Bababerry plants are back!
With the extended drought, I have barely kept my Bababerry patch alive, and not had any surplus to share, so I was very happy to hear that this excellent berry is back in commercial production. For anyone not familiar with Bababerries or Baba Raspberry, it is a low chill raspberry that was introduced in the late 1970s. The variety is an everbearing-type that produces very large berries of excellent flavor. And according to CRFG it is “probably the most reliable traditional raspberry for areas with very little winter chill that bears a large crop of berries in June and a smaller crop in fall.” But by 2003 – 2004, less and less nurseries were carrying them. For anyone that didn’t already grow them, or know someone who did, they were really hard to come by.
Recently, Dave Wilson Nursery started supplying Bababerry plants to independent nurseries. I have heard from a few friends and acquaintances that they are starting to show up in some of the independent nurseries in the Southland. H & H Nursery near me recently got about 3 dozen in, but while I was there today, I noticed they have already sold about 10 of them. They are selling them for $10 each. Other places in SoCal I have heard got some this year include Parkview Nursery on Magnolia Ave in Riverside, Cherry Valley Nursery, and recently reopened Laguna Hills Nursery. Last year Annie’s Annuals in Richmond, CA had them. I am sure there are many other independent nurseries now carrying them, too.
If you have seen them by you, leave a comment. I know lots of folks have been wanting them.
5 thoughts on “Bababerry plants are back!”
Alison H, if you live near Annie’s Annuals they have had them for a couple of years now, don’t know about this year. I live in So. CA and Armstrong has had them for pre-order a couple of months ago and they are in now. I can’t believe H & H has them, I had emailed them in Nov. asking if they will have them and was told no, they do not have any suppliers growing them! I could’ve gotten them cheaper there.
I’m in northern California. I had heard of Bababerries and how fabulous they are and how hard they are to come by so I was quite surprised to see a row of them at my local nursery today. Only catch is, I hadn’t talked my husband into adding more to my garden yet. (Planted eight fruit trees in the last two years, replacing scraggly weed trees.) He grew up having grandparents a few miles away who grew a quarter acre patch of raspberries–inside the city limits of Washington, DC! Our wedding brunch years ago included all the red raspberries everybody could eat. So I am very much hoping to go back tomorrow and snag at least one Bababerry plant; tradition, right? (He was growling about the thorns and I said I’m going to prune them and besides, good squirrel repellant. I’ve got a huge pot already to contain the thing in.)
Thank you for your blog posts on Bababerries. They’ve already helped me in my quest to talk him into it.
I stopped in at my local Armstrong Garden Center after dropping my daughter at school this morning. They had 4 dozen Baba raspberry plants in. Probably all the Armstrong stores got them.
Lianne: Apparently your website has a lot of ardent followers. I got the last 3 plants at Parkview and he said that the day they got them, he was swamped with people wanting them.
In Riverside, Parkview Canyon Crest only and Louie’s on Van Buren. I would have people call first so they don’t waste a trip.
Erin
SO EXCITED!! I have written to the nursery to ask if they have a list. Will let you know. Erin Thomas