Berry Production

Become an Expert in Berry Fruit

 

Learn from qualified horticulture instructors who are knowledgeable about the field, the plants, and the growing processes. Take advantage of their years of experience.

 

Strawberries, for example, are a berry fruit that is commonly grown in a variety of climates and nations, although other berry fruits may only be suitable or well-liked in specific areas. Learn what grows where you live and how to grow it.
For commercial producers and/or employees of berry farms, this course offers a solid, all-encompassing instruction. It applies equally to the ardent hobbyist who wishes to take their production of berry fruits more seriously.

 

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

• Introduction
  • Review of the system of plant identification
  • Plant Families, Species, Cultivars, Varieties
  • What is a Berry -Botanical Characteristics (Simple fruits, Compound Fruits)
  • Information contacts (ie: nurseries, seed, clubs etc.)

• Which Varieties to Grow
  • Site Selection,
  • How much land
  • Site Characteristics
  • Climate
  • Winter Chilling Requirements
  • Biological Considerations
  • Further Considerations affecting what to Grow
  • Review of Significant Berries including
  • Blackcurrant
  • Blueberry
  • Brambleberry
  • Blackberry
  • Other Rubus species
  • Cranberry
  • Gooseberry
  • Grape
  • Kiwifruit
  • Passionfruit
  • Raspberry
  • Strawberry

• Lesser Grown Varieties of Berry Plants
  • Alpine Strawberry
  • Cape Gooseberry
  • Elderberry
  • Goji berry
  • Guava
  • Hardy Kiwi Fruit
  • Lignoberry
  • Pepino
  • Tree Tomato
  • Mulberry
  • Production Plan for Berry Cropping

• Culture
  • Soils
  • Planting
  • Staking
  • Mulching
  • Watering
  • Pest & disease
  • Feeding
  • Pruning
  • Protection from wind, salt, air, etc.

• Propagation
  • Methods of propagating berries
  • Seed, Cuttings, Layering
  • Aids to Propagation
  • Hardening off Young Plants
  • Propagation of selected varieties

• Weed Control & Irrigation
  • What is a Weed
  • How Weeds Spread
  • Preventative methods of Control
  • Eliminating growing weeds
  • Identifying Weeds
  • Water Infiltration and Retention
  • Drainage
  • Improving water Infiltration
  • Soil Moisture Classes
  • Measuring Water Available to Plants
  • When to Irrigate
  • Irrigating Berry Crops

• Harvesting & Marketing Berries
  • When and How to Harvest
  • Understanding Fruit Ripening
  • Harvesting Techniques
  • Post Harvest Treatments

• Commercial Berry Growing
  • Marketing Berries
  • The Marketing Process
  • Understanding Supply and Demand
  • Cost, Quality and Quantity characteristics in a Crop
  • Farm Layout for Better Management

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Establish distinctions between several varietals of berry fruit.
• Identify which berry fruit varieties can be grown in a given location.
• Describe how various berry fruits are treated culturally in specific contexts.
• Find out how to multiply a variety of berry plants.
• Describe how different berry crops are harvested.
• Create business success plans for a berry fruit company.

How You Plan to Act

• Differentiate between the term berry’s common and botanical definitions.
• Compare the botanical traits of the four different taxonomic families of berry fruits.
• Create a compilation of 25 plant reviews for various berry kinds, using the information below for each plant:
  • Plant names (Common and scientific)
  • A photo, illustration or pressed specimen
  • Cultural details
  • Harvest and post harvest
  • Uses (eg. valuable products).
• Create criteria for choosing appropriate berry fruit kinds.
• Analyze the effectiveness of four distinct fruit types.
• Identify the best berry varieties to grow in a certain area by taking a variety of factors into account, such as:
  • Strawberries
  • Brambles
  • Other berries.
• Explain the best planting technique for each of the three berry fruit genera listed.
• Use a series of drawings, photos, or videos to demonstrate the proper pruning techniques for each of the four genera of berry fruits.
• Choose the best irrigation techniques for two specific berry plants.
• Create feeding schedules for three different berry crops that are well-suited to growing in a specific location for a year.
• To identify soil properties important to a prospective berry planting, perform easy soil testing. Tests on soil should include:
  • Soil type
  • Water holding capacity
  • pH
  • Drainage
• Before planting a specific berry crop, suggest the proper soil preparation for the assessed soil.
  
• Compare four weed-control strategies that are suitable for the respective berry crops.
  
• Create twelve-month soil maintenance plans on a monthly basis for various berry crops.
  
• Determine the many health issues (such as infections and pests) that affect berry plants.
  
• Create a 12-month plan to control pests and diseases for a specific berry crop.
  
• Explain many techniques for growing particular berry plants, such as:
  • Cuttings
  • Runners
  • Division
  • Layering
• See two different berry species’ cutting propagation techniques in action.
  
• Create marketable berry plants that represent various genera, either as bare-rooted plants or plants in containers.
  
• Evaluate the commercial viability of using two different propagation methods to spread a certain berry.
  
• Describe how to tell when various berries are ready for harvest.
  
• Explain various techniques for gathering five different kinds of berries, such as::
  • Manual
  • Mechanical
• Describe how to collect five different kinds of berries before they are fully ripe and how to let the berries mature on the plant.
• Establish the proper post-harvest procedures for a particular commercial berry crop.
• Provide a resource collection of information important to the berry fruit sector, such as:
  • Suppliers of berry plants
  • Trade or grower associations
  • Publications
• Make a list of factors that are important to a particular berry farm’s commercial success that you either visit in person or research online.
  
• Describe the process used to prepare a variety of five different berries for the market.
  
• Make a table listing the shelf lives of 10 different berry species.
  
• Analyze the business viability of three various approaches of selling and presenting berries in their packaging.
  
• Compare popular berry fruit marketing tactics, such as::
  • Selling at wholesale markets
  • Selling on contract to chain stores
  • Selling to processors
  • Roadside stalls
  • U-pick selling
• Develop a marketing plan for one specified type of berry fruit.

 

THE FOCUS OF THIS COURSE

The groundwork for cultivating all varieties of berry fruits is laid out in this course, with a focus on cultivars used to produce commercial berry crops. In order to comprehend the variability here, take into account: Berries can be divided into the following categories based on the botanical family to which they belong:

1. The Rose Family

• The “Rosaceae” family is home to several plants.
• There are 3,000 species of trees, shrubs, creepers, and plants in this family.
• The leaves can be basal or alternating and range from simple to complex.
• Typically, the flowers have five petals and are cup-shaped.

Roseaceae berries include:

1. a) Genus Rubus

• Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
• Bramble berries:
• Boysenberry (cultivar of Rubus ursinus)
• Youngberry (cultivar of Rubus ursinus)
• Loganberry (cultivar of Rubus ursinus)

1. b) Genus Fragaria

• Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

1. c) Others

• Juneberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

Examples of other Rosaceae plants are roses, apples, peaches and plums.

2. The Erica Family.

• The Ericaceae family is also known as the heath family.
• The leaves are usually evergreen, and often quite leathery. The flowers are urn shaped and the plants prefer an acid soil.

1. a) Genus Vaccinium

• Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium and Vaccinium myrtilloides)
• Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

1. b) Genus Arctostaphylos

• Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva‑ursi)

3. Other Berries

• Currants and Gooseberries
• These are both in the Saxifragaceae family.
• Both are in the genus “Ribes”.

1. b) Kiwifruit

• Genus: Actinidia    Family: Actinidaceae

1. c) Solanum (tomato/potato) (Solanaceae) family

• Includes the tree tomato and cape goose-berry

1. d) Moraceae family

• Genus Morus (mulberry)

1. e) Caprifoliaceae family

• Genus Sambucus (elderberry)

1. f) Others

Why Take This Course?

Many people take this course for a variety of reasons, such as:

• Those horticulture students who desire a thorough understanding of berry cultivation
• Farmers attempting to transition to new crops
• Individuals who already work in the berry sector may enrol in this course for professional development in order to brush up on, update, or cover knowledge gaps.