Brambles (raspberries adn blackerries) are among the best fruits for beginners to try in their fruit garden - better than the expensive berries that you can buy in the market, and easier to grow, smaller, and quicker to come into bearing than fruit trees. With a little planning and luck, you can have fresh berries from your garden every day from late June until late October. This talk will cover the essentials of growing raspberries and blackberries in southeastern Michigan, including choosing and preparing a site for a berry patch, selecting suitable varieties of raspberries and blackberries, basic care of the plants (including pruning and fertilizing), and common pestes and what to do about them.

Dave Strayer is an Ann Arbor resident who has been growing backyard fruit in Michigan and upstate New York for than 35 years, long enough to have encountered pests and problems, and has tried a bunch of different growing techniques and cultivars.

Membership Check-In at 6:30 p.m.

Presentation to follow at 7:00 p.m.

Presentation is open to the public.