I remember walking across the alleyway when I was little, to the neighbor’s yard to pick blackberries off the bush. (This is a vivid memory, so it must have happened every single season until I graduated high school.) Because this is one of my favorite childhood memories, I thought why not recreate: we planted red raspberries, blackberries, orange raspberries, and blueberries in the back yard this spring.  Can you imagine coming home from a hard day at work, plopping down in the dirt, and feasting without a care in the world? Sure beats Happy Hour caloric intake!

If you have space for a plant in your yard, I highly recommend getting some sort of berry plant to make life a little interesting.  Last year I gave my grandma a hanging strawberry plant for mother’s day, and she planted it in her garden.  It had a couple of sad looking tiny green strawberries on it when I bought it, but this year I got the firstfruits of the season (see below).  Also, since I have my own garden now, she is giving me part of the flourishing plant back to enjoy.