GARDENER'S READING ROOM
Edibles

Our Berry Best

If you'd like to enjoy fistfuls of mouthwatering berries this summer - and for many summers to come - get your berries planted now!

Blueberry plants - whose berries top the list in antioxidant power - can be found in abundance here at Sky, both in lower-cost gallon pots as well as five-gallon containers (the latter are three- and four-year-old specimens). Choose from 12 highbush (i.e., tall and upright) varieties, including Northwest favorite 'Berkeley', as well as 'Bluecrop', 'Bluejay', 'Blueray', 'Chandler', 'Duke', 'Earliblue', and 'Patriot'. Half-highbush varieties on-hand are 'Northblue', 'Northcountry', and 'Northsky'. We also have a few southern highbush types - these are at least partially evergreen, have great fruit production and are self-fertile (although you'll likely have an even heavier crop if you plant two different blueberry varieties). In this category, 'Sunshine Blue' is the hands-down winner in popularity. This small-in-stature blueberry plant is a great choice for containers. Also, its attractive wintertime foliage makes it a wonderful addition to the perennial garden. And don't be fooled by this plant's size - it is a prolific producer!

Long a favorite in Europe, currants are gaining in popularity here in the Seattle area. Our coolish climate is ideal for raising these sweet-tart berries. Red, white and black currants all make excellent jams, jellies, and pastry and pie-fillers. Black currants also are sometimes used to make wine, and are the basis for the French liqueur crème de cassis. At this writing, currently (pun intended) we are offering 'Cherry Red' and 'Red Lake' red currants, 'Consort' and 'Crandall' black currants, and 'Primus' white currants.

Sweet, aromatic raspberries are my personal favorite. I love them in jam, added to yoghurt or cereal and, best of all, eaten fresh! We offer raspberries in pots that contain five canes each. Choose from the everbearing (two crops per year) varieties, 'Amity', 'Autumn Bliss', 'Fall Gold' and 'Heritage', or the summer-crop types, 'Boyne', 'Meeker', 'Tulameen', and 'Willamette'.

We also have loganberries (a cross between a raspberry and native blackberry), - but only a handful of plants are left, so hurry in!

Blackberry hybrids - guaranteed to be much tamer than the prolifically growing Northwest natives - can also be found in our "berry field". Boysenberries (an amalgam of the raspberry, loganberry, and native blackberry) are available in both thornless and regular forms.

Sky is also carrying several popular varieties of grapes. 'Catawba', 'Concord', 'Golden Muscat', 'Niagara', and 'Stueben' can be used for either fresh-eating or for wine-making. I can also personally attest to the fact that 'Concord' makes a wonderful juice - and it's easy to whip up a batch: a couple of large pots and a supply of cheesecloth and you're good to go! The juice from these grapes is so sweet that no added sugar is necessary. If you want grapes solely for wine-making, we are carrying three varieties that will bear in our Northwest climate: Pinot Gris, White Riesling, and Gewurtztraminer.

Healthful, flavorful berry-producing plants can be easily incorporated into the landscape and even containers. We have loads of free information sheets on-hand to help you get started, and a knowledgeable staff ready to answer all of your berry-growing questions.

By Judy Boersema
Skylights Spring/Summer 2009, Vol 24, No. 2

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