MSU Extension

The term “small fruit” applies to a wide array of fruiting plants. Essentially, any fruit crop that is not borne on trees is a small fruit. Growing backyard small fruit takes a commitment to soil preparation and multiple years of care before you can harvest a crop. Some small fruits double as attractive landscape plants. In addition to growing what you like to eat, select particular fruit types and cultivars based on the growing conditions, space availability, pest and disease susceptibility, and the time and effort you are willing to invest in growing small fruit.

The table in this tip sheet summarizes the plant size, soil conditions, winter hardiness and number of years before harvest for a number of traditional small fruits, plus a few novel types that have become of interest in recent years.

Saskatoon berries.

General considerations for growing backyard small fruit

• Most of the bush fruits require annual pruning, training and thinning of plant density to maintain a desired plant size and level of productivity. Left alone, they can out-grow their available spaces or become unproductive as they age. All grapes and many of the brambles are best grown on supportive trellises. Some fruit cultivars require different cultivars for cross-pollination.
• Most small fruits will require pesticide applications to control key pests and diseases to get useable fruit. Spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) is a tiny fruit fly that is particularly troublesome in several small fruits. Applying the principles of integrated pest management (IPM) will help maintain fruit quantity and quality while minimizing pesticide use.
• In general, small fruits require full sun (6-8 hours per day). Just a few hours a day of shade can negatively impact the rate of growth, fruiting potential and the cold hardiness of the plants. Carefully locate the planting site in the most exposed area of your property; consider removing shading trees to improve sun exposure.
• As long as there is good drainage, most small fruits do well in sandy loam to loamy soils with a slightly acid to neutral pH (6.0-7.0). Blueberries are a notable exception, as they absolutely require acidic soils (pH 4.5-5.5). Heavier clay soils are not ideal, unless drainage is improved. Improve soil drainage in poor sites by installing drain tiling, planting on berms or planting in raised beds.
• When irrigation is required, apply water only to the soil by means of trickle irrigation or soaker hoses. Any form of irrigation that wets the leaves, stems or fruits of the plant will greatly increase the risk of diseases.
• For most small fruits, in-row spacing needs to be about equal to or greater than the expected mature plant height to avoid row to row shading. Brambles (raspberries and blackberries) are an exception, as these are often raised in a close-spaced hedgerow system. Between-row spacing can be varied to accommodate equipment clearance needs or efficient space utilization, but it should not be less than the expected mature height.
• Winter cold temperatures may have an effect on the survival of fruit crops. Select fruit cultivars that are adapted to the winter hardiness zone of your setting. Tender cultivars can be attempted, but there may be challenging winter cold from time to time that may greatly reduce crop production or kill plants outright.
• Planting small fruits on a gently sloped site where cold air can drain away will lessen frost and freeze damage to blossoms in spring and frost damage in fall. The slope direction can impact the sunlight exposure and temperature characteristics of sites. Northern- and eastern-facing slopes tend to be cooler and may delay ripening of fall-harvested fruits.

This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program 2017-70006-27175 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.