? I would love to grow blueberries and raspberries. We already have a strawberry patch elsewhere in the garden but one can never have too many strawberries, right? What else will work?

That should say sunniest not sunburst!

We have raspberries and they are easy and plentiful. Just cut them back after the season. We usually get two or three crops each season. Lovely.

Pagwatch is right. Raspberries are the fruit of the gods. Failing that, what about gooseberries? You could underplant either with strawberries, I guess.

Gooseberries - urgh! Sorry but I hate them!

Fair enough. Further proof that raspberries are The Fruit (and I know they're technically not fruit but I'm sure you get my point).

Raspberries like shade (although they might like sun too). Don't know how they'd cope in a planter. Blueberries are good in planters. Strawberries too.

redcurrants are fabulous and hard to buy; blackcurrants are nice too.

blueberries are worth it because they will be nicer than ones you buy, which are often huge and tasteless.

you either like or don't like gooseberries but they are very easy to grow.

We have raspberries, redcurrants,, blackcurrants and gooseberries, all very easy to grow and freeze well giving us an abundance of berries all year round - the DS' like to eat them frozen!

Blueberries are wonderful in pots as the PP said. Make sure you get two though as one by itself won't pollinate (or something like that!). DS1 and I planted some strawbs today, can't wait!!

But this planter is 1.8m long - it's a raised bed.

How about redcurrants, blackcurrants or whitecurrants? Or are they too close to gooseberries?

The Royal Horticultural Society tells you everything you need to know about raspberries.

Tayberries are delicious. A cross between blackberries and Loganberries - slightly different to normal raspberries.

Blueberries are great too.

Tayberries sound yum! I think I will try them. Not sure about currants. Not sure we like them!