We fit 20 berry bushes, fruit trees, and vines into this 20x30-foot corner of the backyard — a straightforward turf conversion that turned unused lawn into a small, dense berry garden. With the exception of the grapes and blackberries, most of these fruits are ones people around here have never tried.
Why These Fruits
They're great for fresh eating, pies, jams, juicing, and smoothies. Each one has its own unique flavor and nutritional profile, adding real variety to the orchard fruits most of us already have access to.
First Season, Big Potential
Everything here was only planted this spring, but the gooseberries and currants are already on track to yield a few cups of ripe fruit this year. Once fully established, this small berry garden could produce over 100 lbs of unique, nutritionally dense fruit every year.
What's Growing
- 3 different currants
- 3 different gooseberries
- 2 different gumi
- 2 different honeyberries
- 1 aronia
- 1 jostaberry
- 1 juneberry
- 4 seedless grapes (red and green cultivars)
- 2 blackberries
- 1 mulberry
What's Next
Perennial vegetables, herbs, and strawberries are planned for a future phase, filling in the ground layer beneath the berries and fruit trees.