Border Country Berries

Welcome and thanks for checking in with us! For those of you not familiar with Border Country Berries we are a small operation with the offerings that you see below. We are located just outside of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Details and map are at the Location link above. For those who have picked with us in the past, we look forward to seeing you back again this year!

Raspberry - U-pick

We have a few different varieties of raspberry available on the farm. They are all red varieties and all are summer-bearing (no autumn-bearing). Though different cultivars, they all ripen within just a day or two of each other. In the past our raspberry harvest has lasted from 2 - 3+ weeks. This varies year to year with changing growing conditions and other variables in the weather and the field. For instance, this past winter (2012-2013) about 40 percent of the raspberry field sustained heavy damage from an under-snow population of meadow voles. Where they were active they damaged or destroyed up to 85% of this year's bearing canes. Consequently, we expect the crop to be smaller this year; and, it may result in a shortened harvest time. The surviving canes and the undamaged portion of the field are in nice shape and have a good crop of young berries coming along.

We have recently expanded (again) the raspberry acreage and are hopeful that within a year or two the picking opportunities will be enlarged.



Blueberry - U-pick

We have several cultivars of blueberry. Wouldn't you know it!? They're all blue. There actually is a pink-colored blueberry available now; we don't have it. Some things just shouldn't be messed with!

The blueberry bushes came through the winter very nicely and are carrying our best crop yet of this fruit. Barring pestilence, hail, drought, etc. etc. we are looking forward to a nice harvest in the blueberries.

This acreage was also expanded this spring. As you may know blueberry plants are much slower to mature than raspberry; so, it will be a number of years before this makes a significant addition to the harvest.

Blackberry - not yet

Our 2012 small planting of thornless blackberry bushes is struggling. We will decide by the end of this summer whether to continue our efforts there or put the ground to other use.



Sweet Corn - coming along

Our annual departure from the berry category is in the ground and growing. Those of you who have eaten our corn in the past may agree with us that it is a very flavorful and sweet late summer treat for those backyard on-the-deck meals. This is not a u-pick crop. It is sold at our residence, 3042 S. Seymour, and through a couple of local retailers.



Décor Pumpkin - this year's experiment

We made a small planting of pumpkin intended strictly for decoration (no pie). The pumpkin itself will be very small . . . . softball-sized. Not sure where this is going; we'll see.