Fall Planting Time!

You may not think of fall as planting time, and I didn't either...up until this year. I read up a little on the topic, and fall is actually one of the best times to plant certain things. Fall is the best time of year to plant fruit trees and fruiting berry bushes. Trees and bushes planted in the autumn have a chance to set roots before freezing weather sets in. That way, when Spring finally rolls around, your tree or bush planted in the fall is all ready to burst forth into vigorous growth!

We have really enjoyed doing a bit of fall planting during some of the warmer days. This year, we planted some tulips around the front and sides of our house. We also planted 2 Doyle's Thornless Blackberry plants. And I am hoping to perhaps also plant some garlic, if I get a chance.

The plants I am most excited about are my Doyle's Thornless Blackberry plants. Berries, especially blackberries, are super healthy, full of antioxidants and vitamins, and perfectly delicious! We were so excited to try out Doyle's Thornless plants, because they seemed like the easiest, most productive plants.

The typical blackberry bush produces 1-2 gallons of berries per plant each year. Doyle’s Thornless Blackberry is a variety that yields 10-20 gallons of sweet, vine-ripened berries every summer. That’s 10 times the production of a normal blackberry bush—plus there are no painful thorns. After getting established, the disease-resistant plants start producing sweet, delicious, healthful, antioxidant-rich berries that are great to eat fresh, as beverages and deserts, or frozen for later use.

Don't worry if you think your climate is not right for berries. We live in Minnesota, and if it can grow here, I think it will grow just about anywhere - well, maybe not Alaska. Doyle's carefully sent us our plants in the mail, and we received them in this small little package.

Once I opened the package up, I was surprised by the lovely blackberry plants ready to plant. It was super easy. We just dug into the soft ground near our compost pile and near our fence, so they have rich soil and can climb something as they grow. They aren't high maintenance at all, but you do want to try to plant at least 2 weeks before the first hard frost. And if the temps fall below minus 20 Fehrenheit (pray to God they won't!), then cover them with a plastic sheet to give a little greenhouse effect.

Get ready for some awesome berries come summer! The fruit sets in bunches of 10 to 30 large, sweet berries that ripen over a 6-8 week season in the summer.

These potted plants sell for $20 each or $17.50 each in quantities of 10 or more. To order, call (812) 254-2654 or visit www.fruitsandberries.com/doyles-thornless-blackberry-plants/doyles-thornless-blackberry/.

Next week, I am going to talk about indoor gardening that you can start in the Fall. Don't lose hope for fresh veggies, herbs, and other goodies this winter!

Cara was provided product to review. No other compensation was given. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.