Well, I think that happens to everyone pretty much, unless they're retired or something. I know that this summer, I've neglected my garden a LOT compared to last year, because I've been doing major home improvement projects that I neglected for a couple of years to do my garden. You just take the good with the bad, and realize that NEXT YEAR will come fast. Six months ago, it was snowing here and I was just starting to sow peppers, etc., indoors under lights. It practically seems like yesterday. Now, those things are bearing, frost will be here soon, then the holidays, then it will be time to start again. The cycle of the seasons.

Most species of berries don't self-sow all that much from what I've found. Black raspberries, mulberries, and shadberries can be bad. The rest not so much.

No trouble, but then it's the only crop I have going during July/August. You have to get out there every third day and pick. I had 182 pounds of berries on a 20-foot row; 25 pounds of these had damage from various causes and were tossed.

Not all of your fallen seeds will sprout; the percentage depends on the ground surface. Keeping the fallen berries picked up helps a lot, and keeps the fruit flies at bay.

If you don't have a pre-determined use for x-pounds of berries, prune to have fewer or shorter canes and laterals next year.

My raspberries are rotting now, its the kids job to pick them and the mosquito hoard dampened their enthusiasm considerably. I should do it myself but there are too many other things I am behind on in the orchard now.

Scott

Absolutely! This year the redcurrants ( 4 bushes) just kept coming. In the end I picked for about 9 weeks and still had to leave some. I hardly even got started on the gooseberries and blackcurrants. And the greengage was loaded. As usual it fruited just as we were going away for two weeks. So the freezer is full of whole raw greengages.

We do a good job of staying on top of the strawberries and blueberries but not always the blackberries and raspberries. They ripen later in the season when so many other things are ready to harvest. I just tell myself I'm sharing with the bees, wasps and birds.

I gave up. There's too many japanese beetles eating them to get much of a crop this year anyway.

Them babies are gold, never have a problem picking mine. But then again, I only have 28 ft of established bed and another 30 ft planted to Caroline this year (which are at peak production right now).