This is how you can grow dewberries in your backyard
What's the story
Cultivating your own sparkling dewberries at home is both fun and gratifying. They love growing on trellises, which means they're ideal for your backyard garden.
This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to plant, care for, and harvest dewberries.
Follow these tips and you'll be enjoying a plentiful harvest of these tasty berries before you know it.
Location
Selecting the right location
Dewberries require full sun to yield the most flavorful fruit.
Select a spot in your backyard that gets a minimum of six hours of direct sun each day.
The soil needs to be well-draining and high in organic matter.
If your soil is heavy clay or sandy, you should add compost to enhance its structure and fertility.
Trellis setup
Preparing the trellis system
Before you plant your dewberries, you should establish a strong trellis system.
Dewberry plants are climbers, so they need something sturdy to hold onto as they grow.
You can create your own using wooden posts and wire, or buy a ready-made trellis from a garden store.
Make sure your trellis is at least five feet high so the mature plants will have plenty of room to grow.
Planting
Planting dewberries
Plant dewberry plants in early spring once the threat of frost has passed in your region.
Space the plants approximately four feet apart along the base of your trellis.
Dig holes that are twice as wide as the root ball but not deeper.
Position each plant in its hole and backfill with soil, gently firming it down to eliminate air pockets.
Water the plants thoroughly after planting.
Care tips
Caring for your dewberry plants
Water your dewberry plants frequently, particularly during periods of drought, to maintain consistent soil moisture without oversaturating it.
Mulch with a two-inch layer around the base of each plant to conserve moisture and minimize weed competition.
Fertilize using a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer in early spring prior to the emergence of new growth, and once more following the harvest.
Harvesting
Harvesting your berries
Dewberries are usually ripe for picking in late spring or early summer when they change color from red to a deep purple-black.
Simply use a gentle twisting motion to remove each berry from its stem; ripe berries should come off easily without requiring a lot of pressure.
You can savor fresh dewberries right away, or use them in delicious jams, pies, or even freeze them for later use.