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Big Idea:
There is space in most home landscapes for small fruits.
These small fruits are perennials. A well-tended stand of fruit should be productive for years, yielding tasty rewards. The fruits are red and yellow raspberries, grapes, gooseberries, serviceberries, blueberries, blackberries developed by the University of Illinois own Bob Skirvin, rhubarb, a pear developed at Purdue from native stock, and semi-dwarf and columnar apple trees
Good air circulation, soil preparation, and proximity to water are major factors in siting fruit for your landscape. Blueberries need acidic soil and at least 1 inch of water per week.
Choose disease-resistant cultivars and commit to a regimen of good garden cleanliness. Untended fruit will soon disappoint. This is a large area of garden space, but individually, we hope you can envision some of these ideas in your own landscape!
We plant flowers to encourage pollinators throughout the season.
We practice integrated pest management (IPM) with as little spraying of pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) as possible.