Köksträdgård

Shrub for Fall Color – Highbush Blueberry (American Blueberry)

Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Highbush Blueberry provides delicious fruit in the summer and gorgeous color in the fall. They don’t need much space and can easily be tucked into a small garden.

Highbush Blueberry turns deep red in the fall. The color adds pretty contrast to any space. But that’s not all! These shrubs produce big, juice blueberries mid to late summer! This is the most popular part of the garden among the kids. Especially since the blueberry shrubs are underplanted with strawberries.

Pants two shrubs of different variety for best fruit crop

Highbush Blueberry gets 3-4ft tall and wide (90-120cm). They need full to part sun and acidic soil. To get the most berries make sure to give them plenty of fertiliser.

Although blueberries are self-fertile, cross-pollination produces the best fruit crop (larger berries and larger yields). It’s therefor recommended to plant at least two shrubs of different varieties.

Dwarf Patio Raspberry ’Ruby Beauty’

First berries are about to ripe.

’Ruby Beauty’ is dwarf raspberry shrub that grows just 90cm (3ft) tall, has no thorns and usually needs no support. In spite of its dwarf height, it produces about 1.5kg (3lb 6oz) of raspberries, all with traditional raspberry size and flavor.

’Ruby Beauty’ Dwarf Raspberry loaded with berries

I grow it in a 40 cm (16in) container in vegetable soil and fertilize once a week. It get sun from morning until 5 PM and is doing amazing!

The small size makes it easy to tuck into my vegetable garden.

Vegetable garden in a small space

Window boxes on the south facing wall are great for strawberries.
I’m thinking about getting three more for basil and other herbs.

For a long time I had given up on the idea of growing veggies. Our back garden doesn’t get enough sun and our two bunnies would get to the plants before I did.

One day I was scrolling though photos of Ulla Molin’s garden when I stumbled upon a picture of here veggie garden. It was small and its structure reminded me of my front entrance.

A couple of cheap raised beds, containers and window boxes later I had a vegetable garden.

Coriander gone to town. These were just 3 small plants a few weeks ago.
  • Spinach and salad from seed
  • Tomatos, mint and parsley
  • Late summer strawberry ”RUMBA”
  • Early summer strawberry ”POLKA”
Rhubarb was here when we moved in
Raspberry ’RUBY BEAUTY’ (stays small and produces lots of berries).
Chive starting to bloom in the back.
Entrance turned vegetable garden.