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swjonthebay

Raspberries in lower Alabama?

swjonthebay
15 years ago

Does anyone in the Mobile area grow raspberries? I have not as of yet. But in reading the Southern Living gardening book, they list the 'Bababerry' raspberry as being a good one for the coastal South. It's supposed to tolerate the heat better than other cultivars.

Was just wondering if anyone has any experience with them down here.

Comments (6)

  • micrideblois
    15 years ago

    A friend gave me a few rasberry plants some years ago . i thought that they would not grow here and ignored them more or less...they produce a few berries..I have no ideas what
    variety they are. I heard recently that one could grow them here . Did you get them ?

  • swjonthebay
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Ha! This post had sat at the top unanswered for so long I forgot to check it until today!

    It's encouraging to know that someone has planted them and gotten some berries in return. No, I haven't purchased the Bababerry plants yet...kinda wanted to see if anyone else had had any luck before spending the money.

    I read where the Bababerry raspberry was developed for the California valleys. Surely our heat is not worse than that. The only thing I can see possibly being a problem is our humidity...don't know if that would foster disease. But I love raspberries with a passion and if I could get some each summer, I think it would be worth it.

    Thanks for replying!
    Sherry

  • barberberryfarm
    15 years ago

    We're up near Montgomery and are able to get a small patch of Heritage ever-bearing raspberries to grow here. However, we needed to add a little afternoon shade before they started producing as they stop their photosynthesis process when the temperature gets over 90 degrees. Last year we planted 20 of the bababerry plants and they all died. I've also heard raspberries like to cool down at night and with our high humidity rates and warm evenings, that might be another reason why they don't do well down here.

    Ken Barber
    Millbrook AL

  • farmersteve
    15 years ago

    We planted Bababerries (1 cane 2 years ago) in our back yard outside Huntsville (a bit further north than y'all, but still AL) and ours have done incredibly well. Last year I had berries for breakfast just about every other day and the thing kept flowering and ripening berries until the first frost.

    Steve

  • swjonthebay
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Good to hear some more input :)

    Ken, I'm glad to hear the Heritage are growing for you and have the info on the raspberry temp/photosynthesis connection. I'm thinking if the Heritage are doing well for you with a little help from the afternoon shade they just might work for me (at least I hope so!) Like I said, I love them and if I can get a few to grow I'd be one happy person :) If you don't mind me asking, where did you purchase the Bababerries? Do you think it was a problem with the stock?

    Steve, this just may be one of those times I'm sorry I don't live a little further north. Guard your raspberries, I do have a car! heheh

    Sherry

  • barberberryfarm
    15 years ago

    Hi Sherry,

    I got the bababerry plants from Willis Orchard Company via UPS because they were the only ones on the net I could find that sold them. When they arrived in the winter as bare root plants, they looked fine but never produced one primocane the following spring. Maybe you might have better luck if you found them potted. I bought my Heritage plants from Isons Nursery, also as bare root, and they have grown just fine. Again, especially if they have afternoon shade.

    Ken Barber
    Millbrook AL

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