Berry & Grape List, Spring 2020
Overview
Blackberries
Blueberries, Rabbiteye
Blueberries, Southern Highbush
Goji Berry
Grapes, Bunching
Grapes, Muscadine
Rasberry
Strawberries
Varieties
(Subject to availability)
Blackberries
All blackberries are self-fruitful. Most blackberries fruit on floricanes or 2nd year growth with one crop in summer. For these, cut off fruiting canes each year once harvest is finished.
Arapaho
Thornless. Disease- and pest-resistant blackberry with excellent, sweet flavor. Heavy producer of medium-sized, firm fruit over a 4 week period. The earliest thornless variety. Doesn't need a trellis due to its erect growth habit.
Kiowa
Thorny. World's largest blackberry; very disease-resistant; heavy producer of deliciously sweet berries. Longer harvest season than any other variety. Thorny, but worth it for its size and flavor.
Natchez
Thornless. Super productive, healthy, erect to semi-erect plant with very large, tasty berries. Ripens early. Designated a Texas Superstar by Texas A&M AgriLife Ext.
Ouachita
Thornless. Very productive. Medium to large, sweet, firm berries on thornless, upright canes. Hardy, disease-resistant and reliable. Harvest starts in mid-June and continues through July (mid–late season).
Prime Ark Freedom
Thornless. Fruits on both 1st year canes (primocanes) and 2nd year canes (floricanes). Large to very large berries with excellent flavor. Floricane crop ripens earlier than Natchez. Potential for 2nd crop in the fall. Responds well to "tipping" as primocanes reach 12–15" high, cut or break off 3/4–1" of the tips to force branching; tip again when canes reach 30" high (stimulates earlier fruit development, controls plant height, and increases yields).
Triple Crown
Thornless. Large berries with a unique, sweet-tart flavor. Ripens late season over a long harvest period of 5–8 weeks starting in late July. Excellent disease resistance. Semi-erect canes easily kept trimmed to 4–5'T x 3–4'W.
Blueberries, Rabbiteye
Spring-blooming bushes that require minimal maintenance and are virtually pest-free when grown in highly acidic (pH 4.5–5.5), moist, well-drained, organically-rich soil (use containers or raised beds here). Most need a pollenizer (another rabbiteye variety) for fruit to set. Choose 2–3 varieties with different ripening times to extend your harvest from May–July. Mulch using 2–3"of pine needles or ground pine bark mulch.
Deep water the first 2 summers during dry periods. Space 4–5' for hedge effect or 6–10' to pick all around the bush. May be kept at 4–6' tall for easier picking. Remove flower buds the 1st year for best bush establishment.
Brightwell
Partially self-fruitful. Vigorous, upright plant, which produces outstanding yields of medium to large-sized fruit. Ripens early June to early July.
Climax
Abundant crops of small to medium-sized berries that ripen over a short period of time from late May to early June.
Pink Lemonade
Self-fruitful. A stunning ornamental that bears delicious blueberries. This unique berry matures to a bright pink color and offers a flavorful treat. The plant produces showy pink flowers in spring and gold and orange foliage in fall. Ripens mid- to late-season.
Powderblue
An excellent quality berry that is very much like Tifblue (see below) but with an attractive powdery blush. Ripens from late June to late July.
Premier
Medium to large, high-quality berries. Ripens late May to early June.
Tifblue
Self-fruitful. Small to medium berries with excellent flavor when fully ripe. A beautiful plant with high productivity. Ripens late June to July.
Blueberries, Southern Highbush
Plant two or more different varieties to get more fruit over a longer season.
Emerald
250 chill hours. Very large, mildly sweet berries; mid-season (about mid-Apr to mid-May); 5–6' tall, rounded, spreading shrub.
Jewel
200 chill hrs. Very large, tangy berries; early, mid-season; upright, 6–8' tall shrub; abundant yields.
Misty
300 chill hours Medium-large, spicy, sweet berries; early season; 4–6' tall spreading, upright shrub with blue-green foliage that turns burgundy in fall.
Rebel
400 Chill hours Extremely productive with large fruit and impressive yields. Introduced by the University of Georgia. Upright, 6–8 ft tall shrub.
Sunshine Blue
Self-fruitful; 150 chill hours medium, rich, sweet-flavored berries; mid- to late-season; semi-dwarf bush to about 3' tall with beautiful blue-green and burgundy fall color; tolerates higher pH soils better than many other blueberries.
Goji Berry
Easy to grow and completely winter hardy! These slightly sweet and sour, red-orange berries are loaded with antioxidants and high in Vitamin B, Vitamin C, and amino acids. Plant this sprawling, deciduous shrub in full sun to part shade in well-drained, slightly alkaline to alkaline soil. Train as a vine (e.g., on a strong post or trellis) or trim to keep as a shrub. Can be grown in containers (minimum size 5 gallon). Develops a deep taproot, so is quite drought-tolerant once established. Purple flowers appear in late spring/early summer followed by berries that get sweeter as they mature (produces continuously through frost).
Prune horizontal branches by 1/2 to 2/3 in early spring as buds begin to break and start fertilizing with new growth (rose fertilizer is perfect since this is a relative of roses, tomatoes, eggplants, etc.). Very insect- and disease-resistant. Self-fruitful. Use fresh, frozen, or dried. Try in goji salsa, dessert recipes and more (lots of recipes available online).
Grapes, Bunch
All are low-chill and self-fruitful.
Black Spanish
Dates back to the 1800’s; large, loose bunches (more resistant to bunch rot) of small to medium, bluish-purple to nearly black grapes with sweet red flesh and juice; heavy and consistent producer; vigorous, heat-tolerant, and disease-resistant vine; ripens August to September; makes a wine similar to Merlot or Cabernet; also good for fresh eating.
Blanc Du Bois
Award winner; one of the best wine grapes for Southern regions of the U.S.; withstands heat and humidity; very mildew and Pierce's Disease-resistant; makes excellent premium white wines; round, light green, slipskin, juicy grapes with muscat flavor with delicate sugar-acid balance. Developed by Dr. John Mortensen, a University of Florida professor from Texas.
Black Monukka
Large, seedless grapes with purplish-black, sweet, crisp flesh. Use fresh or for raisins. Early to mid-season.
Champanel
Relatively new wine or table grape for humid Southern climates; heat- and drought-tolerant; good resistance to Pierce's Disease; large, tender and juicy black grape with strong thin skin; ripens in early July; makes great jelly; best arbor variety; adapts well in any soil.
Victoria Red
2017 Texas SuperStar; has grown successfully in the Victoria, TX area for over 30 years; healthy, vigorous, and productive; long, loose clusters (more resistant to fruit rot) of large, bright red grapes with tender skin; 18% sugar; recommended primarily for fresh eating; harvest around July–August. Highly ornamental vine.
Grapes, Muscadine
To ensure huge crops, plant a male (self-fruitful) and a female muscadine.
Carlos/Red
Self-fruitful. Extremely heavy producer of medium size, bronze grapes. The number one bronze juice or muscadine wine grape in the southeastern United States.
Cowart
Male/Self-fruitful. Fruit very large, with black skin. One of the largest male varieties. Quality very good. Sugar content 19%. Ripens medium early. Vine vigorous and productive with very large clusters. Good disease resistance.
Noble
Self-fruitful. Leading muscadine for red wine and juice production. Purple pigments are more stable than other black muscadines, so juice doesn't tend to brown over time. Concord grape-type flavor. Vigorous, highly productive vine. High pest and disease resistance. Heat and humidity-tolerant. Early to mid-season.
Southern Home
Self-fruitful. Muscadine crossed with a complex hybrid having common wine grape parentage. Highly ornamental deeply cut foliage makes this a beautiful vine for home gardens. Moderate to high yields of medium-sized, black grapes with a non-muscadine flavor. Excellent red wine grape. Pest and disease-resistant. Heat and humidity-tolerant. Mid to late-season.
Welder
Self-fruitful. Vigorous and productive vine that produces medium-sized, bronze grapes good for fresh eating, juice and wine. Flavor is similar to commercial grape juice. 18–19% sugar. Ripens over an extended period in late summer to fall.
Raspberry
Best with 4–6 hours of morning sun in our climate.
Caroline
Self-fruitful. Everbearing variety with large, sweet, firm, red raspberries. Can produce a summer and a fall crop or cut to the ground each spring for a large crop of late summer to frost berries (simplest). Bears fruit 1–2 years after planting. Grows approximately 5–8'T x 5–6'W.
Dorman
Self-fruitful. Dorman Red is a good raspberry for the Deep South. Produces good quantities of large, firm, juicy red fruit. Very good either fresh or frozen. Heat, drought, and disease resistant. Ripens mid-June.
Heritage
Self-fruitful. Most popular everbearing variety with large, excellent tasting red fruit. Can produce a spring and a fall crop or cut to the ground each spring for a large crop of summer to fall berries (simplest). Bears fruit one year after planting. Very good pest and disease-resistance; good heat and humidity tolerance. Grows approximately 4–8'T x 4–6'W.
Strawberries
Allstar
June-bearing. Very large, sweet, extra juicy berries in late mid-season (usually late spring to early summer). Ripens over a few weeks. Eat fresh or use for cooking. Freezes well. Vigorous, disease-resistant plants reach 8–10"T x 18" spread.
Sweet Charlie
June-bearing. Plants are small and compact making picking relatively easy. The strawberries are medium in size, but, as the name suggests, deliciously sweet. They spread, multiply, and perennialize well. Excellent for containers.