Are you looking for a new ever-bearing red raspberry variety to add to your garden this season? Transplant ‘Heritage’ bare roots and leafed-out plants in the spring, and they’ll produce berries for you in year one. Join organic farmer Jenna Rich as she shows us how to plant, grow, and care for ‘Heritage’ raspberries. ‘Heritage’ is an amazing raspberry variety that offers abundant harvests of delicious red berries. It is fairly low-maintenance under the right growing conditions. After a heavy fall harvest, simply cut all the canes back in the fall, mulch, and put them to bed for the winter. Raspberries are one of my favorite fruits, and when I learned just how easy they are to maintain, I opened up a new raised bed and added 30 plants to our farm plot. We chose this everbearing variety for our zone 5b farm because it is winter-hardy and highly productive. Get your jam recipes ready! Let’s explore why everyone loves ‘Heritage’ and why you should too! What Are ‘Heritage’ Raspberries? ‘Heritage’ is a popular commercial heirloom everbearing raspberry that has made its way to the list of favorites among home gardeners. It is beloved for its hardiness and high yields of high-quality, dark red, deliciously juicy medium-large berries, perfect for fresh eating and making jams and jellies. These plants are self-fertile, so no pollinators are necessary for them to produce fruits and you don’t need to plant more than one of this variety. This variety grows erect and doesn’t require support, even though it can grow to six feet at maturity. If maintained properly with sufficient water and sunlight, plants may live for ten years. Growers from zones 4 to 8 can enjoy this plant, which survives well even when winters are harsh, though it may need some protection. The canes produce two flushes of fruit per season unless pruned otherwise. Fun Fact: Raspberries are botanically not berries at all. Rather, they are round cone-shaped aggregates of drupelets that separate from the receptacle when they’re gently tugged off the stem. Each drupelet is like a bead clustered around a center core. The average raspberry is made up of 100 to 120 drupelets, each with its own seed. Appearance ‘Heritage’ plants can grow six feet or more with lush, dense foliage. The deep green leaves are made up of alternately arranged leaflets. Tiny five-petaled flowers are white or light pink and appear in clusters. While raspberry plants are typically grown for their delicious berries, the stems of their deep green, textured foliage can be used to elevate a simple bouquet or be displayed alone in a vase as a seasonal statement piece. The fruits are bright, a saturated pinkish-red, and oh-so sweet! How to Grow Raspberry bushes will reward you with garden beauty and delicious, healthy fruits in exchange for ideal growing conditions and seasonal pruning. They are a garden favorite because they can produce fruit on new wood each year with minimal maintenance. Sunlight While raspberry plants may survive in partial sun areas, full sun will result in high productivity and the most fruit. If you live in a particularly dry area with harsh summer sunshine, provide ample water during drought-like conditions. Water Water newly planted bushes and bare roots at least two inches per week for proper root development and establishment. Increase to four inches per week when the plants are setting fruit. Set up drip irrigation lines at the plant base at the time of transplanting, so you’re prepared for any dry spells. Fresh, thin roots dry out very easily. Use a rain gauge to determine the exact rainfall in your garden. Insufficient water leads to small, seedy berries lacking that juicy pop we all crave. Once established, plants have some drought tolerance, but it’s best to check them once weekly to ensure the soil is moist. Keep a watering schedule until just before your first fall frost to ensure the plants are as healthy as possible going into winter dormancy. Once the ground is frozen, plants cannot uptake water or nutrients, so stop watering until spring. Plants receive water when it rains and snows. Too much water may lead to rot and disease. Soil Soil preferred is well-draining sandy loam that is consistently watered and has a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. If your native soil isn’t conducive to growing raspberries, grab a large container. ‘Heritage’ raspberry plants perform well in pots and shouldn’t need any support. Check their water levels frequently. Before planting, fully rid the area of weeds that may compete with shallow-rooted raspberry roots. If there is grass or stubborn perennial weeds, cover the area with a tarp for about a month. You can also start fresh with a metal raised garden bed. Mulch Apply several inches of organic mulch around your plants to keep weed pressure down, retain moisture, and keep the soil warm and cozy. Wood chips, shavings, compost, bark, and lawn clippings are recommended. To make your own mulched leaves, mow over piled-up leaves a few times until they’re in smaller pieces. These will break down more quickly and add fertility to the soil, encouraging healthy fungi and microbes to flourish. Reapply mulch as materials break down. If you live in colder climates, mulching is an important step for winter preparation. We layer several inches of aged compost to protect the crown and a thick layer of mulched leaves around the base. Add wood chips to the walking paths to increase insulation and reduce muddiness between rows. Climate and Temperature The preferred daytime temperatures are between 65 and 80°F (18-27°C), but ‘Heritage’ raspberries can tolerate much warmer. While hardy down to USDA zone 4, take care when temperatures fall below 5°F (-15°C) to protect the crown and root system. Fertilizing I recommend soil testing before you start a new raspberry patch and starting each season so you know exactly what your soil and raspberries need. When opening up your gardens in the spring, feed established raspberry bushes before new growth begins. Use a well-balanced, slow-release fertilizer like a 10-10-10 and follow the instructions on the packaging. Alternatively, select a fertilizer that’s higher in nitrogen for the first feed of the year to encourage healthy stem growth and foliage, then apply the 10-10-10 around June when new foliage begins. Do not fertilize in late summer or fall. This encourages new growth that may be damaged during frost and winter dormancy. Harvesting ‘Heritage’ raspberries can be harvested in the first year. The light summer crop comes from the canes they came out of dormancy with, and the heavy fall crop comes from the new canes that have popped up this season. Berries release fairly easily from the receptacle, and fruits hold up very well in travel and storage, making it a great option if you bring your berries to a farmers’ market or sell them at a farm stand. Be careful, ‘Heritage’ is thorny! Wear gloves to protect your fingers. Pruning Everbearing or fall-bearing raspberries are referred to as primocane varieties, which means they fruit on fresh wood. For two flushes of fruit, prune similar to floricane varieties, scheduling pruning sessions directly after each fruit flush. Note that the second flush may come very late in the season in northern climates, but it will be larger. Alternatively, cut back plants to two inches during dormancy in early to mid-March. This encourages one large fall crop and makes pruning a cinch, just once per season. New growth will produce the fruits. Remove suckers regularly and discard or share them with gardening friends to control the spread. Propagation Raspberry plants are sold as bare roots or small plants in containers. How you plant them depends on the type of plant you receive. Starting a plant from seed is possible, but it’s a time-consuming and tedious process. While I love starting plants from seeds as much as the next gardener, I advise you to leave the hard work to the experts on this one.

Container growing can be a great solution for gardeners in cool climates who want to grow their own avocado trees. Join Florida gardener Melissa Strauss for some tips on growing one of these tropical trees in a pot or container. There is no doubt about it, avocados are popular. With some amazing nutritional benefits and that famously creamy texture, there just is no substitute for this tasty fruit. The trees, however, are tropical and grow in a relatively limited range. If you don’t live in a warm climate, you’ve probably been stuck paying top dollar for your avocados at the supermarket. If this is your plight, I have some excellent news for you! There are varieties of avocado that you can grow in a pot or container, even in cool climates. Growing an avocado tree in a pot or container allows you to bring it indoors for the winter. Since these trees are not especially cold-tolerant, they won’t survive the winter in many parts of the country. Planting yours in a container will make all the difference if you live north of zone 9. Here’s how to do it! What Are Avocado Trees? Avocado trees are multi-branched evergreens that love warm, humid weather and lots of sunshine. As a result, they can be a challenge to grow in cool climates and indoors. However, some excellent dwarf varieties will thrive in a large container. Let’s talk about these trees and how to keep them healthy in a pot. Characteristics When discussing growing an avocado tree in a pot or container, we will primarily focus on dwarf varieties. A standard-sized tree can reach anywhere from 20 to 80 feet tall at maturity, so naturally, these are tough to bring in for the winter. Dwarf varieties often stay between eight and 12 feet tall, and you can keep them even shorter by pruning properly. Dwarf avocado trees are slower growing and have a dense, bushy form compared to most standard trees. A grafted cultivar can produce fruit in about two to four years, and the fruits are comparable in size and quality to a standard. They are slower growing and ideal for urban gardeners or anyone with limited space. Native Area Avocado trees are native to the southern part of Central America. Their range spans from the eastern highlands of central Mexico, down through Guatemala, and into some parts of South America. They appear in tropical and subtropical mountainous regions at elevations up to 6,600 feet. Planting Since we are discussing growing avocado trees in containers or pots, we won’t delve into the specific time of year. You can purchase and repot your tree at any time of year, as long as you provide it with proper care, including limiting exposure to cold temperatures. Choose a large container, as large as possible, to contain the extensive root system. A wide pot is going to be more effective than a deep one. These trees have shallow, fibrous, and extensive root systems that don’t extend deeply into the earth. Most of the root system will be in the top several inches of soil. For a young tree, choose a pot that is at least 12″-15″ in diameter. A mature tree will thrive best in a container that holds 20-25 gallons, so plan for that when you decide where it will live during the colder months.

‘Black Tartarian’ is a popular large cherry tree that produces luscious dark red, almost black, sweet cherries in summer. This old variety has been around and is tried and tested for a good performance in the garden. It’s a popular choice for commercial growers, so you know it would be a good choice for a home garden. Here, gardening expert Wendy Moulton establishes the best conditions to get the best out of this tree. This variety is one of the first cherries to flower and then fruit, and it is one of the easiest to grow in a home garden. ‘Black Tartarian’ grows big and strong and produces abundant fruit with a lovely sweet taste during cherry season. It’s also a beautiful ornamental tree that features a neat pyramid shape with dark green leaves that turn vibrant red and orange in the fall. This tree requires another to pollinate, so prepare for an abundant cherry season. Here, I’ll share what you need to know to grow a healthy and high-yielding ‘Black Tartarian’ cherry tree. What Is It? Prunus avium ‘Black Tartarian’ is an heirloom cultivar from Russia that came to England in the 1700s. It was originally called ‘Ronald’s Large Black Heart’ after Hugh Ronalds, who was instrumental in bringing the tree to England. In the 1800s, it came to America, where it became a popular commercial choice for its vigorous growth and abundant yields of dark red to black cherries. Native Area This heirloom cherry originates from Circassia, a region named Caucasus after the mountain range of the same name. This region is now part of Russia. Prunus avium, also known as wild cherry, sweet cherry, or bird cherry, originated in Europe, Asia, and North Africa and became naturalized in North America. These are the varieties we know as sweet cherries, as opposed to the sour cherry varieties, Prunus cerasus. Characteristics ‘Black Tartarian’ is an excellent pollinator variety for other cherries, but it also needs pollinating itself to produce fruit. The best trees to plant with this variety include ‘Bing’, ‘Lapins’, ‘Van’ or ’Stella’, ‘Coral’, ‘Napolean’, and ‘Rainer’. This popular variety has dark green leaves that turn red and orange in the fall, fragrant white flowers in the spring, and beautiful dark fruits in clusters in the summer. Planting Get the planting right, and you will be halfway to a bumper harvest of juicy cherries in the summer. Plant in autumn to settle the trees in the ground over winter and spring into bloom, or plant in spring for harvesting the next season. Make sure you have enough space for a ‘Black Tartarian’ and another variety of cherry tree for pollination. This is a large tree that needs at least 30 feet to grow to maturity. Before you begin, make sure there are no other plants or structures that will impede its growth. Also, ensure it’s in the full sun most of the day. The sun needs to get into the tree for it to set fruit. Dig a hole at least twice the width and at the same depth as the root ball. Add the tree and make sure it’s straight before backfilling. Plant the tree so the graft union is two to three inches above the soil. As you add the soil, tamp down to remove any air pockets. This prevents any infections from getting to the roots. Make a basin around the tree to help direct water to the roots and give the tree a good watering. Add a layer of mulch to the whole area, at least three inches away from the trunk.