Amy Draiss
Fall is the best season to plant cane fruit and berry bushes to ensure your personal supply of your favorite small fruits. By autumn, the hot summer air has cooled, but the soil remains warm enough to assist the plants in building strong root systems. This is perfect weather for specific berry and currant planting.
Depending on your growing region and depending on the types of berry or currant that you want to grow, this may be a task that is best left until spring – specifically if you live in cooler regions. However, there are plenty of great currants, bush fruits and cane berries that are well suited to fall planting, where the temperatures in the ground are amenable and will support healthy root networks at the time of planting. Here are some of the finest currants, canes and berry bushes to plant in autumn.
Best Berries for Fall Planting
Raspberries and blackberries are considered cane fruits, as are their many hybrids like loganberries and marionberries. Cane fruits grow in on strong, upright woody stems called canes – sometimes over 5 feet (1.5m) tall. These types of canes have a unique growth habit: The roots are perennial, but the canes are biennial. Primocanes grow during year 1, produce fruit in year 2, then die. New primocanes grow in year 3, and the cycle continues.
There is another kind of cane, however. Fruit like blueberries and currants also appear on woody branches called canes. But these canes are part of a perennial bush. Both the plant's roots and their crowns are perennial. Fruit is produced on one-year-old wood, but the entire bush lives on for years, sometimes decades.
Give some thought to soil pH at the time of planting. Most berries and currants can handle a fairly neutral soil pH, but a few fruits – like blueberries and some raspberries – prefer soil on the acidic side. If unsure, test the soil before planting so you can make adjustments to soil pH as needed. Use a good soil meter like the Raintrip 4-in-1 Soil Meter from Amazon, which checks for moisture, light and nutrient load as well as pH.
1. Raspberries
All true cane fruits are aggregate fruits. That means that each berry is composed of many small sections, and each section contains a seed. Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) are perfect examples. These are some of the best berries to plant in fall. Species raspberries are red and sweet, perfect for sprinkling on cereal or ice cream.
Spring is the common season for planting raspberries, but fall is equally possible. If you live in a climate with a hot summer, fall may even be better than spring, since nature assists with irrigation. Autumn rain helps the roots establish before spring growth. Good primocanes to plant in autumn include ‘Polka’, ‘Joan J’ and ‘Autumn Bliss’ berries. You can buy ‘Joan J’ as bare root canes from Amazon. For a yellow raspberry, try planting ‘Fall Gold’ raspberry cane.
Plant fairly early in fall, and never after the ground is frozen. You’ll want the soil malleable, well-draining, and warm. Pick a full-sun site for the best berry crop and use compost to amend the soil. Trim the canes and plant them 18 inches (50cm) apart in rows up to 15 feet (3m) apart.
2. Blackberries
All cane fruits are raspberries or blackberries, or hybrids of one of these fruit plants. Like raspberries, blackberries (Rubus ursinus) are aggregate fruits that grow on upright, woody canes. Like all cane plants, they grow vegetatively for a year, bear fruit the next year, then die. But new young blackberry canes appear every year. Good varieties for warmer climates include ‘Sweetie Pie’ and ‘Chester’, while in colder climates, try ‘Black Satin’ and ‘Triple Crown’. You can buy ‘Chester’ and ‘Triple Crown’ from Burpee, along with many other varieties.
Blackberry canes can be planted in early fall, well before the first frost. You want the roots to develop before the ground freezes. Erect cultivars should be planted 8 feet (2.5m) apart. Semi-erect blackberry plants need only 6 feet (2m) of elbow room. Plant them shallowly in the soil, just a little deeper than they were planted at the nursery. They need at least 6 hours of direct sun and well-draining soil. You can add a light feed to blackberries a few weeks after planting and setting in.
3. Boysenberries
Boysenberries (Rubus ursinus × R. idaeus) are hybrids of blackberries, raspberries, dewberries and loganberries, deliberately developed for their sweet yet tart taste. While they look very much like blackberries, boysenberries are a bit bigger and sweeter. Their distinctive flavor profile is a rich complex blend of all the bramble fruits from which this pretty berry was derived.
The planting procedure is identical to that for blackberries. In the fall, plant these canes two months before the first frost. Give them plenty of space to spread, as well as a trellis for support. You can buy a Thornless Boysenberry as a live rooted starter plant from Amazon.
4. Blueberries
If you are interested in planting berry bushes in the fall, blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are some of the sweetest and most visually exciting, both for their crops and often for their fiery foliage colors in autumn. These bush fruits are known as superfruits as they have high antioxidant content, offering protection against free radical damage. Blueberries grow on blueberry bushes, not canes. It helps if the soil is warm at the time of planting, and will be warm enough long enough for the roots to establish. Zones 7-9 should be especially good for fall-planting blueberries, and a range of highbush blueberries are well suited to fall conditions.
Plant blueberry bushes in a sunny location, out of the path of strong breezes. Their roots are fairly shallow, so make sure the soil is well-draining but holds moisture. Organic material or aged compost can help with this. The soil must be acidic, with a pH of 4-5. You can find an impressive selection of blueberries at Nature Hills, including ‘Misty’, ‘Chandler’, ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Patriot’ and ‘Pink Lemonade’ blueberry varieties. Remember to use peat moss or pine bark for mulching.
5. Currants
If you love blueberries but aren’t prepared to provide your berry patch with acidic soil, think about growing currants (Ribes spp.). These juicy fruits are also small and round. However, currants are cold-hardy shrubs that grow their fruits in bunches on thornless stems – and unlike blueberries, they don’t require acidic soil.
These bush fruits aren’t as well known in the United States as other berries, but they have been popular in Europe for years. The berries are incredibly healthy, boasting high quantities of vitamin C. You can also make tea from blackcurrant leaves. Fall is considered the best season for planting, although spring is also possible. Great options for fall planting include ‘Titania’, ‘Nicola’, ‘White Imperial’ and ‘Red Lake’ currants. You can also buy robust ‘Consort’ as a live plant from Amazon, ideal for USDA zones 3-8.
You can buy the plants bare-root at the garden store to save money, or spend more for container-grown varieties. There is no need to seek out a full sun location for planting currants, as they thrive in partial shade. They do like soil with a high organic content, and it must be well draining. Plant your currants 3-6 feet (1-2m) apart, with 9 feet (3m) between rows.
Would you like more ideas for planting inspiration, timely gardening jobs and seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!
