Berry Production

Raspberry and Blackberry, Fruit & Nuts Research & Information Center, UC Davis

Blackberry varieties do best on sunny slopes. They should be planted 4 to 5 feet apart in rows 10 feet apart and canes trained on 4 foot high, 2 wire trellis.

Raspberry plantings do best on cool North slopes. Raspberries are planted 3 to 4 feet apart in rows. Each year after harvest, old canes are removed and new canes are wrapped around the wires.

• Recommended varieties when planting at elevations between 300 and 3500 feet:
  • Blackberry- Olallie, Boysen, Thornless Everbearing Black, Smoothstem, Tay, Thornfree, and Marion.
  • Raspberry- Willamette and Heritage.

Blueberries, Fruit & Nuts Research & Information Center, UC Davis

Blueberry plantings do best on cool North slopes. Blueberries do well on acid soils of the foothills and are planted 5 to 6 feet apart and do not need trellis support. Each year after harvest, old canes are removed and new canes are wrapped around the wires.

• Recommended varieties when planting at elevations between 300 and 3500 feet:
  • Blueberry- Blue crop, Ray, Herbert, Jersey, Coville, Pemberton, Duke, Toro, Nelson, Olympia, and Atlantic.

• Blueberries, UC Small Farm Program

Strawberries, Fruit & Nuts Research & Information Center, UC Davis

Strawberries are planted on raised beds. Plants are set 8 to 12 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart. Planting is best done in late July or around the first of November.

• Recommended varieties when planting at elevations between 300 and 3500 feet:
  • Strawberry- For early summer crop: Chandler, Pajaro, Sequoia, Tioga, Douglas, and Benton. For continuous summer crop: Fern, Hecker, Ozark Beauty, Selva, Tristar, and Brighton.

Pest Management

• University of California Integrated Pest Management guidelines for monitoring pests in Blueberry, Caneberries, Strawberry.
• UC ANR Book Publications: IPM in Strawberries (2nd Ed)

University of California Web Resources

• Berries in the Foothills, UCCE Placer/Nevada County
• Growing Berries, The California Garden Web
• Planning a U-Pick Operation on Your California Farm, University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
  (UC SAREP)