Bramble berries

Grow your own summer pudding

Brambles fruit quickly after planting so are perfect for less patient home orchardists What are brambles?

Fruit from the rubus genus are often called brambles, which mainly refers to raspberries, cultivated blackberries (not the wild kind) and boysenberries. Other brambles include the less common marionberry, loganberry and tayberry. These are closely related to the native rubus species including the much-hated bush lawyer ( Rubus

cissoides). While brambles thrive in all areas of New Zealand, the plants are most productive in regions with cold winters and warm summers. Brambles are generally easy to grow, and fruit quickly after planting so are perfect for less patient home orchardists.

Growing conditions and care

Brambles grow well in a range of soils (except waterlogged dirt), but prefer friable soil with plenty of organic matter. Select a planting site with full sun (north-facing with a minimum of five hours of sun per day) and wind protection. The plants are hardy to cold (and even snow) during winter dormancy, so will grow well in even the coolest of climates.

Keep well watered and fed, especially from flowering to harvest (between October to April, depending on the variety). The plants have a short period between flowering and fruit – between 4-8 weeks for most varieties – so keep the water up to the roots during this time in particular. Boost nutrition with specialist fruit tree fertiliser, such as Yates Thrive Strawberry & Berry Fruit Liquid Plant Food, in mid spring and mid summer.

Fortunately, very few pests and diseases affect brambles in a home garden environment. Birds are the most significant problem, stealing the berries often before peak ripeness, so a good coverage of netting should be secured at least a few weeks before the berries are expected to be ready.

A few moulds, rusts and leaf spots can affect brambles, but this is easily prevented with an annual winter copper spray. Occasionally earwigs and caterpillars can be a problem – use the Yates Nature’s Way Fruit & Vegie Gun to blast the bugs away. Take careful note of the withholding period for any sprays used on berries between spraying and harvesting.

Planting and providing support framework

Brambles can be planted at any time of year, but spring is best in most regions as the plants from the nursery will generally be larger and more established, and will usually bear fruit in the summer immediately after planting.

Planting in a raised garden bed is recommended, to provide a barrier for the roots to prevent spreading into other areas of the garden. Rows should be planted with a north-to-south orientation to ensure maximum sunlight (and minimum shading) for top crops. Mulch with straw in a donut shape around the base of the plant and keep the roots moist (but not waterlogged).

Brambles are categorised based on their growth habit, as having a naturally upright habit, semi-upright or trailing (see table below).

Some raspberry varieties are more strongly upright (so require little plant support) while others are only semi-upright, so need a support structure to keep the canes from lying down under the weight of a crop. A T framework, as per the illustration on the right, provides wires for canes to grow between so they stay upright, as well as being a support for bird netting as the fruit ripens.

Blackberries and boysenberries also benefit from a support structure, but for different reasons.

While blackberries have strongly upright canes, which are selfsupporting, a framework is useful to contain their vigorous growth and to make harvesting easier. Boysenberries have a naturally trailing growth, so can form a thick carpet on the ground if not raised up along wires.