Fall is the perfect time of year to get a jump start on next year's berry harvest. The beauty of berry bushes is they truly require very little care for the reward of buckets of fruit. Now is the time of year to do a quick evaluation on the health of your plants and prepare them for next spring's growth. You ready, let's get those bad boys whipped into shape!

Listen in below to the full podcast, Episode #205 How to Care for Berry Plants in the Fall (to increase next year's harvest) of the Pioneering Today Podcast, where we don’t just inspire you, but give you the clear steps to create the homegrown garden, pantry, kitchen and life you want for your family and homestead.
How to Care for Berry Plants in the Fall (to increase next year's harvest)
Look at Your Plants
One of the first things I like to do is an overall assessment of how the plants are doing. For example, we planted two Elderberry bushes two years ago. We didn’t get any fruit this year, but we should see some fruit next year as the plants continue to grow and mature. These two bushes are approximately 6 to 8 feet away from each other, so they are getting the same amount of sunlight. Interestingly enough, one of the plants is doing really well, while the other is really struggling since we planted it two years ago. I found that the one that has been struggling almost looks like it’s getting sun-scorched. I also observed that the bush that is struggling has sandier soil than the other bush, even though they are only 6 feet apart.
To help the soil retain more moisture, I added some:
- Compost
- Manure
- Wood Chips
But after the second summer in a row of not seeing much improvement, I have decided to move the bush to a different location in hopes that it will do better in a new area.
Fall is the perfect time to move or transplant any plant because this is the time they begin to go into dormancy. Now you can also do this in the late Winter as well or very early Spring, just as long the ground isn’t frozen, and there isn’t snow on the ground. But you do need to move them before the buds begin to break.
Finding the Best Place for Your Perennials (the first time)
Ideally, you want to plant your bush or tree in the best possible place because as some fruit trees and bushes (perennials) mature, their roots get established. If, for some reason, you decide to transplant the tree at this point, there is a possibility that it can set you back a year before you get a fruit harvest.
Berry Plants
The great thing about berry plants is that they don’t take as long to start producing fruit. For example:
Raspberries – If you have an autumn bearing and you plant them in late Winter or early Spring, you’ll get some fruit that year. If you have a summer bearing, you’ll have to wait until the second year.
Elderberries – You’ll have a fruit harvest by the second or third year.
Strawberries – These will produce fruit right away.
Blueberries – You’ll want to wait about three years before you let the plant fruit out, so it has time to establish a good root system.
Amend the Soil
The last thing I like to do is to amend the soil on all my bushes and trees. I add some compost with manure, and I put some mulch around them. This also helps with weed control. The beauty of doing it this way is that I don’t have to worry about the manure still being “hot.” Since I’m putting it on top of 2-3 inches of mulch that is already down, the manure won’t go directly to the roots. This is especially important with chicken manure because you don’t want to run the risk of burning the roots with the high nitrogen rates that you find in chicken manure.

I hope that you found this post helpful. As you can see, the Fall is the perfect time to evaluate each bush and tree and make any changes needed then so they have the highest chance of success! If you are want to learn more about organic gardening sign up for my Organic Gardening Workshop! This is a workshop where I’m giving tons of tips, and you do not want to miss it!
Hi Melissa! I am really enjoying the podcasts. ? So I have blackberry plants that need moved.. Are you recommending them to be moved now verses spring? I had always been worried they wouldn’t make it through an illinois winter
Hi Cindy, yes, you can move them now, as soon as they begin to go into dormancy and you’re done with the harvest.
Hi Melissa, thank you answering that question. I was wondering the same thing!
is it suggested to trim raspberry bushes in spring or in fall?
It depends on the type, for autumn bearing you can cut back after fruiting in fall to have all the fruit for a fall harvest, but if you want a spring harvest too, make sure you don’t remove the unfruited canes. For summer/june bearing raspberries I wait until winter when all the leaves are off, I just find it easier that way.
Yes…
I love the shorter podcasts 2 times a week. I’m more apt to listen if they are shorter. And I really want to listen. Thanks for all you do!
Thanks for the feed back Lori!
Definitely prefer two shorter to one longer podcast. Thank you!
Thanks for letting me know
Thanks for sharing your wealth of information~I like the shorter podcasts because then I have time to listen! Thanks again!
Hi Melissa, I like the 2 pod casts. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge. It inspires me to get out in my garden more.
Hi Melissa- should berry bushes be cut back? I have currents, goose berries, blueberries, and honey berries,
Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge!
Carol
They require pruning but generally we prune in the late winter/early spring before the bush comes out of dormancy. I have blueberry pruning here https://melissaknorris.com/prune-blueberries-larger-harvest/
What is a good source for elderberry plants?
I’ve looked and asked around my local area but the location of elderberry bushes are treated like a matter of national security in these parts. 😉
So I’m ready to spread out my search radius. 🙂
Thanks for all you do. Love the shorter podcasts; really enjoy the devotions (so inspiring); LOVE the show notes! Thank you.
Hi Teresa,
Thanks for the feedback on the podcast types and notes ?
I got my elderberry plants from this online nursery and this variety https://raintreenursery.com/berries/s-nigra-samyl-elderberry-e025
This is the first podcast I’ve heard. I garden on the high desert in California which is challenging I think I willlike two podcasts a week!
I’m so glad you listened for the first time! Thanks for the feedback
I like the additional short podcast each week! I enjoy the long ones when I’m busy with longer tasks like canning or mountains of laundry, and the short ones sometimes driving around town on errands.
Hi, Melissa! This was a great article. Thanks! I have a 10×4 ft raised bed with June bearing raspberries that were transplanted there last winter. How many inches of manure and compost should we apply this fall to prepare for next summer’s crop? Thanks in advance for your answer.
I like the transcripts of your podcasts. I can read much faster then listening. It saves time, and I can go out and do whatever it was you were telling me. Thanks for your time and effort!
Greetings, I just read this post.
Wanted to let you know that blueberry bushes are not like other berry bushes. Manure is not recommended for blueberries. I made that mistake several years ago. Now years later all I do is cottonseed meal and fir bark. This year the harvest was 45 lbs from 35 bushes. One of the bushes suffered from mummy berry so no harvest from that one. Thanks to you I knew what was happening.