Question: We have just bought a home in the country with small acreage. Far in the back of the lot we have found about 50 boysenberry plants, neglected and uncared for. Can you tell us when the best time is to transplant them, and what type of cultivating care should they have? RF, Ohio
Answer: Boysenberries may be transplanted at any time after a killing frost. Whenever one can find time to transplant these plants while they are dormant is all right. Since they are entirely dormant all winter they are usually planted or moved in early spring, about the middle of March, when the soil first becomes suitable for cultivating. Old boysenberry plants are hardly worth moving. New plants formed where the tips of the canes have touched the ground are better for transplanting. They are easy to move and grow quickly and bear fruit the second year after being planted. The vines should be trained on some sort of trellis, weeds kept out by regular cultivation and each year after the fruit is harvested the fruiting canes should be removed. The new canes which take their place bear fruit the next year.
