We've recently wrapped up Northern Illinois Berry School in the region with programs in Rockford, Amboy, DeKalb, and Elizabeth. The program was designed to give you as both new growers and homeowners the opportunity to find out more about growing strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and...

Like some of you, I don't have access to land to grow fruits and vegetables. My space is confined to a 10 x 10 ft deck that gets about 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. While some might find this limiting, I've risen to the challenge to see how much produce I can actually get off this deck this summer...

Unlike the berries and brambles I've written about in our berry and bramble series, I occasionally receive calls and emails asking about growing alternative berries. These are berries you've probably heard about in the last couple of years due to their increasing popularity based on the fruits...

Strawberry management focuses on weeding, watering, controlling the stolons, and renovating the strawberry patch. Some of these are ongoing such as weeding and watering while other ones like renovating will come in to play in year 2-3. Many of these practices will depend on what your strawberry...

Strawberries are one of the most common berries grown in Northern Illinois at both homes and farms. Unlike other berries and brambles, strawberries do not always require intensive management such as pruning. Strawberry plants do need some attention when it comes to yearly management, dealing with...

Now that you've decided on the type of raspberry you are going to grow, you'll need to address the plant's needs through management. Raspberry plants benefit from mulching around the plants. This should be no thicker than 2 inches to avoid rodents. The mulch can help with weed control and keeping...

Now that you've got your strawberry system setup and are managing them, you may have diseases and insect pests to deal with. Strawberries tend to have many different diseases that target them. They can affect the fruit, leaves, stolons, and the roots of the plant. Insect pests on strawberries are...

  Raspberry plants tend to grow quite well in Northern Illinois. You'll find raspberry plants at many fruit and vegetable farms in our area. Unlike blueberry and strawberry plants which tend to stay intact based on their growth habits, raspberry plants are a prickly shrub with long canes that...