HOW TO GROW TAYBERRIES

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The tayberry is true gem of the fruit garden, and while not as well known as its berrying cousins it is does in fact produce larger and better flavoured fruits than the loganberry and most raspberries cultivars.  Developed in 1979 by the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute, the tayberry is a hybrid of the red raspberry and backberry and received its name from the river Tay in Scotland.

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While they are in many ways better than traditional berry crops their lack of presence of tayberries in the market place is due to their ripe fruits being exceptionally soft at harvest. This prevents them from being harvested mechanically and as such has hindered their success as a commercial crop. Today, Tayberries are mainly grown in gardens and allotments.

Tayberries are also self-pollinating which means that if you are short of space you can get away with the one plant. They will also be productive for up to fifteen or even twenty years.

The tayberry will grow well in most well-drained soils and will benefit from having well-rotted farm manure mixed into the soil before planting. Although they are shade tolerant, they will produce far larger crops when planted in full sun. They do not spread as much as their blackberry parent and so supporting canes are not crucial. However traditional methods of cultivation on a frame of horizontal lines will help prevent diseases by improving the air flow between branches.

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Tayberrys are available as potted canes in the autumn, and assuming they are planted by early spring the new tayberry cane will send up fresh new canes which will need to be supported into a frame. Mulch your tayberries every spring with well-rotted farm manures.

You will need to be patient as tayberries fruit on two year old wood so you are unlikely to get fruit this year. However by next July you can look forward to harvesting your first decent crop.

When picking tayberries it is best to treat them like strawberries and keep the stalks in place. This will keep them in better condition for transporting but if you are anythink like me them most of them will be eaten well before you get home.

After fruiting, these two year old canes can be cut down to ground level, and the fresh new canes that appear in the spring will take their place.