Strawberries, the most popular fruit crop among home gardeners, are easy to grow in all parts of the United States and southern Canada. The plants grow 6 to 8 inches tall in a thick central crown from which emerge dark green three- leaflet leaves and fruit-producing stems; each plant will spread about 12 inches across, but runners may extend several feet beyond.
Black raspberries, often called blackcaps, and purple raspberries, which are hybrids between red and black varieties, have quite a different flavor from that of red raspberries. Yellow raspberries are mutations of red varieties and are like them except for color.
Although spring-planted June bearers produce blossoms their first summer, these arepinched off before they can set fruit, thus forcing each plant to use its energy to develop large amounts of fruit the following season. The plants will fruit well their third season, but lose their vigor thereafter and should be replaced.
The second type of strawberry, called everbearer, produces an early-summer crop and a fall crop, as well as some berries intermittently during the summer. When everbearers are planted in spring, the early-summer blossoms are removed that year only to prevent the plants from fruiting until fall; thereafter they will produce spring and fall crops each year until they lose vigor, usually after three years.
Fall-planted everbearers begin to bear fruit in the winter or spring after planting; they too should be replaced after three years. In hot climates both types bear only one season and must then be replaced because they are debilitated by the heat.
If raspberries are to be grown as clumps, or hills, space the red and yellow varieties 5 to 6 feet apart and the black and purple ones 6 to 7 feet apart. After planting, cut the canes to 2 inches above the ground; leave the stubs to mark the rows until new sprouts appear from below the ground, then remove them.
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