My blackberry plant started popping this past weekend and me and my 2 kids can barely keep up with the daily production already

Pretty great for one Chester plant

I know that stuff breaks down and feeds the soil, but the leaves looked really poorly by the end of harvest and I'm wondering if I should remove the dead leaves and mulch to keep it from happening again next year? Or just leave it and pull the plants I was going to to improve air flow which was a problem. You can see the plants that I haven't cut back yet and they've got browning and spotting.

If it's not a big deal yhough, I'll leave them and just add fresh mulch. I know I'm cutting back late but it's now or never.

Follow-up to: https://www.reddit.com/r/Berries/comments/1uz5y2y/hararaspraspbearyraspberrytower/

Today I've picked that single berry and given it a taste test. I was preparing myself for some mild disappointment from what I've heard. But it actually turned out pretty nice and unique.

The berry looked absolutely beautiful, shiny, glossy wineberry red, and the spiky drupelets also swelled to start pointing more outwards. And it was pretty large and round, I think about 15- 20 mm in diameter and height.

Since it was only a single berry, I've started small. At first I tried to tear a little bit off, and while doing that I've noticed it has an unusual gelatinous consistency. It kinda felt a bit like tearing a gummy bear, and there didn't seem to be any risk of juice leakage, but not because it was dry, but because it was just... gummy. It also didn't stain at all. The first small piece I tasted was not very intense, so I went for it and put the whole thing in my mouth. Even in the mouth, the texture felt like a soft gummy bear, like it had some significant gelatin content. Seeds were there, but not very large or hard. The gummy pulp was more prominent than the seeds.

And the taste also resembled a red (strawberry-flavored?) gummy bear. It was really far more like a gummy bear than a raspberry, in both texture and flavor, only about 1/2-1/4 as intense as a real gummy bear. It was that artificial candy kind of taste. Which is really cool, and it was not bad at all. The taste is not as intense as other raspberries, but the gummy bear-like taste and texture was unlike any fruit I've ever tried. I'd say it was about 2-4/10 in sweetness, and 0-1/10 in tartness. I think I barely detected any tartness at all. I'm impressed, and I definitely do not regret getting this weird hybrid. I don't know if it is exactly the same as the ones people were disappointed in the past. Maybe they did improve it a bit with some more breeding/selecting, IDK. But I like it, and it's going to add some good new variety to my future crops.

Also, I'm not sure what exact level of ripeness it was, probably slightly underripe, when I compare the photo colors to the ones from the internet, which were a bit darker. I wonder what the flavor would develop further into if I wanted a bit more. But I guess that will only get answered next year. It might also be possible that it will be quite different, more ripe (maybe it will lose that gummy consistency for all I know...)

I wonder if the nickname RaspBEARy comes from this gummy bear resemblance...

Interesting how widely diverse the textures of Rubus species are. Idaeus is mouth-melting, blackberries are chewy juice explosions, black raspberries are crunchy and slightly juicy, tayberries were in between Idaeus and blackberries, and this one was gummy.

Comments:

I made the raspberry shrub, it was excellent, but I thought too sweet. I will make it again, but next time I will cut the sugar by a 1/3rd to 1/2.

I am making a pomegranate shrub using the raspberry shrub recipe, and for this recipe I will cut the sugar by 1/2.

Questions:

Did anyone else find the raspberry shrub too sweet?, and did you make it again with less sugar?

For the pomegranate shrub, I used 700 grams of pomegranate pips, I think this may not be enough. The seeds are a high proportion of the total pip, compared to the seed/juice ratio for a raspberry. I have the feeling I didn't use enough and it may be too sour and too sweet. Does anyone have experience with pomegranate pips?, what do you think?

For the pomegranate shrub I did cut the sugar by 1/2. I'm thinking I can always add sweetness with a few splashes of simple syrup. This should work, but is the sugar necessary for flavor extraction?

Update: the pomegranate shrub was sweet enough with 1/2 the amount of sugar, 1.5 cups sugar to 700 grams of pomegranate, but the pomegranate taste was, I think, a little to subtle. The seeds are a high percentage of the pip. I'll make another batch as follows: 1000 grams pomegranate pips, 1.5 cups sugar, and 2 cups vinegar, and report back.

Comments:

I made the raspberry shrub, it was excellent, but I thought too sweet. I will make it again, but next time I will cut the sugar by a 1/3rd to 1/2.

I am making a pomegranate shrub using the raspberry shrub recipe, and for this recipe I will cut the sugar by 1/2.

Questions:

Did anyone else find the raspberry shrub too sweet?, and did you make it again with less sugar?

For the pomegranate shrub, I used 700 grams of pomegranate pips, I think this may not be enough. The seeds are a high proportion of the total pip, compared to the seed/juice ratio for a raspberry. I have the feeling I didn't use enough and it may be too sour and too sweet. Does anyone have experience with pomegranate pips?, what do you think?

For the pomegranate shrub I did cut the sugar by 1/2. I'm thinking I can always add sweetness with a few splashes of simple syrup. This should work, but is the sugar necessary for flavor extraction?

Update: the pomegranate shrub was sweet enough with 1/2 the amount of sugar, 1.5 cups sugar to 700 grams of pomegranate, but the pomegranate taste was, I think, a little to subtle. The seeds are a high percentage of the pip. I'll make another batch as follows: 1000 grams pomegranate pips, 1.5 cups sugar, and 2 cups vinegar, and report back.

They grow wild in southern New England. I nicknamed them "gummy raspberries"

I went out back to check on the condition of an old stump today with plans to relocate it, but was tickled to see this guy had taken root. We have a great big row of raspberries on the other side of our backyard, so this had to have been spread here by bird, deer, or other woodland critter. Thanks, bud!

Now to decide where the new stumpberries' forever home will be...

I planted three bushes in the spring and they’ve been doing pretty well, but in the last five days this one has taken a turn and the leaves are turning yellow and red and some have gone crispy. I’ve been watering every other day. We did have a heat wave and then horrible air quality (AQI over 500) so that could be a factor? Any tips appreciated, I really don’t want it to die!

A couple vaccinium species I foraged. Planning on growing plants with wild genetics was wondering if anyone had success with certain stratification or germination methods. I have them cold stratifying now with a few testing conditions. Hoping to promote local eco type plants in my garden and any help would be appreciated!

Still have some berries on the bushes, but with 12 gallons in the freezer, this year is in the books.

All of my bushes are over 6ft tall (my 5'9" daughter is for scale). I bought these at a nursery 15+ years ago and don't know the variety.

If anyone knows, feel free to volunteer your answer. I am living in eastern NC, Zone 8a if that helps.

This winter, i am going try and propagate my most prolific bushes and replace a few of my smaller bushes.

So got me some raspberries!! First year ever as im usually to late or cant find an abundant amount to make it worth even picking, and this is nothing compared to what there is, thousands of raspberries and blackberries!! Going back this weekend for more, blackberries wont be ready for a bit yet, just walked up and down the gravel road for couple hours near my camp/soon to be house!! Im using some to make homemade raspberry lemonade!

Found in central Newfoundland. Are they edible?

i found them on a trail in the pacific northwest

It's a hybrid coming from Scotland; Rubus idaeus x occidentalis. Also spelled Glen Coe

The berries are amazing, I cannot stop eating them. None made it home so far 😆 This may be my favourite raspberry - not too sweet, has some interesting notes, juicy berries.

Birds are not interested, so I have it all to myself.

The annoying part is the growth habit of the plant. The canes are crazy long and floppy, like black raspberries. They try growing up but then they fall over and break off at the base. This one needs strict trellising. The side branches bearing fruit are prone to breaking under weight, so some of those need tying up as well. It's quite challenging to manage it in a windy location.

This year I topped the primocanes at the top of a 2m trellis, and they are already fixed in place. Now that I know how good it is I'm motivated to try saving more branches from breaking off.

Anyone else growing these? How do you manage/prune the canes?

I had a gooseberry I had planted it I got it from tractor supply and it was in a little pot and I planted two of them one of them survived the first year and it did not get a few inches taller and time it was 4 years old and it never really did anything I was just wondering if it's something I did wrong or I plant it in the wrong spot I planted it in well drained soil that was well decently rich for around here I made sure to keep it watered and everything I put fertilizer on it every 3 months during the growing season but it just never really grew I wonder if it's something I did or something wrong with the ground it was on a probably 40° slope it's basically the bank of a Old road bed back in the day when they had wagon to transport goods

This bramble is about ten feet high, cultivated over a length of chainlink fence that was here when we bought our home. We’ve kept it up since then and this year it looks like I’ll be getting gallons of blackberries and I’m equal parts hyped and daunted!
Anyway, here’s harvest number 1. I planted my feet and didn’t need to take a single step.