Author Topic: inherited fruit plants.  (Read 1446 times)

ACE

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inherited fruit plants.
« on: June 26, 2019, 09:55:41 »
I dug up a load of briars, raspberry canes and other trailing stuff when I took over the plot. some I transplanted in the compost area to see if anything was worth using later. I have had some lovely fruit off of the trailing stuff and I call them loganberries, but are they?  I see that boysenberry, tayberry and any other cross between blackberry and raspberry all look the same. First are they just same fruit different breeder and second do I just cut out this years fruiting stems when pruning. Although I may have to move them later to a permanent spot.

Vinlander

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Re: inherited fruit plants.
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2019, 10:27:15 »
Definitely all different crosses.

I got a thornless Tayberry because I couldn't visit the thornless Loganberry at my plot every day in June - I came to the conclusion that a ripe loganberry is only edible fresh off the vine for about 45 minutes (I exaggerate - but only slightly - if I didn't pick the barely ripe ones when I arrived they'd be well overripe by the time I left).

Tayberrys are much less vigorous so I was able to plant it in my small back garden - it's wonderful - better flavour than the loganberry (both fresh and jammed in my opinion) and miraculously they can stay edible fresh for a day or two (depending on the weather).

I now have the thorny Tayberry too - it is even more delicious - not massively enough to want it near a path and get scratched, but ideal for a corner or at the back of a bed.

I've tried other peoples boysenberries but they are very close to blackberries - certainly no better than the wild ones I can get for free (plus a small payment of blood - I say it saves me money on acupuncture).

NB Tayberry flowers are more "strappy" than the others - which have broader petals that tend to touch or even overlap. You will know when you see them.

Tayberrys' fruited stems tend to die and go brittle in Autumn (can sometimes prune by kicking!), whereas the loganberry ones tend to hang around.

Cheers.

PS. I've said this before but all soft berries last longer in the fridge if mashed fresh (reduces the landing area for new spores? certainly kills the ones in the mash).

The fresh mash tastes even better if there are two types in it - strawberry and Tayberry is divine. You can freeze it to make lollies - and miraculously nobody (not even kids) notice the seeds - something about licking versus chewing? I don't know.
With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

ACE

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Re: inherited fruit plants.
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2019, 11:34:16 »
Deffo loganberry then. I have been picking them 'pink' to be ready to use when I get home.

 

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