Loganberries

If you love raspberries but don’t want the seeds, loganberries may be the answer.
 
Loganberries (Rubus × loganobaccus) are an accidental hybrid of raspberries and blackberries.

Loganberries are bigger than raspberries (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Now, how can a hybrid be accidental?
 
It ends up that, back in 1881, James Harvey Logan decided to create a better blackberry. He crossed a couple of local varieties and waited to see what would happen. Then, some nearby raspberries got into the act when Logan planted the offspring of his first experiment. This additional genetic information created not one but two new cultivars: the ‘Mammoth’ blackberry and the loganberry.
 
These perennial members of the Heather family look like blackberry bushes, but the fruit is dark red, more like a moody raspberry, and longer. Other raspberry-blackberry hybrids have been developed, including boysenberry, dewberry, nessberry, olallieberry, Santiam blackberry, tayberry, and youngberry.
 
What makes these plants so popular?
 
Most people agree that berries are delicious. But berries don’t always ship or store well, making them excellent choices for the home garden.
 
Like other brambles, loganberries are canes. Each plant will produce an average of 10 semi-upright stems which can be trained along a fence or trellis. In their first year, these primocanes focus on leaf and root development. Flowers and fruit occur in the second year on floricanes. After a cane has produced fruit, remove it at ground level.
 
Loganberry plants protect themselves with soft spines that can itch, so gloves are a good idea. If you prefer a thornless version, you can always try the ‘American Thornless’ variety. Or if a natural barrier to unwanted intruders would be helpful, a loganberry wall might be a delicious option.
 
Mature loganberries are red, but they are generally harvested while still purple. Each loganberry bush can produce up to 18 pounds of fruit annually and may live for 15 years.
 
Loganberry plants are propagated from cane cuttings and layering. They perform best in USDA Hardiness Zones 6-10. Space your loganberry plants six feet apart. They prefer full sun, though afternoon partial shade is acceptable.
 
Loganberry plants are rugged and tend to be more disease-resistant than many of their cousins. But they are susceptible to several fungal diseases, including anthracnose, Botrytis fruit rot, powdery mildew, raspberry leaf spot, rust, and spur blight, as well as crown gall and Phytophthora root rot. Avoid these diseases by providing good drainage and airflow. And be sure to remove mummies right away.
 
Common loganberry pests include aphids, dryberry mites, raspberry cane maggots, raspberry beetles, crown borers, root weevils, sawflies, and slugs and snails. As tempting as it may be to sprinkle salt around your brambles to protect the fruit against slugs and snails, don’t do it.

​Table salt may be great on that baked potato, but it does terrible things to your soil and garden plants. Instead, monitor your plants regularly for signs of infestation and infection to be the first to enjoy those luscious big berries as soon as they are ready!