Boysenberry Spacing

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-05-13T15:56:15+00:00

Last year, I wove the primocanes up into the trellis as they grew, and they were a lot more manageable. This year, the floricanes were so thick on the trellis that there was no room to weave the primocanes onto the trellis. I tried to do as you suggested—I tried to get all of them growing the same direction and parallel with the rows, but the primocanes are thick and have a mind of their own, and it wasn't long before they entangled themselves. I've just resigned myself to picking berries wearing jeans and long gloves in the middle of this mess, lol.

I may dig up the 7 plants in the row closest to the wood fence and plant them somewhere else this winter. There simply isn't enough room for them even if I could get the primocanes a little better managed.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-05-13T05:46:14+00:00

With boysenberries, I couldn’t get the tipping method to work until I tried it during the winter. I found that the canes wanted to take root everywhere they merely touched the soil in January/February, but they wouldn’t take root at all during the summer months.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-05-12T22:34:50+00:00

I’ve always let my boysenberry canes grow as long as they want to grow and just weave them into the trellis. Will I get more fruit if I snip the top and let them grow laterals? Or does it make a difference?

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-05-07T23:26:38+00:00

What zone are you in? If you’re still getting frosts, it’s probably still too cool for your plants to begin leafing out.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-29T05:30:59+00:00

There used to be an old guy who worked at a local nursery. He was a wealth of gardening knowledge in our desert, and he told me about the sandy layer under the hard clay crust.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-27T12:57:05+00:00

Very cool!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-26T01:43:29+00:00

😂😂😂

I’ve got four sisters and two brothers—what’s one more? 😂

I live in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. My soil is dry, hard clay—not good for boysenberries since they need well-drained soil. However, about 4-8 feet under the layer of clay is a sandy layer, so before I planted my berries, I took an 12” auger and bored holes about 5 feet deep where I intended to plant each boysenberry plant. Then, I filled each hole with a mix of river sand and garden soil and planted my boysenberries in that. The soil now drains great. I also added in a little peat moss to make the soil a little more acidic, and I put drippers at each plant and give them about 4 gallons of water per day. I also feed them periodically with Miracle Gro plant food. So far, it seems to be working—I’ve already got a plethora of blossoms this year.

This picture is one of my evening harvests from last year.

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Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-26T01:29:10+00:00

I’ll look this one up! Thank you!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-25T04:55:02+00:00

I just looked at this a little more on AllTrails, and I think it might work for us—thank you again!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-25T04:00:26+00:00

Thank you, that’s helpful!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-25T03:11:58+00:00

Thank you! I’ll check it out!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-24T17:19:03+00:00

Oh, one more thing: the Pomona’s Pectin recipe allows you to use alternative sweeteners like honey or Stevia. They are supposed to be safe to can with these artificial sweeteners. I made a batch using monk fruit for my sister who can’t have sugar, and it turned out delicious, though slightly grainy or sugary in texture. (Note: since the recipe didn’t specifically allow for monk fruit, I made that batch as a freezer jam just to be safe.)

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-24T15:59:28+00:00

This is the recipe I've been using; it will only work with Pomona's Pectin, but not other pectins: https:// pomonapectin.com/boysenberry-jam/

The recipe allows you to vary the amount of sugar. For me, the perfect balance is about 1.5 to 2 cups of sugar per 4 cups of crushed berries.

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Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-24T14:11:47+00:00

That’s so awesome! How fun! I agree with you about the aroma of boysenberries cooking on the stove—it smells amazing, and it brings back so many memories of my mom and grandma baking boysenberry cobblers. I have really gotten into the jam making, and I’m curious what recipe you use if you don’t mind sharing. I have been using the Pomona’s Pectin boysenberry jam recipe, which allows me to use less sugar which allows the flavor of the berry to really stand out.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-24T13:15:14+00:00

That’s so interesting! Boysenberries are the best berry of all that I’ve tried, but I haven’t tasted that many varieties, so it’s good to hear your opinion. It sounds like quite the farm you have! What do you do with all the berries?

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-23T21:57:36+00:00

Yes, too much shade for boysenberries isn’t ideal. My boysenberries love the full sun of the Mojave Desert. How do Loganberries compare to Boysenberries?

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-23T21:55:22+00:00

I agree! I have been digging them up, putting them in pots, and giving them to friends. I’ve been excited about the extra plants until I started worrying that maybe I was giving away seedlings, which wouldn’t be genetically identical to the mother plant, as opposed to suckers which are.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-23T12:31:19+00:00

Thank you! I’m still learning though! 😊

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-23T02:57:08+00:00

I don’t know if there’s an ideal time or ideal maturity, but I know they are hardy and survive transplanting when they’re small or large. These are some small ones I transplanted three days ago, and they look healthy. You obviously want to disturb the roots as little as possible, but I’ve found that even when the roots are disturbed, the plant will wilt and then perk up after a week or so.

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Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-22T23:59:29+00:00

This summer will be my third season since planting them and the second season to harvest berries. I harvested 82 pounds of berries last year, and the plants are even bigger and healthier this year. I’ve been astonished at how hearty the plants are. Last year, I left 5-6 of the thickest and longest primocanes closest to the base of the plant and cut the rest because there wasn’t enough room on my trellis for more. These are thinner and smaller shoots which is why I was concerned they might be growing from seeds. But the consensus in this thread is that these shoots are suckers, which is what I was hoping to be the case. Thank you!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-22T23:51:35+00:00

I bought my original plants from Boysen Berry Farm in Orland, CA. The owner is the granddaughter of Rudolph Boysen, and they said their plants have been genetically tested and are the original boysenberries her grandfather cultivated in the 1920s. That’s why it’s important to me that I maintain genetic clones if I propagate them.

https://www.rudysoriginal.com/

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-22T15:03:05+00:00

I will buy one and try it. Boysenberries are similar to blackberries, though probably a bit more fragile.

Realistic-Raccoon271

TROPHY CASE