Soft fruit varieties - recommendations

[annie8]

So as part of reducing my workload for the veg/fruit bit of the garden I’m thinking of growing more soft fruit. Can people give me some recommendations for varieties that they rate highly. Am thinking -

Raspberries - might replace mine with a summer fruiting and an autumn fruiting (VC recommended JoanJ for autumn)

Strawberries - I have some early ones can’t remember the name - they fruit June so maybe some later ones?

Blackcurrants - don’t currently have
Blackberries- don’t have either.

I have one gooseberry plant. Could be tempted to get another.

Also is there a good time of year to get them. Will need to wait a bit until my beds are cleared. Don’t know if there is a time when they are likely to be on sale - this is going to cost a bit!

[annie8]

Should say it is all raised beds I have - don’t know if that is important. This is the set up.

[nickdub]

There was a thread on fruit varieties a while back (about a year ?)

[annie8]

Will see if I can find. Mind you I’m not the best at searching on this site.

[burnie]

Soft fruit is a bit of a mine field, it seems to me if you go for size of fruit/crop then often the flavour suffers, I have several different strawberries, but the tastiest are the smallest, some seed grown Alpines. Your weather will be similar to mine, so we suffer from cool dry weather on the east side, so you don't always get the temperatures for autumnal ripening fruits. My rasps are better with the summer varieties, the autumn ones are ok, but not brilliant. Blackberries are another one, I bought a thornless one, big fruits, good crop, but the flavour is not as good as the wild brambles at the bottom of the garden, nice cooked, but sour raw.

[nickdub]

Will see if I can find. Mind you I’m not the best at searching on this site.

Here's the one I was thinking about :-

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ies_97205.html

[Jungle Jane]

Another way to find a variety,have a look at this rhs agm list of varieties,I usually google their selections & then choose
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/a...vegetables.pdf

[MarkPelican]

Raspberries: Personally I wouldn't bother with summer fruiting varieties, they require a lot more effort and get weedy. Autumn varieties are recommended (can't remember exactly where) as the fruit that gives the best value with least effort. I grow Polka and get a constant supply of fruit from late July through to October.

All I do to them is cut them down late November and mulch them in February.

[carolefu]

I am thinking off buying some blueberry plants, as it's the ideal time off year to buy & plant. Ideally, any that are suitable for pots

[annie8]

Not sure id have any success with blueberries this far north. Shame.

[Babru]

Blueberries do crop successfully in Edinburgh. I visited the West Mains allotment open day (Edinburgh south side) this month and there were laden bushes.

I've got a couple I bought as twigs from Morrisons £2 each this spring. I'm growing them on, and by the time the bed is ready for them (next year hopefully), they'll be that bit bigger. Varieties are Elliot and Patriot, so if I see a third at some point I'll take that too. Cheap way to get decent-sized fruit bushes - I hope!

[Sweet savory]

Would endorse Joan J raspberries. Easy prolific and delicious. 2 gooseberries hinnomaki red and yellow, sprawling and very prickly but produced 4lb berries which is plenty for us.Next time would do a less prickly one.........

[annie8]

Thanks. Wonder if I might try blueberries then. Pollination wise are you ok with single but different plants? My garden is really sunny and sheltered so think that helps counteract the slightly shorter season. Certainly rasps grow well.

[Babru]

I think you need more than one different, but perhaps they flower at different times. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me can comment.

[bario1]

Blueberries love our climate, annie8. I've got a few bushes and they're cropping well enough, though you have to be vigilant, or the birds will take all the berries. One thing i will say, choose varieties with big berries, Chandler is one, and (maybe) Duke? Some have tiny berries which taste slightly nicer (tarter), but are a pain to pick.

I bought 5 bare root bushes for £15 from scotlpants direct a few years back - they were small, but they're slowly getting bigger.

If you can afford it though, potted ones from Pomona are excellent, much more mature and the ones I bought my mum came laden with fruit!

https://www.pomonafruits.co.uk/soft-...-bush-chandler