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Plants > Boysenberry > "Gervais"

"Gervais" Boysenberry

In the 1920's, Charles Rudolph Boysen (1895-1950) had a farm where he experimented with crossing various types of berries. His hybrid of a blackberry, raspberry, and loganberry grew and bore very large sweet fruit.

But, before Mr. Boysen ever did anything with his discovery, he became the City of Anaheim, California park superintendent and chief horticulturist, and gave up on farming.

After word got around about how they tasted, George M. Darrow of the USDA and Southern California farmer Walter Knott were hot on the trail to find the mysterious hybrid berry. They traveled to Mr. Boysen's abandoned farm and found a few sickly vines. Farmer Knott nursed them back to health and started selling the berries in 1935 at his roadside fruit stand.

They sold like hot cakes as fresh berries and in preserves or pies. When asked what the popular large berries were, Farmer Knott replied, "Boysenberries. After their originator."

Soon after Knott's wife, Cordelia, took to frying up chicken and sold that at the stand. The Knott's roadside stand became massively popular. To keep everyone happy while they waited in line, Farmer Knott built a ghost town amusement. This is how the theme park, Knott's Berry Farm began.

"One of my most favorite childhood memories is of sitting in my Aunt Jane's lap as a very small child while Mrs. Knott was serving us dinner. Even today, I remeber it as the best fried chicken dinner I've ever had.

But then! My very first taste of boysenberry pie, hot and fresh from the oven. Ever since, I've craved that taste, so sweet, yet with a reflection of simpler times and summer memories.

These boysenberry vines are direct descendants of Mr. Knott's, raised for decades by Clyde Reid of Gervais, Oregon. Although all varieties of boysenberry can be traced back to the origional hybrid Boysen plants, this variant tastes like it may have been the absolute same as the berry Mr. Knott grew and made famous." ~berrycraig.com

Zones: 4 - 8 (-20° F.)
Height: best trimmed to 5 feet
Spacing: in rows, 5 - 8 feet
Depth: set roots 2 - 12 inches below soil level
Spread: 5 - 12 feet feet
Sun/Shade: part shade to full sun
Pollinator: self
Yield: very heavy
Foliage: green, turns to bronze in fall
Blooms: March - June
Fruit: Very large, deep purple fruit.

Comments: Should do very well in any climate that grows blackberries. May not fruit if kept under drought conditions. Berries are usually ripe following raspberry season. Use netting to protect from birds. This is a thorny variety.

Shipping: Ships In The Spring

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4" net pot 1 yr. old (0.5 lbs.) $ 6.95

1 gal. net pot 2 yrs. old (1.0 lbs.) $ 9.95
sold out - reserve for Fall 2011

2 gal. net pot 3-4 yrs. old (2.0 lbs.) $ 15.95

5 gal. net pot 5+ yrs. old (5.0 lbs.) $ 23.95
sold out - reserve for Spring 2013

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