A loganberry bush in a plastic pot behind a jar of loganberry jam next to a white plate with scones and loganberry jam spread o top and la few loganberries. A wooden gift crate in the background.

Loganberry Bush

A Comprehensive Gluttonous Gardener Plant Care Guide

Loganberries are a cross between raspberries and blackberries. Although they are delicious eaten raw, they are especially popular with cooks as they make excellent jams, pies and compotes. Loganberries are much bigger than those of their parent plants, with a gloriously deep red-wine colouring. They’re not easy to find in shops and markets, thanks to their short shelf life, which is a very good reason to grow your own!

In a nutshell

Illustration of an apple.

Fruit

Illustration of flowers growing from the top of a castle.

Hardy

Illustration of a flower growing in the shade by a garden wall with an open door.

Partly shady

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Climber

Planting

Choose a sunny or partly shaded location against a wall or fence with free-draining and moisture retentive soil. In the right conditions they can grow into very large plants, so make sure you give them lots of space. As the stems grow, they will also need support in the form of sturdy wires or a trellis.

Dig a hole twice the size of the root-ball and add compost or well-rotted manure. Spread the roots out as you place the plant into the hole, then refill the hole to the base of the stem with a mixture of soil and compost. Press the soil down gently with the heel of a boot and water well.

Watering

Water especially well in the first few months and every week during the summer if the weather is particularly hot or dry.

Feeding

Every spring, treat your loganberry to a generous helping of mulch or well-rotted manure.

Pruning

Loganberries can be trained into particular shapes or over arches and pergolas. Keep an eye out for new shoots and tie them in, keeping them separate from the old shoots as much as possible to prevent any diseases spreading.

Prune your loganberries in the late summer or Autumn. Cut the older canes which have fruited down to the ground and cover with compost. Train any new canes onto wires, trellis or supports.

Fruiting

Loganberry plants will fruit in July and August. They are ripe when the berries turn a deep red or purple colour, and can be easily plucked from the plant, leaving behind a white core.

Harvest

We’re happy to munch on as many fresh loganberries as we can find, but if we have more than we can eat, they work beautifully in a fabulous Grunt in place of blackberries. Check out our Glut grunt recipe below which our hungry team have thoroughly tested!

Blackberry or Loganberry Grunt Recipe