Kitchen Gardeners

Information

Berry Growers

My kitchen wouldn't be complete without fresh fruit. The focus of this group will be berrries! What do you grow? Do you have favorite varieties? How do you grow them? Please share your thoughts, comments and pictures!

Members: 31
Latest Activity: Nov 11


Berry Breakdown
WED, 06/20/2007 - 12:30PM BY FITSUGAR 15 COMMENTS - 24,314 VIEWS
Berries are like nature's candy. Not only do they taste sweet and juicy, but they are so good for you. They are a good source of vitamins and phytochemicals (which help to fight disease or disorders).
For instance, cranberries and blueberries can fight off urinary tract infections. Blueberries and strawberries have been found to have anti-cancer properties. Dark colored berries like blackberries contain powerful antioxidants which can help to slow down the aging process. Berries, especially blueberries and raspberries, also contain something called lutein, which is important for healthy eyes. Wow, they may be tiny, but they sure are powerfully healthy!
Want to see how these berries compare nutritionally, then read more

1/2 cup (1/4 of the pint) Calories Fiber (g) Vitamin A (mcg) Vitamin C (mg) Potassium (mg) Folate (mcg)
Strawberries 23 1.4 9 42 110 17
Blueberries 41 1.7 39 7 56 4
Raspberries 32 4 20 16 93 13
Blackberries 31 3.8 154 15 117 18
Boysenberries 33 3.5 44 2 92 42
Raw Cranberries 22 2.2 28 6 40 0
Dried Cranberries (1/3) cup) 123 2.3 0 0 16 0
Fit's Tips: Get your fill of these delicious fresh berries by adding them to your cereal, salads, and baked goods. A bowl of fresh-picked berries also makes a great dessert on its own.

Discussion Forum

PiscesGirl

Invasive blackberries! 18 Replies

Started by PiscesGirl. Last reply by de Moffarts Eugène Aug 4.

PiscesGirl

Uses for Hawthorne Berries 8 Replies

Started by PiscesGirl. Last reply by Joel LeGrand Aug 4.

Tony

Raspberry Woes 3 Replies

Started by Tony. Last reply by Tony Jul 6.

Comment Wall

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of Berry Growers to add comments!

Joel LeGrand Comment by Joel LeGrand on August 17, 2009 at 9:46pm
Hi everyone,
I read some where that a pumpkin is a BERRY, something about it having a simple flower. What do you think?
Joel LeGrand Comment by Joel LeGrand on July 12, 2009 at 6:40pm
Hi, I live in the midlands of S.C. I Worked in a nursery in my youth, so I know a little about bulbs & perennials. But hardly anything about berries & fruits , so help please . Not knowing did not stop me from buying 3apples, 1aprcot,1mulberry,1 butternut,1 nectrine, 1pear,8 grages,2 plum , 14 ribbiteye blueberries & 10 lowbrush blueberries(wild),1 fig,40 raspberries,2 gooseberries, 1currant,3 throned blackberries, 7thornless blackberries,1 dewberries, & 10 strawberries. As you can see my eyes are bigger then my knowledge.
Becky Schnabel Comment by Becky Schnabel on June 21, 2009 at 6:35am
Hi! I'm in North Dakota, and one of my favorite subjects is fruit. I am amazed by all of the exotic things we can grow here that never make it to supermarkets. I have a lack of sun, so right now I have only strawberries, raspberries and a red and white currant in the ground, but I've done annual ground cherries before with success (they dwarf nicely in containers, if you don't have room in your annual beds for another tomato-size plant.) I've recently found some unused sunny area at a relative's house so I'm going to gift her with a fruiting polyculture. She asked for primaily fruit for fresh eating, so we'll be going for super-hardy kiwi, grape, raspberry, strawberry of course, currants, gooseberries, honeyberries, bush cherries, juneberry, jostaberry, perhaps an autumn olive, and topping it all off with a pie cherry, apples and perhaps a medlar if I can shelter it enough. I might also try to sneak in two elderberries as the flowers are good for fresh eating - I want to make the famous elderberry cough syrup. After I finish the exterior work at my house I'll be cannibalizing the front yard to put in some of these plus sea buckthorn and aronia.
Roxana Comment by Roxana on June 20, 2009 at 9:34pm
Hello everyone!!!! I I live in GA, this is the first year when I just planted 12 raspberry canes, bare roots(well, it's my first year when I ever planted something! ;)). Most of them have sprouted new leaves, however something ate them like crazy leaving just the stems behind... :(((. Do you think they will still come out allright?! I wonder if I should cover them with some sort of netting, at least until the leaves are sprouting?! Also, I planted some strawberry roots @ Memorial Day, now they already have fruit on them! So exciting!!! :)
Maria Schultz Comment by Maria Schultz on May 21, 2009 at 3:47pm
Hi there,
I live in Charlotte, NC and last year I got a bag with 5 strawberry plants and a couple of berry roots.
This year I have 26 strawberries, 5 black raspberries, 2 red raspberries, 2 black berries and 2 blueberries.
I have no budget, so I'm starting slow and trying my best to make cuttings and propagate, but I love gardening so much, this is a great joy for me.
In two years I should have the garden of my dreams. Done with my own hands, the hard way... but worth it!!!
Glenn Fletcher Comment by Glenn Fletcher on May 19, 2009 at 2:42am
I saw on TV the other day, that if you boil elderberry leaves & mix with a bit of soap. This is a good spray for gooseberries. I forget what it gets rid of, but i get them & they strip all the leaves off the bushes.
Apologies for the senior moment.
Amy B. Comment by Amy B. on May 18, 2009 at 10:11pm
Hello, my blueberries are not sweet tasting at all and the leaves have gone brown. I potted it in peat moss, vermiculite and pumice. I wonder if I have watered it too much. It is Sunshine Blue and I have it next to a O'Neal blueberry in a South=West exposure in 9W.
Angie Knost Comment by Angie Knost on May 16, 2009 at 12:35pm
Sandra--
Try to grow an Amelanchier Canadensis, aka serviceberry if you want some other wild/natural fruits for your garden. It grows to be a smallish tree, it's multi-stemmed, has masses of very early white flowers and gorgeous fall color. The grow well throughout the norther states and up into Canada. Give them good air circulation, a sunny spot and relatively well-drained soil and then enjoy! The birds do love these, too. So you'll have to be quick!
Melissa Comment by Melissa on May 16, 2009 at 11:16am
I have blackberries that are the size of my thumb in length and twice the width (ebony king), and both black and red raspberries. I would have blueberries if my lab would stop peeing on them and my husband would stop mowing them down.... I also have a seedless Concord grape that has tons of flower bud stalks! My strawberries are doing beautifully this year as well. Lots of small green berries already and millions of flowers that will become huge red berries!
sandra anderson Comment by sandra anderson on May 16, 2009 at 11:15am
Hi everyone!
I have Raspberries on purpose, blackberries because I live in Western Washington, 5 blue berries, three currant bushes, one gooseberry bush (I know, not enough) And a bunch of crazy strawberries.
My goal is to grow enough of each to have them actually make it into the kitchen...'cause eating them in the garden is too fun!
I am also experimenting with "wild" fruit, a Cornilian Cherry, Highbush cranberry and elderberry....that is truly a race against nature to get those things before the birds!
 

Members (31)

PiscesGirl Joy Williams sandra anderson Glenn Fletcher Melissa Angie Knost Joel LeGrand Kay Robbins Tony Sharon Leslie Moyer de Moffarts Eugène Michelle W. Flannery Katherine Turcotte JC Amy B. Jess Warren Maria Schultz Roni Stanley Phillips Roxana Michael Newsom Becky Schnabel PHIL BA Carrie Best RawZi Diana Adamo Melanie Robertson Ron Williams Martha Creedon
 
 

KGI's book of the month

Latest Activity

now to try bean leaves - really nice green to use if you haven't got chard or spinach. My Chinese friends introduced me to this. you just have to take out the ribs of the leaf and use the soft green parts. yes, a little bit of work, but really wor...
4 hours ago
Those are really beautiful, Danny! :)
4 hours ago
I'll bet this place smelled wonderful. I love prunes, and have very fond memories off sneaking the unfinished halves out of my parents dehydrator when I was a kid. you know, moving around the ones left behind to make it look like I hadn't been the...
4 hours ago
One of my favorite books...I think I actually recommended that to you. They did start in the spring and I'm thinking that would be the right time for where we live. And it gives me extra time to do research about local resources.
4 hours ago
4 hours ago
Kristi Birchenough added a discussion to the group Tomatoes
Ha ha!!! I can almost guarantee you guys haven't read a discussion like this yet!!! Ok, Growing Tomatoes on a Sailboat...I need some thoughts on this, I'm thinking ahead to next summer here and what I shall do to grow Tomatoes on our Sailboat that...
6 hours ago
I think this might need it's own category, don't you? Tomatoes are one of the most popular things to grow and we've been placing them in all kinds of groups, but the fact is we almost all grow them, and they have specific needs.
6 hours ago
That sounds awesome! You read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" right? I think they started in April if I remember correctly. Good book.. Rock on girl!!!
7 hours ago
I think that just made my decision... the carolinas aren't far enough south for me, florida or us virgin Islands here I come!
7 hours ago
Wow! That's beautiful!!!
7 hours ago
Sweet potato leaves, I bet if you threw a handfull of those in your blender with 3 or 4 pieces of fruit and a cup or two of water that would be a yummy smoothie! I do it with spinach, and you don't even taste it...yum!!! it's more fun that eating ...
7 hours ago
I saw a Useful Post on seed saving at the blog Simple Green Frugal Coop, written by coop member Gavin. The blog post gave an especially helpful tip about how to isolate members of the squash/melon/cucumber family, one flower at a time, using eithe...
8 hours ago
Sandy McDonald, PADMANABH SHANKAR, dr sarfraz khan and 3 more joined Kitchen Gardeners
8 hours ago
Joel LeGrand and Luben Kumar are now friends
21 hours ago
Shawna is now friends with TAR HEEL and Melanie Robertson
yesterday
Shawna Just checking in, been busy with work and going back to school
yesterday
Our local squirrels learned to leave the back yard alone as I set the dogs out to chase them anytime I saw one back there, but the squirrels now know the front yard is fine... My problem is more the deer who love the Hostas in the front yard........
yesterday
Awe... lucky!!! How did you do that? I've tried growing it both on deck in summer and just a week or two ago here on the boat. It just gets spindly and sick looking, fails to grow and withers away?!. I'm not sure what kind of soil i used here in t...
yesterday
Good idea! I'm due for another batch... soon to come, "how-to photos"
yesterday
Would like to see pics of you rooting them and how they grow in water. I'm interested in trying this.
yesterday

Notes

HOW TO - ADD A LINK

Several people have experienced difficulty putting working links into comments and blogs etc and I know it is clumsy.... so here is how you do it.....

First type the text you want to appear....  ie  IAN'S PAGE

Then go back and highlight the link text.

Then hit the hyperlink button...a pictogram of a chain link.

Your browser may intervene and request permission to allow temporary scripting or some similar message.   Allow it and go back and highlight the text again

Continue

Created by Ian Jun 7, 2009 at 7:28pm. Last updated by Ian Jun 8.

Forum Policy

Hi, I'm starting to put together a few guidlines on using the discussion forum on here.

I would be happy to hear any comments you may have.  This is very much a work in progress so plese feel free to ask me to add anything you think is needed.

I don't want to make our community hide bound by rules and regulations but I think that, as the community has grown, some explanation of what is expected is needed.

Administration

You can refer any que

Continue

Created by Ian May 23, 2009 at 1:55am. Last updated by Ian May 25.

Climate maps

Hi following recent discussion I have put climate maps of the USA, Australia and Europe on here for reference..

 Climate map of the USA

Climate map of Australia

Climate map of Europe

 

Continue

Created by Ian Sep 12, 2008 at 6:20pm. Last updated by Ian Apr 14.

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

Hi Everyone,  I've started to collect together recipes from various posts on the site and put them all together here.

If you have a recipe you want to add on here, just post it on the site and leave a comment on my page telling me where it is and I'll go and fetch it back here.

They are organised in Contributor Order but I'm open to better suggestions!

BEVA'S RECIPES

Continue

Created by Ian Jun 2, 2008 at 9:54am. Last updated by Ian Apr 13.

US STATES ABBREVIATIONS

 

US STATE ABBREVIATIONS

AK - Alaska               AL - Alabama              AR - Arkansas
AZ - Arizona              CA - California           CO - Colorado
CT - Connecticut          DC - Dist of Columbia *   DE - Delaware
FL - Florida              GA - Georgia              GU

Continue

Created by Ian Jan 27, 2009 at 4:27pm. Last updated by Ian Jan 27.

HOW TO - MAKE COMPOST

Recently there was an excellent discussion about composting. I’ve pulled together all the various comments here. You can also watch KGI's video on composting here.

 

 

KATE’S ADVICE

I used to have a tumbler that we made from a wine-barrel but

1 you have to fill it up all at once

2. it seemed mostly

Continue

Created by Ian May 30, 2008 at 5:29am. Last updated by Roger Jan 15.

Notes Home

Welcome to Notes.

To view notes that are in the system hit the "all notes" button above.

Continue

Created by Ian May 28, 2008 at 12:10pm. Last updated by Ian May. 30, 2008.

A Note about Notes

I have just written this note so that I can see what we can achieve by using this new feature.

If you read this and have any suggestions then please leave a comment on my page or email me.

Ian

Continue

Created by Ian May 28, 2008 at 6:19pm. Last updated by Ian May. 28, 2008.

 

© 2009   Created by Kitchen Gardeners International

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Privacy  |  Terms of Service

Sign in to chat!