ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot

A daily serving of fruits and berries is critical for good health and fighting disease. No need to go to the store in winter to buy cardboard strawberries; there’s lots of them from my garden in the freezer. I freeze berries in single layers on a baking sheet and this works for rhubarb chunks too. When berries are frozen individually, you only use as many as you need. Growing fruit also means adding ornamental edibles to your garden. It’s pure joy to harvest fresh fruit in season, and kids really love it as they eat more than they pick!

Kiwis: Actinidia deliciosa are vigorous broadleaf deciduous vining shrubs. They thrive in a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. When carrying a full crop, and during the hottest part of summer, mature vines may use up to 20 litres of water a day, depending on soil type. Frost protection is needed in areas where there are early fall or late spring frosts.

Kiwis are dioecious vines, with male and female flowers on separate plants. To get fruit, you need one male to every six females. Vines bloom over a 10-day period, starting mid-June. You also need healthy populations of honeybees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombis terrestris) for pollination. Fruit should not ripen on the vine, as mature fruit has a short life.

Grapes should be planted in well-drained, moist, loamy soil in full sun. Apply manure in spring and mulch with grass clippings throughout the year. Apply wood ash (uncontaminated) in winter and seaweed in summer. Fruit is produced on the current season’s growth, which grows from last year’s wood.

Raspberries should be planted in early spring, two feet apart in the row. It is advisable to support the plants with a wired framework. Canes will spread so dig up the creepers outside the wired support. The plants need six hours of full sun daily with soil pH 6.0. wood ash in winter. Add seaweed in summer and manure/compost mulch in late winter after fruiting.

Currants and gooseberries belong to the genus Ribes. They are excellent for jams, jellies, and winemaking. They will grow in full sun to partial shade. Avoid low-lying frost pockets. Space five feet apart. Mulch to retain moisture with straw, compost or manure twice a year. This boosts fruit production and helps prevent weed growth.

Blackcurrants produce fruit on one-year-old wood. In spring, remove old wood and weak canes leaving six to nine strong ones. Redcurrants and gooseberries produce on spurs of two and three-year-old wood. Wood older than three years should be removed each year. Allow only eight or nine strong canes to remain on the bush after pruning. Shorten any long canes for side branching and fruit spur development.

Blueberries need acidic soil (pH 5.0). A sawdust mulch five inches thick will lower the pH. Blueberries prefer well-drained soil, rich in organic matter and at least six hours of sunlight daily. Set plants six feet apart. It takes two years for plants to establish and start fruiting. Choose early, mid-season and late varieties to extend the harvest season. It’s best to have more than one variety for pollination. Watch for birds as blueberries become ripe. Use netting to cover the bushes.

Strawberries prefer well-drained sandy loams, rich in organic matter with slightly acidic soil, pH 6.0. Plant in spring with crowns just above the soil surface. When first planted, add organic fertilizer to help establish them. Keep them weed-free, as they are unable to compete with grass and weeds. A southern exposure gives the sweetest fruit. Three years of production, second year best.

Rhubarb, Rheum rhaponticum, is a long-lived, hardy perennial, virtually pest and disease free. It’s easy to grow if you remember that it is a heavy feeder; feed with manure in spring and fall. Leaves contain toxic levels of oxalic acid and should not be eaten, but can be added to the compost pile. Stop harvesting by mid-summer to leave foliage to feed roots. To keep crowns producing, divide every three years. Fall is the best time, but it can also be done in early spring.

Carolyn Herriot is author of A Year on the Garden Path, which talks you through growing food year-round and seed saving. www.earthfuture.com/gardenpath/ 
Check out the weekly progress of The New Victory Garden in Victoria by following Carolyn's blog on www.gardenwise.ca