The Salt Lake Valley is not the ideal place to grow blueberries so I would discourage you from being seduced into that kind aggravation. Although this valley is not ideal for raspberries either, raspberries can have success. Strawberries should be even more dependable.
Here are the basics for raspberries:
- Raspberries require rich, well-drained organic soil, preferably that did not have raspberries in it before. Dig about 2-6 inches of compost or other organic material into your soil before planting. If your soil is just too clay and heavy, consider planting in a raised bed.
- While raspberries do need sun, they really prefer cool, moist conditions, so don’t plant them on the south or west side side of structures where the afternoon heat will be intense.
- Purchase bare-root plants in the spring and plant 2-3 feet apart. You can have success with just one plant as well as many.
- Water plants right after planting and then deeply but infrequently, when the soil has dried out in the first 3 inches. Sprinkler watering is suitable as long as it is not too often. Drip irrigation is even better.
- Fertilize raspberries in the spring.
- There are two main types of raspberries: June-bearing and everbearing. June-bearing produce all of their berries in a large crop between June and early July. Everbearing produce two, somewhat smaller crops; one in June and the other in September until the ground freezes. June-bearing are more effective if you need a large crop at one time to make jam. Everbearing are hardier and better suited to this valley ( I like the everbearing variety “Heritage”. The berries are not huge but the plant is dependable.)
- Raspberries spread by underground perennial roots which will produce new canes EVERYWHERE! The most common way to keep plants under control is to string parallel wires about 18 inches apart between stakes at 3 ft and 5 ft up on either side of plants. This is called a hedgerow. Cut down any canes which come up outside of the hedgerow.
- Raspberries won’t need pruning until the year after planting.
- Prune June-bearing after it is done bearing fruit. Cut down all canes which have produced that year along with all tiny, weak canes.
- Everbearing canes can pruned in the same way as June bearing, or, you can simply cut down the entire patch to the ground in late fall (October) or early Spring (March). But be warned, doing this will cause the canes to only produce fruit in the late-summer.
Strawberry Basics:
- Purchase strawberry starts in the early spring.
- Plant about a foot apart into soil that has at least 2-3 inches of organic matter dug into it. Set crowns slightly above the soil level.
- If left alone, strawberries will form a ground cover with small, yet still yummy, berries.
- Water regularly the first year and during the berry production. Once they are done producing, you can reduce watering to once every 10 days.
- Like raspberries, strawberries come in June-bearing and everbearing varieties. June-produce a large crop of berries all at once in, well, June. ”Sequoia” is the common variety found in Utah.
- Everbearing produce one crop in early summer and one in fall. ”Quinault” are the most successful in these parts.
- Fertilize June-bearers once, lightly, when growth begins, then once again after fruiting. Fertilize ever-bearing with consistent light feedings.
- Pinching off the runners will result in larger berries, however, runners are how the plant reproduces. If no runners are left, you will have no new plants. Older plants don’t produce as well, so let some runners go to give you the more productive “daughter plants”. Remove older “mother” plants in the fall.
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