Blueberry & Raspberry Bushes

Raspberry Varieties

• Raspberries grow in four color varieties including black, red, purple and yellow. Each raspberry color has multiple varieties that ripen at different times of the season. Summer ripening berries may ripen in early, middle or late summer. Some varieties of raspberries, called everbearing, ripen twice per year in the spring and fall. If you plant several varieties of summer-bearing and everbearing raspberries, you can extend the harvesting time over many months.

Raspberries in Your Garden

• Varieties of raspberries are hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture zone two and enjoy well-drained, sandy loam. A slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 is optimal for abundant fruit production. Most raspberry plants grow to a maximum size of 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide. Raspberries spread through the growth of runners that can fill or take over your garden. With a sunny location and proper care, raspberry bushes can provide fruit harvests for approximately 10 years.

Blueberry Varieties

• Four varieties of blueberries grow through the United States. The rabbiteye varieties are some of the hardiest types and are popular in USDA zones seven through nine. These varieties are pest-tolerant and produce a large volume of fruit. Lowbush blueberry varieties grow in northern climates and are usually wild blueberries. The northern highbush and southern highbush varieties grow well in zones three through eight and seven through nine, respectively. Highbush varieties can ripen throughout the summer months.

Blueberries in Your Garden

• Blueberries prefer a sandy loam soil in full sun. The shallow, delicate root system prefers soil with a pH of 4.5 to 5.2. Most varieties of these bushes will reach a maximum size of 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide with some highbush varieties reaching 12 to 15 feet tall. Blueberries are only hardy to zone four and cannot withstand freezing temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Blueberry bushes benefit from having more than one variety in the garden. The presence of multiple varieties aids cross-pollination, which helps to produce a larger fruit crop.

Can I Plant Blueberries and Raspberries Together?

• Raspberries and blueberries grow well in similar soil types and sun exposure. The preferred soil pH is significantly different between the two, which will make it somewhat difficult to plant the bushes near one another. If you do plant both types, separate the bushes in different sections of your garden and amend the soil to adjust the pH of the immediate area to the optimal pH range for the plant. Another difficulty in planting blueberry and raspberry bushes together is the runners from the raspberry plants can damage the shallow roots of the blueberry bushes, making it difficult for them to flourish. To avoid problems with the runners, install a barrier in the ground to stop the spread of the raspberry plants.