Moving Raspberries and Blueberries

Hi everyone,

We are moving (my husband was laid off, and we need to go wherever he gets a job), and I have 3 young blueberries (mixed varieties) and 5 young Heritage raspberries in my yard. I don't want to leave them. Everything is in dormancy right now. Most likely, they won't get back into the ground anywhere until this fall. I would over-Summer them in the pots. Should I dig them up while they are still dormant, pot them up, and prepare them for moving? Or should I dig them up right before we leave the house, which wouldn't be until early Summer?

Can you give me an idea? The plants are very young--I only planted them last Spring, and they were bare-root from a catalog. I would think that digging them up now would be the least stressful, but I could be wrong. Any help you can give is appreciated. Thank you!!

I would pot them up as soon as you can work the ground, using large pots that might be slightly over size, then sink the pots back in the ground. I would only do that if you are relatively sure you will have to move. I have transplanted both raspberries and blueberries into pots, and find that raspberries are more sensitive to transplant problems when in pots than blueberries. I am sympathetic to your situation, as I too was laid off a few months ago and may need to move. Most of what I have is in pots already, but those that are not will remain in the ground until I know what is happening.

If you have the pots in the ground, keep in mind that roots will eventually grow into the ground and create problems with moving the pots, so you will need to lift the pots a couple of times over the growing season to make sure this doesn't happen. Root control bags, which are not the same as grow bags and more expensive, can be used instead of pots and will minimize the root grow-through problem. They will also help the plants keep growing while minimizing some of the problems you may run into

Small raspberries and small blueberry plants will do well in pots, provided they get appropriate watering. They will need more attention than if they are in the ground. Also be sure to read tapla's posts which are stickies in the "Containers" forum. "Tapla's mix" is appropriate for the raspberries, but I would make sure that I had about 40-50% peat/sand mix in the pot for the blueberries, knowing that you will need to transplant or adjust blueberry soil pH annually while they are in the pots.

Good luck with the employment situation. I am seeing very few job opportunities here. There is also the huge dilemma of putting in the summer garden, due to the chance of moving. I have the time to do a nice one this year, but can't be sure if I will be here to enjoy the fruits of the efforts. Not sure what to do.

Krowten,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I know where you are coming from, and I truly hope you find a way out soon.

I know we definitely have to move. We live here (Orange County, NY) because it was the furthest away we could afford to go from where my husband used to work (NYC). Now that he doesn't work there anymore, and there are no real opportunities here, off we go. I'm not sorry, this is an extremely suburban area, which I don't like--I had really hoped to settle into a more rural area, and this is definitely not it. I will miss my garden, though, so I'm trying to take a bit of it with me.

I will put the plants in big pots and hope for the best. Thank you for the information. I know your predicament about the garden. I have a small plot in the backyard that I use as a vege garden every year. But since we are selling our house, I am planting a bit of a garden (vege-wise), but mostly concentrating on the things that will produce in the Spring (peas and lettuce), so I don't miss out on the things that will produce in Summer, when I may not be here. I am filling in with herbs and cutting flowers for the rest, so there's no "blank" space, but little maintenance new owners, too. It'll look better than blank space, that's for sure! And if I can get something out of it, so much the better!

Thanks for the kind words. I know that tomatoes and peppers will do well in pots sunk into the ground and you should be able to take them with you. That is probably what I will do myself. Blueberries will fruit well in pots if properly maintained until they get too big.

Ahhh krowten, that's the pits for you, as well as for littlebrook (whom I do not know). I sure hope something turns up so you don't have to move. I wasn't able to take any of my garden when I moved the last time (3 years ago), and building from scratch is not fun, nor quick.

Thanks to your always helpful advice, I have a fair start on some fruits, mostly bush or cane fruits... no trees yet. Even so, I can't imaging having to move them.

Thanks Darius. Just taking it one day at a time for now, but seriously working on some additional certifications in case they would help.

Blueberries do quite well in containers for me, that's the only way I can handle them.

this guy seems to think so too--good video
http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/video/growing-blueberries-in-your

Debbie