SMALL FRUITS...sweet rewards!
 There are many fruits that can be grown successfully in the Colorado Springs area. They range from annual vines to more hardy perennial plants and shrubs. Small in size, the plants highlighted below will fit into the typical home garden. Good news for those of you who don't have room for a fruit tree! Some small fruits, such as blueberries, chokeberries, and serviceberries are also good ornamental landscape plants. They provide flowers, fruit and fall color.
Most small fruits will enjoy a sunny spot and a balanced fertilizer applied in Spring. (See special instructions for blueberries which require acid soil).
As with fruit trees, you may have to use a barrier to keep birds and squirrels from foraging your fruit. We carry special netting to help put a barrier between wildlife and your crop. For insects, use diatomaceous earth spread at the base of your plant to control crawling pests (Natural Guard Climbing Insect Control). You must re-apply after rain.
BLACKBERRY (Rubus)
Varieties:
Black Satin: a thornless variety that produces large firm, slightly tart fruit. Bears in late July or early August. Grow in full to part sun. Be sure to mulch to protect in winter (zone 5 plant)
Triple Crown: blackberry canes are thornless with jumbo size, sweet berries. Harvest lasts for about a month in summer with consistent yields each year. Grow in full to part sun. Mulch to protect in winter (Zone 5)
BLUEBERRY (Vaccinium)
Bears mid-July to August; Requires acidic soil achieved by planting in a medium that is primarily Canadian sphagnum peat moss (which naturally has a pH of 5.5). In subsequent years, use a balanced fertilizer for acid loving plants (ex. Marine Cuisine) in late May. Grow in well-drained, consistently moist soil. Large containers above ground or buried in ground work well because they allow you to control soil pH. (Colorado soils are naturally alkaline).
Note: Blueberries are a bit of a challenge to grow well here because they can be prone to cracking in our climate. This is not due to cold (all are hardy to at least Zone 4). The problem is due to drying wind and our fluctuating warm/cold cycles so common in spring. You can get around this by covering your shrub with frost cloth or burlap during winter and early spring. Blueberries are self-fruitful. But, you will have a higher yield if you plant two different varieties.
Many blueberries offer the bonus of BEAUTIFUL fall color. Check out the show this Chippewa blueberry puts on in October!
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Chippewa
Size: 3'H x 3'W
Zone 3
Large, dark blue sweet fruit.
Shrub has an upright habit.
Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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Northcountry
Size: 2'H x 3'W
Zone 3
1/2" SWEET fruit is sky blue
A more compact sized shrub than most
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Northblue
Size: 3'H x 3'W
Zone 3
Large, dark blue fruit
Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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Pink Lemonade
Size: 4'-5'H x 4'-5'W
Zone 4
A larger shrub--this is a
newer blueberry that has pink
fruit when ripe. Blooms are
pink as well. Fruit is glossy, firm
with a mild sweet taste.
Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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Top Hat
Size: 1'-2' H x 1-2' W
Zone 3
A dwarf shrub with
a mounded habit. White
flowers followed by fruit
that is small but sweet and firm.
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BLACK CHOKEBERRY (Aronia)
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This 3-6' shrub bears small pea-size fruit. It ripens in early fall and although is quite sour to eat fresh, it make great jellies. This shrub is a GREAT low maintenance ornamental too! Produces white flowers in late May and offers good fall color in red tones. It isn't fussy about soil and can grow in both sun and part-sun locations. It will attract both birds and butterflies. Drought tolerant but will also tolerate moist soil.
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Berries
Fall Color
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 CURRANT (Ribes)
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Variety: Red Lake
A vigorous 5–6' shrub that bears large quantities of bright red berries near the beginning of August. It tolerates a variety of soils and makes great jams and jellies. It is self-fruitful and is pollinated by wind and insects. It is also a bird magnet! Drought Tolerant.
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Variety: Consort
Black currant bush that gets 4'-6'H x 4' W. Berries ripen late in the season. Clusters of black fruits have a strong sweet/tart flavor and are very productive. Developed in Canada so they are very hardy. High in Vitamin C. Will grow and fruit in shade. Use for jams, jellies or baking.
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Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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GOOSEBERRY (Ribes)
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This 3-4' shrub produces fruit that ripens in August. It is best used for pies, jams and jellies. It tolerates a variety of soils and can be grown in both full sun and part sun locations. Drought and moisture tolerant, it is another shrub that is a bird magnet.
Varieties:
European
Green berries are larger than the American types and many suggest they also have better flavor.
'Pixwell'
3'-5H x 3'-4'W
An American type with better resistance to mildew. Green berries turn pink when ripe. Very few thorns. Zone 3.
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GRAPE (Vitis)
These large vines are an easy fruit to grow provided you give them annual pruning in Spring, adequate fertility and a full sun location. Pick the variety you'd like to grow based on how you will use the fruit. Will you make jams, jellies, wines or just pick grapes off the vine for fresh eating? Also, consider if you want seedless or not. Expect fruit to ripen in September. Grape vines are HEAVY when they begin to reach maturity—so give them a strong support such as a pergola, arbor, or sturdy fence. They will generally begin producing the second or third year.
Photos Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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Concord
Seedless purple grape
(fresh, jam, jelly)
Zone 5
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Edelweiss
White-green grape
(dessert, wine)
Zone 4
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Himrod
Seedless White Grape
(fresh, dry for raisins)
Zone 5
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Kay Gray
White Grape
(fresh, wine)
Zone 4
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Reliance
Red Seedless Grape
(fresh, juice, jelly)
Zone 5
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Swenson Red
Red, seeded grape
with a high sugar content
Crisp texture
Hardy to -30 but fruits better
with protection
(fresh, juice, jelly, or wine)
Zone 5
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NOT PICTURED
Bluebell
Seeded Blue/Purple Grape
(flavor similar to 'Concord'
but vine is slightly hardier)
(Fresh, jam, jelly, juice)
Zone 4
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JOSTABERRY
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Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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Jostaberry is a cross between black-currants and gooseberries. It is a vigorous shrub that combines the characteristics of its parents to produce large, black-currant like berries that are loaded with Vitamin C. They have a rich berry taste that is a blend of black-currant and gooseberry. A productive shrub that usually bears fruit in July. Shrub size is 4'-6'H x 4'W. Zone 3. |
MELON
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These are annual, WARM loving vines. Plant them well after the last frost when night time temperatures are at least 65 degrees. Plant protectors that warm both the air and soil around your plant can be a huge help when you first plant melons. They take some space in the garden. Plant 2-3 plants per hill and space hills 5 feet apart.
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Varieties:
Early Honeymoon (honey dew—90 days, up to 5lb fruit)
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NANKING CHERRY (Prunus)
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A hardy shrub that can reach 8' in height. Produces an abundance of white flowers in late April, followed by small scarlet fruit in June. The fruit is sour so is best used in jams/jellies, pies, juice or wine. Leaves turn yellow in fall. Birds love this bush!
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Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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RASPBERRY (Rubus)
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Raspberries do very well here. They will grow in full or part sun. But, site them thoughtfully! They are poky and travel via suckers. So, plant your future briar patch in an out of the way spot. Fences work well as you can tie the canes up to keep them off the ground. Raspberries bear on the previous year's canes. So...don't cut your whole patch down during fall clean up. Instead, cut down the canes that bore fruit during the current season. Leave the non-bearing canes alone as they will give you next year's fruit. Depending on variety, may bear twice or in late summer. Self-fruitful.
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Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
Fall Gold
Yellow Raspberry
Bears in July |
Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
Heritage
Red Raspberry
Bears first crop in July and lighter crop in September.
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Boyne
Red Raspberry, medium acid and aromatic. Vigorous erect and sturdy. Excellent for canning freezing and dessert.
Bears in July
Anne
Light yellow fruit, mild sweet taste
Sparsely thorned canes. Bears in late summer to early Fall.
Latham
Full flavored red raspberry. Vigorous and cold hardy. Ripens in late June or early July.
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RHUBARB (Rheum)
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Variety: Victoria
This perennial plant with its trademark crimson red stalks and sweet/tart taste, can spread 2-3 feet. Used in pies, cakes, preserves and as a wonderful sauce for just about anything. (reduce down using a little water, brown sugar and butter) Rhubarb is long lived but requires a well-drained spot with loose soil at planting time. The roots can grow quite deep. Do not harvest stalks the first year. Use sparingly the second year—but in year three have at it! Once established, rhubarb is an easy care, reliable producer. Grow in full or part-sun.
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SERVICEBERRY (Amelanchier alnifolia)
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Also known as Juneberry, this 6-8' shrub, prefers well-drained soil. Pea-sized blue-black fruit produced in mid-July is similar to blueberries, left unpicked, birds will clean the shrub. So, if you'd like to harvest the fruit, consider using bird netting...or plant extra to "share." Extremely hardy—good candidate for higher elevations. Drought tolerant. Leaves turn shades of yellow, orange and red in fall. Plant in full sun for best fall color.
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Regent Saskatoon Serviceberry
Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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STRAWBERRIES
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Varieties:
Quinault (everbearing)
Fort Laramie (everbearing)
Tristan: NEW 2013! Introduced to the market just last year, this compact variety works well in containers since it produces few or no runners. Can be grown as an ornamental for its magenta blossoms that remain on the plant as it produces 1" sweet, bright red berries.
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These perennial plants can be either June-bearing (crops all at once) or everbearing (spring crop followed by later smaller crops). Our varieties are all everbearing. In addition to providing you with sweet fruit, strawberries have wonderful red fall color and make a good dense groundcover. If slugs become a nuisance, diatomaceous earth, beer traps, or crushed egg shells are effective controls. Netting will likely be necessary to protect fruit from squirrels and birds.
Feed in early spring with a balanced fertilizer. Requires soils moderately rich in organic matter that drain well. Benefits greatly from winter mulching and consistent moderate moisture.
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Photo Courtesy Valerie Belding
Fall Foliage Makes a Pretty,
Dense, Groundcover
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WATERMELON
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These are annual, WARM loving vines. Plant them well after the last frost when night time temperatures are at least 65 degrees. Plant protectors that warm both the air and soil around your plant can be a huge help when you first plant.
We carry short-season varieties that will produce smaller watermelons. Plant them in light sandy soil that has been amended with manure. Fertilize with a balanced formula at planting time. Keep the soil moist. Watermelons can take up a lot of space, one plant can spread 4-6 feet or more.
Varieties:
Sugar Baby (80 days, fruit is 6" in diameter—up to 10lbs, heirloom)
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WESTERN SANDCHERRY (Prunus besseyi)
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This 4' shrub blooms profusely in May. White flowers are followed by seeded purple fruit the size of a grape that ripens in mid-August. Eat fresh or use in jams. Fruit is loved by birds.
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Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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