Green Thumb Corner

The Heritage Raspberry, 'Rubus 'Heritage', has medium-sized red berries that have very good flavor and quality. It is exceptional for fresh eating or for making pies and jams. The medium sized fruits have good color and flavor, firmness, and freezing

The Latham Raspberry, 'Rubus 'Latham', is a popular red raspberry that produces large crops of big juicy berries. It makes a delicious jam or a dessert as well as for fresh eating. A sure cropper for home use, this variety starts ripening in July an

The Royalty Raspberry, 'Rubus 'Royalty', is cross between a purple and a red raspberry. It has a large fruit size and plant vigor of a purple hybrid with the high quality of a red. Excellent for jam or jelly, and if it is picked at the red stage it has the sweet light flavor of red raspberries. The Royalty ripens mid-July. Royalty is hardy, has wide adaptation, and has good yield potential. This new cultivar has great insect resistance and is among the largest fruited raspberries.

Blackberry Cheyenne, Rubus 'Cheyenne', produces a firm berry that is excellent for jellies, jams and freezing. Our most winter-hardy variety is ideal for the North and Midwest. 'Cheyenne' is thorny but is a very good producer. It is an easy-to-grow, early ripening variety. Ripens around the beginning of June here in the Midwest. Although the flowers are attractive, this blackberry is grown primarily as a fruit crop and is not considered appropriate for ornamental use. Furnish ample moisture during the growing period and cultivate frequently. After the first fruiting season, prune to the ground to allow room for new canes. Additional pruning should be done each spring to keep plants from becoming tangled and to improve their ability to bear.

Blackberry Ebony King, Rubus 'Ebony King', is large and has delicious purple berries that are perfect for baking. Excellent berry for pies, cobblers, turnovers, topping ice cream, and added to cereal. Ebony King's upright thornless canes bear fruit in summer before hot days set in. Picking is easy and fun! Blackberries fruit on two-year old canes. After they have finished fruiting, the canes should be pruned away at the base. Plants flower around the start of summer and fruit ripens about mid-July.

Boysenberry Thornless, Rubus ursinus x idaeus 'Thornless', is very sweet and juicy. The Boysenberry is easily grown and very productive. It produces rich, luscious, wine colored berries with a flavor that is a taste of loganberry, raspberry and blackberry. With no thorns, the berries are easy to pick. Boysenberry Thornless has very large berries that are 1-1/2" in length with a reddish-black color and non-glossy when ripe. This plant can be trained to trellis or fence. The berry is very juicy and the flavor is excellent with a nice aroma. Very good for fresh eating, canning, freezing, jelly and syrup. Ripens in June. Boysenberry Thornless requires winter protection where temperatures go below 5°.

Raspberry Logan, Rubus strigosus 'Logan', has black raspberries, affectionately known as "Blackcaps" by growers, that are native to North America. These uniquely flavored berries are popular in specialty foods, especially jams and ice cream, and are used as a coloring agent as well. The fruit is blue-black, round and small (2.0 g), and exhibits a whitish bloom on the exterior of the berry. Logan Raspberry has a distinct and moderately tart flavor, small seed and like the red raspberry, contains a hollow core. The bush will bear only on one-year-old stems. As soon as canes have produced fruit, prune them back to the ground to make room for the strong new canes. Additional pruning will be required to eliminate tangling and improve their ability to bear. Raspberry Logan is a very hardy and dependable producer.

Strawberry Quinault, Fragaria × ananassa 'Quinault', is a newer everbearing variety that produces berries on unrooted runners. It is a great tasting strawberry developed by Washington State University. Good for potted everbearing strawberries. It is well on its way to being the greatest performer ever. Quinault Strawberries have an excellent performance record for size, taste and plant growth. It was found to be the most disease free everbearer ever tested. Everbearing Strawberries produce an early summer crop and also a fall crop with some berries on and off all summer. Pinch off blooms for first two months on everbearing strawberries to promote larger harvest.

Strawberry Surecrop, Fragaria × ananassa 'Surecrop', is a heavy producer of large, firm, rich but sweet fruit in mid season. 'Surecrop' is an easy-to-grow crop. Makes great jams, jellies, pies, tarts, and an ideal canner. The berries redden all the way through, with a rich but sweet flavor. The fruit holds well both on the vines and after picking. June bearing strawberries produce a single crop each year during a 2-3 week period. If you get blooms the first year while the plant is getting established pinch the blooms off to ensure a large fruit crop the next year. Average yield of one quart per plant. Self-pollinating. Light to even sandy soil with good drainage is required. Neutral to slightly acidic is best. Strawberry plants need consistent, frequent waterings to produce well.

Asparagus KB3 Hybrid, Asparagus officinalis 'KB3 Hybrid', is disease resistant and a heavy yielder of tender, flavorful spears. This is an open pollinated variety. Hardy in sub zero and hot desert areas, KB3 Hybrid's lower winterkill percentage makes this a popular variety grown by home gardeners. Grows well throughout the Midwest. Asparagus is extremely nutritious and has many health benefits! Asparagus is a hardy perennial, and it is a highly productive vegetable. Grown for the stems or spears, a well tended planting yields 8 to 10 pounds or more per 100 square feet of bed. For most home gardeners, one row is adequate. An asparagus planting lasts 15 to 25 years without replanting, if it is well cared for and the climate is suitable. It does not do well if summers are extremely hot and long, and winters are mild.

Horseradish Crowns, Armoracia rusticana 'Crowns', is adapted to the north and is not suited for southern planting except in high altitudes. One plant is quite large and will need a big area in the garden. Not much is needed for the average family, and a few plants will provide roots for an ample supply of grated or ground horseradish. To prepare horseradish, clean and grate the roots into white wine vinegar or distilled vinegar of 4 1/2 to 5 per cent acid content, bottle, and seal at once. Horseradish makes its best growth in the cool autumn, steadily improving after September and not injured by early frost. Harvest late fall with a spade.

Rhubarb Victoria, Rheum 'Victoria', has a wonderful tart flavor and is one of the favorites for pies and sauces. Be sure to pull the stems loose, don't cut them off. This perennial should be mulched deeply with manure each fall. Rhubarb thrives in cool locations and full sun, but in warmer climates, plants benefit from light shade but form longer, thinner stems. Rhubarb needs deep, moist but well-drained soil, and is generally trouble-free. Slow growth of older plants is a signal that they need dividing. This attractive perennial plants will accent your landscape and remain productive for decades.