Another season of testing has come and gone for the berry patch, and we are now ready to proceed with the expansion of the crop. I learned from four years of testing...... that it is easier to cut the canes down to 4 inches above the ground......instead of tying up the canes on a three wire trellis. The fruit is far more abundant with this "savage and brutal" trimming method. The cut canes are thrown into the walk area where they meet their destination with the grass mower........presto...it's becomes mulch. No burn piles...no run to the county green waste refuse site......time and money saved.
Other growers here will say I am nutz to do it this way. I did the numbers, and we are getting 1.5 pounds of fruit per linear foot......far better than the trellis method. The harvesting is harder though......but well worth it.
Another discovery was that the "thorn-less" berries we have...will put off runners that have thorns. This is an on going issue to resolve.....and will be resolved! The greenhouse construction will start in a few weeks, so I'll be able to get hundreds of starter plants ready for the expansion of the crop.
Boysenberries are too soft for the fresh fruits to be marketed effectively. Will will sell them at our Fruit Stand that is slated for construction this Spring, or we will deliver berries along with our "farm to door" service that we will have in two years. Most of the fruit will be packed and frozen in blocks, individually quick-frozen, or made into concentrate for jams and desserts.
The Natomas farm also is in talks with a Bay area distillery that has shown high interest with our berries. Last year this distillery took a vast amount for their experimenting.
