Strawberries and Raspberries

[JimW]

Okay I would like to plant some strawberries and raspberry plants this spring. Any suggestions on varieties for Eastern Ontario and places to buy them from?

Any growing tips greatly appreciated as well. We had a huge strwberry patch when I was a kid in SW Ontario, but I have not grown any myself here in Eastern Ontario.

JimW

[SandyM]

I vote for Vesseys. They sell for most zones in Ontario. I can't grow strawberries here but have a lot of raspberry and blackberry bushes ... And I think even mulberry...whatever they are they are delicious.

[TomK]

Hey Jim...last year at the end of planting season, MJ suggested in her unique way, that we try strawberries...a friend had mentioned to her that Canaian Tire was clearing out all their remaining bedding plants and had gotten strawberry sets at 50% off...so off i went...i got 16 plants to try it out...they were the 'Everbearing' variety...all survived...all produced..all sent out runners and we replanted all those in October when we put the bed to rest for the winter and covered with straw...really sweet berries...they are actually still growing...and they bear continuously just like their name...i'm still leaning but they were a good choice for a newbie

[WLLady]

be prepared to till over your strawberry bed in 2 years to make paths again lol. they spread like crazy! once you get them, you will have too many ALWAYS!

i also got mine at veseys. i got their mix though, 3 different kinds. they all did great. i do need to weed more....the weeds kinda smothered some last year, but i still have many many runners that get replanted (and will root themselves everywhere).

[Brian]

I picked up some ever bearing strawberries from the local greenhouse in Innisfil last spring. By July they were loaded with berries and stayed like that until October some time. I can't wait until next year. We should have an unlimited supply all summer and fall. Look around your area. Unlike the big box stores, the smaller greenhouses tend to have lots of varieties of plants.

I wish we could do raspberries, but we are in the muck soil and they will not grow.

[Dominion Link]

http://lanark.realontario.ca/browse-sec ... 12509.html

I would highly recommend giving Earle McGrath a call for advice.

[Cuttlefish]

Are you guys growing in ground? What do you do about the slugs and chipmunks and and and...? I got 2 nice plants last year, and left them in pots out of paranoia. : S

[Brian]

I use raised beds. This way the strawberries are confined so that they do not spread to far. I live in the marsh, so there are no squirrels or chipmunks. I have not had any slugs either so not sure how the every bearing varieties handle them.

[Robbie]

The go- to place for strawberries and raspberries is Strawberry Tyme farms http://www.strawberrytyme.com/
Unfortunately 2016 is the last year they will be selling to home gardeners.
As far as strawberries go, there are the typical June bearers ( we like Jewel the best ourselves) that you plant one year and harvest the next spring. Then there are the new Day Neutral varieties (Albion is a standard, very disease resistant and cranks out huge berries) that you plant in spring , and harvest fruit until frost. The June bearing/ day neutral varieties require different growing systems. The day neutrals can be grown as an annual crop, and they tend not to overwinter well. They need more fertilizer than the June bearing varieties too.
The killer insect for strawberries is tarnished plant bug, they are everywhere and will destroy the berries, all you get is tiny cat faced nubs. They are extremely difficult to control without insecticides. The June bearing varieties might be a better choice if you aren't going to spray. Sometimes depending on the year, tarnished plant bug can be more or less of a problem.
As far as raspberries go, we personally have never really had luck with the fall bearing varieties. If you can get hold of a heritage purple raspberry called Columbian that's a superb variety for growing at home. The berries are huge and sweet, the canes have hardly any thorns. The berries are too big and soft for shipping, that's why it's not a commercial variety.
There's another good source, Lareault, http://www.lareault.com/ (English catalogue link at top of web page). They are geared more to the commercial grower but they do have reasonably small quantities of a large variety of fruit plants.

[Purl]

Our raspberries came with the house and do amazingly. I keep meaning to put in strawberries and I plan to make it this spring's project. Good to know the Vesey's ones are good. Haven't seen a lot of selection at the local nurseries. Was thinking of putting in blackberries as well. Have the perfect place to put those so they can't spread and will be easy to pick. Our raspberries are on the edge of the driveway and I have room on the other end of that strip.