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Homegrown Berries: Successfully Grow Your Own Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, and More
Enjoy delicious, nutritious berries from your own backyard!
What says summer more than a bowl full of fresh berries? How about a yard full of them? Homegrown Berries covers the information you need to know about the process from planting to picking. You’ll learn the best varieties of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, and elderberries for you, how to fit them into your landscape (including in borders and containers), and how to maintain them for peak harvest. Summer just got sweeter!
What says summer more than a bowl full of fresh berries? How about a yard full of them? Homegrown Berries covers the information you need to know about the process from planting to picking. You’ll learn the best varieties of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, and elderberries for you, how to fit them into your landscape (including in borders and containers), and how to maintain them for peak harvest. Summer just got sweeter!
208 pages, Paperback
First published December 30, 2014
58 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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April 5, 2025really helpful for pruning my blueberries and also making me want to plant a bunch of weirder stuff like gooseberry and elderberry. I mean, I tried on elderberry from cuttings last year but I was kind of lazy about it and they didnt make it. I'll try again this year ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
planning to get more strawberries now and hopefully use this info to try to get better results from the native raspberries on our walking paths.
this book is kind of funny for me because I normally read really woo permaculture type gardening books and this book recommends rows etc which is not rly my gardening MO. Nice to have all the berry info collected in one place tho, I loooove berries
planning to get more strawberries now and hopefully use this info to try to get better results from the native raspberries on our walking paths.
this book is kind of funny for me because I normally read really woo permaculture type gardening books and this book recommends rows etc which is not rly my gardening MO. Nice to have all the berry info collected in one place tho, I loooove berries
February 23, 2017
Good resource for beginners. Didn't cover much more than the listed berries. Wasn't as exhaustive as I'd like
March 10, 2024
I am a wannabe berry grower and this book gave me confidence that I could grow some strawberries and a couple of blueberry bushes in my rather tiny backyard with a lot of attention to setup and minimal maintenance. This book had pretty pictures only for some of the things mentioned in the text. I would need to use the internet to find pictures for most of the diseases it mentions.
What I got out of this book is to check your soil the fall before spring planting for acidic ph for blueberries and the proper mineral content. Then amend the soil with minerals and compost so it will support a healthy plant. Ask at your local nursery what varieties work well in your area and make sure the baby plants they sell you have been tested to be virus free. You’ll want a two year old blueberry bush. Anything older will be more expensive with limited increased benefit. Strawberries and blueberries are shallow rooted plants so you don’t need a deep garden. Be vigilant pulling weeds and net your blueberries to protect them from birds. Blueberries also need cross pollination for better fruit so buying two varieties is better.
What I got out of this book is to check your soil the fall before spring planting for acidic ph for blueberries and the proper mineral content. Then amend the soil with minerals and compost so it will support a healthy plant. Ask at your local nursery what varieties work well in your area and make sure the baby plants they sell you have been tested to be virus free. You’ll want a two year old blueberry bush. Anything older will be more expensive with limited increased benefit. Strawberries and blueberries are shallow rooted plants so you don’t need a deep garden. Be vigilant pulling weeds and net your blueberries to protect them from birds. Blueberries also need cross pollination for better fruit so buying two varieties is better.
April 7, 2018
helped me plan for my backyard.
April 12, 2019
Great resource
May 18, 2020
Comprehensive growing guide for most common berries. All aspects of cultivation are discussed: site, planting, pruning, fertilizing, harvesting. Excellent for clarity and photographs.
May 25, 2020
Great resource
This book is an excellent resource for all types of berries. Though it could expand upon less known berries like Aronia berry, aka Black Chokeberry.
This book is an excellent resource for all types of berries. Though it could expand upon less known berries like Aronia berry, aka Black Chokeberry.
November 3, 2021
a great reference - lots of specifics for each plant and the different varieties
May 17, 2022
Nice reference book for someone who wants extensive information about different kinds of berries and how to grow them.
June 22, 2022
Read this cover to cover. Interested in growing natives and edible plants, so knowing we have natives of all of these berries in PA, this make sense. Great planting and growing tips on all.
November 15, 2025
I can’t say I retained much of what I read while I was reading through it, but I think it will be a useful resource for when I need to look things up about berries.
February 5, 2017
A quick read, but informative. Gave me some good insight and ideas for choosing and planting
September 23, 2014
For anyone interested in growing their own berries, this nifty book will give them all the information they need. Packed with photographs and illustrations, it also has a guide to the best regions for each type of fruit. It lists the names of each type of berry (such as Sequoia or Tillamook for strawberry), where it grows best, and whether it can be used in a plant for edging, etc.
It even has illustrations of the root process, and layouts of how each berry should be planted. There are listings for the problems that may occur and what to do to correct this, pests, diseases, choosing the right soil/area and even how to harvest the plants. In the back there is a handy guide that notes which variety of each plant will grow best in each area of the country (United States).
In short, it is a comprehensive guide to anyone who already gardens or those who have never grown berries before and would like to begin. Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this in return for an honest review but it in no way influenced my decision.
It even has illustrations of the root process, and layouts of how each berry should be planted. There are listings for the problems that may occur and what to do to correct this, pests, diseases, choosing the right soil/area and even how to harvest the plants. In the back there is a handy guide that notes which variety of each plant will grow best in each area of the country (United States).
In short, it is a comprehensive guide to anyone who already gardens or those who have never grown berries before and would like to begin. Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this in return for an honest review but it in no way influenced my decision.
October 31, 2014
A great gardener's resource, "Homegrown Berries" offers tons of useful information for choosing, planting and harvesting berries at home. Each berry is listed with a zone, harvest times, pests and problems, and other valuable info. I was saddened to see no entry for mulberries, however. There are tons of great photos and pictures for everything.
April 11, 2022
February 1st, 2021
More of a good reference book than something you pick up to read for fun. I'll definitely be referring back to it.
April 10th, 2022
Still a good read. Lot's of information I'll be using in a couple weeks
More of a good reference book than something you pick up to read for fun. I'll definitely be referring back to it.
April 10th, 2022
Still a good read. Lot's of information I'll be using in a couple weeks
June 22, 2015
Very informative. Great photos. Now I’m considering growing gooseberries!
January 5, 2016
Brief coverage of many standard varieties of berries. Good book if you are considering adding a berry patch to your garden.
October 5, 2016
A lovely, lovely book. So filled with great information. If you're a gardener, I recommend this.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews