If you are after something a bit different the loganberry may be your answer. The loganberry originated due to an accidental cross between a raspberry and a blackberry. The plant is named after the horticulturist who first created it, James Logan.
Loganberries look a lot like blackberries, or very dark raspberries depending on their variety.
Even though loganberry plants are very hardy and are more disease and frost-resistant than other berries they are not very popular with commercial growers. The two main reasons are - the bushes are thorny and the berries are usually under the leaves so its very labour intensive to harvest and the berries don't mature at the same time making it hard to get a complete harvest at once.
Loganberries are therefore more commonly grown by the suburban gardener.
Growth and Harvest
A loganberry bush usually produces about ten canes or vines. The canes tend instead to vine more like its blackberry mum and will need a bit of support to keep them from getting out of control. The vines aren’t as flexible as the blackberry though, so they don’t bend well. It is recommended to train loganberry vines up a trellis rather than along horizontal wires. The trellis should be placed in the ground at the same time as planting so as not to damage roots at a later stage.
The great thing about Loganberries is that the fruit doesn't ripen all at once, they can fruit for about two months, generally from mid-summer until mid-autumn. The berries are harvested when they are a deep purple colour. Amazingly each bush can produce 7 kg to 8 kg of fruit a year. The worst thing is you may need to wear gloves and long sleeves so the thorns don't bother you when harvesting!
Once you've harvested your berries use them up quickly as they will only stay fresh for around 5 days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze your loganberries and use them in cooked dishes. Loganberries can be used in juice or in jams, pies, crumbles, fruit syrups, and country wines.
After you’ve picked your berries, cut the canes back to ground level. A big bush doesn’t mean more berries, so its better to keep it under control, ten to 12 canes will still produce well.
Loganberry vines can be brittle so choose a sunny location that is sheltered from the wind. For a successful crop, it is advisable to choose a fertile soil location for your loganberry trees, as is generally recommended for fruit-bearing plants. Nevertheless, loganberries display a notable tolerance for poorer soil conditions. If your soil is of lower quality, enhancing it with a quality organic garden soil or compost during planting can be beneficial.
Loganberries, like most plants, need regular watering and a good fertilise with a complete organic fertiliser, like Organic Link at the turn of every season. If they aren't producing much fruit try adding some granular sulphate of potash in spring.
When growing any fruit trees in Queensland it is advisable to have an active fruit fly trap going all year.
Pests and Diseases
Loganberries are generally quite resistant to disease and pests, but there can be a few problems.
Raspberry leaf spot fungus starts out as small spots on the upper surface of young leaves. As the lesions grow, the infected tissue may fall out, leaving holes in the leaves. Badly infected leaves curl downward at the edges and drop prematurely. Spray your plant with a fungicide (eco-fungicide is a great organic fungicide), cut out the spotted leave and any infected leaves that have fallen off should be raked away and destroyed.
Dryberry is caused by a tiny mite that lives in the buds of the plant. The mites will start to feed on the fruit as it develops, leaving you with some berries with dry or dead sections in them. It will need to be treated with an insecticide around the time the fruits are starting to form to combat the problem. Organic insecticides would be eco-oil or eco-fend. Regular treatment with Neem oil may also reduce the problem.
If you don't mind a few thorns Loganberries would be a great addition to your home orchard.