2024 Summer Berry Varieties
Strawberries
Hood Strawberries
If you’ve heard of one variety of Oregon strawberry, it’s probably the beloved Hood! Hood strawberries have evolved as the gold standard in sweet, juicy flavor among Oregon strawberry lovers. Available for an extremely short window right at the beginning of berry season, these medium sized berries are known for their high sugar content and deep red color throughout. When ripe, they are much softer in texture than other varieties, and need to be eaten fresh or used in jams or baking soon after being picked. Introduced in 1965 and named for Oregon’s majestic Mt Hood, the plants can be vigorous and productive, but also delicate and difficult to grow.
Albion Strawberries
Introduced in 2006, Albion strawberries were bred in California and have Diamante and Cal 94.16-1 in their parentage. These high yielding, robust plants grow conical shaped berries of good flavor and excellent firmness, ideal for eating fresh. They produce multiple crops and are usually available throughout the summer months.
Sweet Sunrise Strawberries
Introduced in 2014, Sweet Sunrise is an early season varietal that produces medium to large sized, firm strawberries with a deep, dark red color throughout. Developed by Oregon State University in conjunction with the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station and the Washington State University Agricultural Service, Sweet Sunrise combines the top characteristics of premium strawberries including Puget Reliance. This high yielding variety is a new favorite among u-pick and fresh market growers, and is known for its balanced sweetness.
Mary's Peak Strawberries
The newest variety of strawberry named after the highest peak in Oregon's Coast Range and developed by the US Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service in conjunction with Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, Mary's Peak was officially introduced in market for the 2018 season. Yielding medium to large sized berries of excellent firmness and flavor, Mary's Peak strawberries are a deep red color throughout. While they are considered June bearing, they ripen later than many of the other popular varietals and are often still available at the beginning of July.
Blueberries
Spartan Blueberries
Spartan Blueberry was introduced in 1977 by the USDA in Beltsville, Maryland. This beautiful, upright Northern Highbush variety produces huge, quarter-sized fruit that are twice the size of the average blueberry. With a strong, sweet-tart flavor, this delicious berry has a big appeal for both commercial growers and home gardeners.
Ochlockonee Bluberries
The Ochlockonee is a rabbiteye blueberry that is named after the Ochlockonee River in Southern Georgia. The variety was developed in 2002. It was released jointly by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the US Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Research Services. The berries are large and firm and have a rich, sweet flavor.
Liberty Blueberries
Heavy production of big berries and nicely balanced, robust-juicy flavor make Liberty a very popular newer release. Liberty fruit ripens late midseason. This fast growing Northern Highbush is well suited to areas with 1000+ chill hours, especially regions that cool rapidly as summer draws to a close - hot harvest temps can soften these berries.
Blackberries
Hall's Beauty Blackberries
The Hall’s Beauty Blackberry is a new, early-ripening, high-quality, firm, and sweet thornless trailing blackberry cultivar with extremely large and attractive double flowers. Introduced in 2018, this blackberry variety produces large, conical and uniformly shaped fruit that are very firm, sweet, and desirable for fresh market consumers. Marion blackberries, Boysenberries and Silvan blackberries make up the Hall's Beauty pedigree. The berries are available locally in Oregon to enjoy fresh, or can be used year round from frozen.
Triple Crown Blackberries
The Triple Crown Blackberry Plants are the newest thornless blackberry. The Triple Crown Blackberry is named for its three crowning attributes: flavor - productivity - vigor. Excitement begins when the Triple Crown Blackberry bushes ripen from roughly July 10 to about August 10 in most areas. This thornless blackberry variety yields large, glossy black fruits that are firm and have the capacity to produce larger berries than any other variety that we have seen.
Freedom Blackberries
The first thornless self-pollinating, primocane-fruiting variety - the Freedom variety produces very large, flavorful, attractive purple-black berries on year-old canes very early in the season and on first year canes late in the season, providing two crops of delicious fruit each growing season. An excellent variety for home gardens in cool summer regions, ideal for fresh eating.
Primark 45 Blackberries
This revolutionary, new, primocane variety bears abundant crops of berries on current season wood. No pruning required, just cut plants to the ground in the fall. From an Arkansas breeding program, Prime Ark 45 fruit ripens in early to mid-September and is large and sweet with classic Blackberry flavor
Raspberries
Cascade Delight Raspberries
A superior quality red raspberry that’s specifically suited for handling heavy clay soil. Well drained soil is always preferable for growing raspberries, but Cascade Delight’s resistance to root rot gives it a strong advantage over other varieties. Delivering heaps of big, conical, bright red, firm berries with sweet, luscious flavor, the cane offers the added benefit of fewer thorns for an easy harvest.