| If you're an eco-friendly, organic sort (or just love | | | | building or arbor. Your local nursery probably won't |
| the idea of growing your own food), you might be | | | | carry them, but you can order wolfberry vines online |
| just the type to plant some berry bushes in your | | | | from places such as Raintree in Washington State. |
| yard. Why pay a fortune for a pint of organic berries | | | | 3. Elderberries |
| at the whole foods store, when you can grow your | | | | Another somewhat unusual berry bush (though folks |
| own? They're a perfect addition to an "edible | | | | have been making elderberry wine for ages), |
| landscape," and, unlike with garden vegetables, you | | | | elderberry bushes come in a number of edible |
| don't have to plant them over and over again each | | | | varieties. The Blue Elderberry, with its powder blue |
| year. These long-lived crops will grow to maturity and | | | | berries, is particularly striking. One of the perks of this |
| give you berries for years, maybe even decades, to | | | | bush is that it's easy to grow and produces a ton of |
| come. It's a bit like earning passive income in the | | | | berries, so you really get your money's worth! You |
| financial world. Plant this summer and enjoy the | | | | can eat the berries fresh when they're ripe (they are |
| harvest, with minimal upkeep required, for years to | | | | higher in Vitamin C content than oranges), or turn |
| come. | | | | them into pies, jellies, teas, or the afore mentioned |
| Now that you're sold, lets take a look at some | | | | wine. Elderberries are also known to have medicinal |
| common and not-so-common (but lots of fun!) berry | | | | value. |
| bushes you can plant: | | | | 4. Raspberries and Blackberries |
| 1. Blueberry | | | | Okay, enough of the exotic stuff, right? Let's talk |
| Everybody loves blueberries, and they're good for | | | | about those yummy raspberries and blackberries. |
| you too. There are dozens of varieties, and they | | | | Both grow on canes (some are freestanding while |
| range in height from a foot tall to over six feet tall at | | | | others should be trellised) and you can find them in a |
| maturity, so you can find the perfect size for your | | | | variety of species. If you've been poked by thorns a |
| yard. They can also be grown in pots, so they're a | | | | number of times, you might particularly appreciate |
| great choice if you live in a townhome or an | | | | the thornless varieties. Since raspberries and |
| apartment with just a bit of patio space for | | | | blackberries can spread quite a bit (their root |
| gardening. Blueberries do particularly well in the Pacific | | | | systems can extend several feet under ground, |
| Northwest and other climates where acidic soil is the | | | | causing canes to pop up in unexpected places), you |
| norm (if you live elsewhere, you can amend your soil | | | | will want to take some care to place your berries. |
| to make your blueberries happy, especially if you | | | | You might also consider keeping them confined to |
| grow them in containers). | | | | large containers or raised beds with weed-block |
| 2. Wolfberry (AKA Goji Berry) | | | | material at the bottom. |
| Blueberries are very common, and you can buy them | | | | 5. Lingonberries |
| in the spring at any nursery, so let's talk about | | | | If you've ever traveled in Scandinavia (or gone to |
| something less common now. If you frequent health | | | | the local Norwegian pancake breakfast), you've |
| food stores, you've probably seen dried goji berries | | | | probably had lingonberries. These cranberry-like |
| (and numerous products using goji berries) on the | | | | berries are used in sauces, jellies, and for cooking. |
| shelves lately. Though they're relatively new to the | | | | They don't take up a lot of space either, as most |
| US, they've been around in the East for a long time, | | | | species grow from 8" to 16" tall. They do like to |
| and they're superfoods! They have a lot of | | | | spread, though, so they can make a great edible |
| antioxidants and other healthful benefits, so growing | | | | ground cover choice. |
| some at home makes a lot of sense. Wolfberries | | | | There you have it: five berries that are easy to grow |
| grow on a vine, though kind of a bushy vine rather | | | | in many climates. Plant some this year and enjoy the |
| than the kind you need to trellis up the side of a | | | | fruits for years to come! |