Polk Extension taking orders for fruits for home gardeners

Published 10:28 am Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Small fruits that may be overlooked by local gardeners are the strawberry, blueberry and raspberry, according to the Polk County Extension Center. All three have valuable qualities as fruiting plants, and blueberries and strawberries have attractive traits that make them useful in the home landscape.
Strawberries can become a dense matted groundcover in sunny areas at home.
“Gardeners with a spot along a drive or walkway would benefit from having some plants covering a bare area,” Polk Extension officials said. “The fruit is not only delicious, but it also is rather attractive when seen on the plants ripening.”
The informal blueberry plant growth makes the fruit ideal for an open spreading hedge. In addition to bearing blueberries in summer, the rabbiteye blueberry plants also have attractive autumn foliage. They are well suited for Polk County since they prefer acid type soils, the type of soil most common in the area.
“Raspberries are great to have since fresh raspberries are so difficult to obtain,” Polk Extension officials said. “Plant them in a sunny location that has access to water during our summer droughts.”
The Polk County Extension Center is taking orders from local residents for strawberries, blueberries and raspberries until early March. The local extension center is located in the courthouse square in Columbus. For more information call 828-894-8218.
– article submitted by Sarah Gottfried

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