berries in SFG? (sorry for long post!)

The book only lists one type of berry you can plant in SFG-the strawberry, and it's 3 plants per 4 squares according to the book.

NOTE: With some of the berries I've provided photos, because I know they are not as well known and realize that some may not be familiar with them. Thus, the photos are there for a reference.

I'm wondering if it's possible to grow other types of berries in SFG boxes, and if so how many per square?

Below are the varieties I'm interested in....

raspberry
blackberry
blueberry
grapes (just normal eating grapes, red and green, NOT wine grapes)


also (not sure about these, debating them, but still interested in doing them in SFG)

dewberry (a white berry commonly grown and found in the south; from what I've found out about them, they're very similar to blackberries in flavor and appearance)

boysenberry (this is a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry)

gooseberry (both the normal variety, and the cape gooseberry; the cape gooseberry is also known as the poha berry; the cape gooseberry and regular gooseberry ARE NOT the same berry, they are two different berries)

Also the one other question I have would be what type of soil mixture to use? I know that Mel's mix is a black, fertile, rich, and loamy soil....and it's perfect for veggies.

However just because it's good for veggies, doesn't mean it's suitable for everything. According to this I found about growing berries, this is the type of soil berries in general prefer....

Here are pictures for the boysenberry, dewberry, and gooseberries

http://www.tradewindsfruitstore.com/servlet/the-16/Physalis-peruviana--dsh--Cape/Detail

http://www.gardencrossings.com/plantname/Ribes-Pixwell-Gooseberry

http://www.degroot-inc.com/product_info.php?products_id=725

http://www.burntridgenursery.com/fruitingPlants/index_product.asp?dept=52&parent=30

http://sheltrgroup.com/are-your-kids-sick-try-elderberry-to-soothe-them/

Here is the page link for reference if anybody wants to look at it.

http://www.blueberry.org/gardening.htm

Almost all fruits do best in slightly acidic soil,
somewhere between a PH of 5.5 and 6.5 Blueberries
prefer a soil of even greater acidity of between
4.09 and 5.0

So I'm wondering since berries in general prefer a more acidic soil, will I have to use a different soil mixture besides Mel's Mix?

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it, but I know different plants prefer different soil types; what one plant thrives in with a particular soil type, other plants don't do well in at all.

Or, could I just boost the acidity of Mel's mix, so the PH range would be suitable for growing berries? If so, how?

Since most berries send out runners and grow on canes, would you have to trellis them via vertical gardening?

I live in the south and know/grow some of the items.

Dewberry-wild, if you could buy a tame dewberry, then 1 per sq? A wild dewberry, as far as I know, will die if cultivated. The ones around here are not white(flowers are white)but are purple.

Blackberry/raspberry- Can be grown,tame ones are thornless. Would take a lot of room, at least 4 sq per plant, this is when they are small, plant can be 6 ft accross.


Blueberry- a bush, prob. about 4 sq. per plant. I've heard that they now have 1 of these that can be grown in a pot!

Grapes- red, blue, green, sweet or sour, you can make wine of all! Also, blackberries make good wine. A vine which should be grown vertically, prob, 1 per 2 squares.

The grapes should be fine in MM.

the blueberries like lots of acidic soil. You could get some organic soil acidifier and add to the mm, or just get some pine needles, chop them and add some to the mm, and mulch heavy with the pine needles.(This last is what I do)

These will work fine, as most growing things will like mm, but these should be a permanant planting. They will grow for many years, but should not be moved yr. to yr.

It's good to have these so you don't have to buy to make pies and jam.

Fruit trees would be good too. I have pears, peaches, plums,apples and sugar plums.