Imagine…a dreary gray, moldy house that was home to racoons and a yard totally overgrown. Seriously, jungle. And the trees were growing into the roof. When we started to hack down the yards in the back, the raspberry patch was completely overgrown with weeds and most of the stalks were dead. This year, I took those old stalks and brought them back to life. We harvested about 2 gallons of raspberries …

And that is the inspiration for the berry patch that will line the back fence for in 2016.

I’m planning for 100 raspberry plants, preferably “ever-bearing” plants, which I hear includes the following varieties: Amity, Autumn Britten, Heritage, Caroline, Nova, Red Wing and Autumn Bliss.

I’m also planning for 2-4 Marionberry bushes, which will go in the raised beds.

The bees will love them.