Growing your own boysenberries gives the option of enjoying fresh berries without the cost of buying them at the market. If you enjoy berries as a snack or want to work with them for jams and jellies growing your own is an economical way to do so. While boysenberry bushes may seem small to begin with they actually grow to be quite large so you will need to be sure you have plenty of space available for their growth. The fruit of the boysenberry bush is in the bramble family and is closely related to blackberries, loganberries, and raspberries. Boysenberries are vine fruits which grow horizontally. The trailing vines need support from a trellis to produce the healthiest fruits. Whether you want to learn how to grow boysenberries to just have a small amount of fruit for yourself, or want a number of vines to be able to make jams, sauces, and jellies, boysenberries need a spot in your garden with a lot of sun and good drainage.

Learning how to grow boysenberries is as simple as doing a little research and literally digging in. You’ll want to choose a good growing area and prepare the site. Find a good healthy plant and then give it the love and nurturing it needs to get to the point of fruit bearing. You’ll also need to learn about harvesting, using the fruit, and pruning and maintaining your plants. This guide page offers information on each of these essential parts of learning how to grow boysenberries. http://www.gardenguides.com/79555-grow-boysenberries.html http://www.doityourself.com/stry/berry-garden--planting-and-pruning-boysenberries

Once you have decided to grow boysenberries, you will need to choose a location in your garden plot which is fully in the sunlight and has good drainage. A slightly sloped area works best if possible. The sloped ground will help with the drainage. There must be plenty of space and at least enough room to put three feet in between the plants you want to grow. Once you have decided on the spot you will need to improve the soil quality by adding compost or organic material. You can choose to add manure or chicken meal to the soil to improve it’s quality. A sandy loam added to the soil helps to improve the drainage also.

If you live in a cold are you should plan to plant boysenberry vines in the late spring. If you are in a warmer climate plant your vines in the fall. It’s critical as mentioned previously, to leave enough space for your vines. Boysenberry bushes grow quickly and the vines spread. Without adequate space, the plants will pull nutrients from one another. Three feet is a minimum space you should use between plants. Using a trellis is advisable. Without the trellis your boysenberry plants will grow out of control and you will have a hard time pruning them and harvesting them.

When originally planting the boysenberry bush, wet the soil completely so that it is easy to work with but not so much that the water is standing in it. Once your plant is in the ground you should trim it to about 6 to 8 inches initially. The area surrounding the plants should be mulched. Adding mulch to about 6 inches around your plants will help control weeds. Weeds take nutrients away from the bush and reduce the berry production so anything you do to remove them improves your yield. You should water your plants regularly, at least daily if you are in a dry climate. If your area is getting rain on a regular basis watering may be decreased but the ground should remain moist around the plant root for maximum berry production.

The point of harvesting is the point where you feel success in your boysenberry journey. If you are extremely successful you may find yourself with more berries than you can eat before they spoil. If this is the case, berries can be made into sauce, jam, jelly, or frozen whole.

You will want to pick berries as soon as they become rip because they will go bad quickly. Plan to check your vines every couple of days once the fruit starts to produce. Once all berries are gone from the vines, you will want to prune so that next seasons growth won’t be overcome by the canes of this year. You will cut the canes to the ground once they have finished producing. You can leave one year of canes, but any cane from the previous year should be cut as they will make it hard to harvest in the future. When you are pruning, you should leave about 2 inches above the ground