Strawberries, Raspberries, and Rhubarb, Oh My! by Evelyn Fielding of Beier's Greenhouse

Our friend Glenda K. sent us an email awhile back to say she loves strawberries, raspberries, and rhubarb. She asked which varieties are hardy in Northern Minnesota. Here's an outline of a few varieties that manage to make it through eight feet of snow and 40 below.

Strawberry Honeoye

Honeoye is an early bearer that keeps going to mid-season (ever bearing). This plant tolerates botrytis and powdery mildew well, but is not as disease resistant as other varieties. The flavor of the berries is intense and the color gorgeous. Fruits freeze well as whole berries, or make excellent jam and jelly. Honeoye plants will bear for three or four years before needing replacement, making these a good bargain for the home gardener. Junebearing; hardy in zones 3-8.

Strawberry Earliglow

The Earliglow variety is the best choice for canning, keeping its sweetness and bright red color through the process. Very early bearer; may need protection from surprise late frosts in the spring. Resists verticillium wilt and root rot. Junebearing; hardy in zones 3-8, but make sure to mulch Earliglow strawberries with straw in the fall.

Strawberry Abilon

If you dream of giant strawberries, the Abilon strawberry is your prime choice. Plant the Abilon in a container to bring inside for winter and you may enjoy fresh strawberries in December! This berry is known as a perpetual-bearer, meaning it wakes up early in the spring, bloom into mid-summer, and will bear even in 95 degree heat. The berries are rich and juicy, making them perfect for eating right out of hand. Also excellent for freezing whole. Tolerant to leaf blight and resists verticillium wilt. Perpetual bearing; hardy in Zones 3-8; please mulch heavily in the fall.

Strawberry Ozark Beauty

The Ozark Beauty is a berry workhorse, providing a steady supply of berries from mid-spring into the hot days of early summer. Bright red fruits are firm with a luscious flavor. Great for canning, freezing, preserves, and eating fresh. Everbearing; hardy in Zones 3-8.

Strawberry Fragoo Pink

This sweet pot strawberry is decorative and bears delicious, medium-sized berries. The flowers open to an inch across and smell delightful. Runners may trail up to three feet, so a hanging basket is a great home for the Fragoo Pink variety. This plant likes full sun but will tolerate partial shade (at least 6 hours of sun per day). Not hardy in northern Minnesota, but makes a lovely container garden plant.

Bonus tip: When starting a new strawberry bed, don't plant where you've previously grown peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, or potatoes. These other plants may have encouraged verticillium wilt, which will decimate your new strawberry crop.

Raspberry Heritage

The Heritage raspberry bears later in the season with medium-sized fruits. Firm berries are excellent for freezing and tasty in jams and preserves. High-yielding plants keep on going! Everbearing; hardy in zones 3-8.

Raspberry Latham

The Latham gives you an abundance of small berries with great color and true raspberry flavor. Begins bearing at mid-season and finishes in a few weeks, so get out there and pick when you see the raspberries beginning to ripen. Though it's hard to pin down wild varieties, the Latham is probably a descendent of raspberries that spring up wild in our woods around here. Summerbearing; hardy in zones 3-8.

Raspberry Bristol (Black Raspberry)

Black raspberries are not known for their cold hardiness, but the Bristol is hardy in our chilly zone 4a-3b. Bears later in the season with medium to large fruits; a very productive berry. Great for canning and freezing, if you can resist eating them fresh from the cane. Summerbearing; hardy in zones 4-8 but also does just fine around here.

Bonus tip: Prune summerbearing raspberries twice a year—in the spring before they leaf out and again right after harvest. Everbearing raspberries may be pruned on the same schedule to produce two crops.

Rhubarb Canada Red

One of the sweetest rhubarbs around, the Canada Red is awesome for both sauces and pies. Use less sugar in your recipes because this variety is naturally sweet. Produces succulent stalks that stay small, extending your growing season. Canada Red is slow to go to seed. Doesn't mind a little light shade when the weather gets hot. Hardy in Zones 3-8; likes to be mulched with well-rotted manure in the fall.

Rhubarb Valentine

This rhubarb lives up to its name—the stalks are cherry red all the way through and up the stalk, and hold their color nicely when cooked. Valentine has a zesty flavor rather than being sour because it contains less acid than green-stalked rhubarb varieties. This plant makes a great addition to a perennial flower garden, providing tasty color over a long season with big, ruffled leaves. Hardy in Zones 3-8.

Bonus tip: Never cut rhubarb stalks with a knife or shears; break them off cleanly with a single snap.