I want to plant one of the hybrid berries e.g. logan, tay. Which one is best? I know that on this forum I will get 10 different answers but that is valuable.
I have a 10 foot row to fill.
At present I have gooseberries and Autumn raspberries which are not netted and the birds do not take. Are any of the hybrids left alone by the birds. I do not want to put up a cage if I can help it.
If you like blueberries but don't have acidic soil then there is an alternative that is reported to taste very similar. It's called a honey berry and will tolerate alkaline soil. It grows to about 5ft and is very hardy. It will withstand frost down to -40. But it is a member of the honeysuckle family so will need some support to ramble up. You will need two for pollination purposes. I've just planted seven near our bees as it flowers very early in March when there is not a lot of pollen about for them to forage. The berries are just a bonus for us. It's not really a hybrid but is a recent introduction to this country.
Jostaberry is a hybrid but will grow to 10ft and will shade everything behind it. It's also an aggressive grower and difficult to control in a small space. But the fruit is great as it's a cross between a blackcurrant and gooseberry so the flavour is not as strong as a blackcurrant which can be a a bit overpowering on their own and even in a pie or tart they can make your taste buds smart.
I have been tempted to try the Pink Lemonade Berry (advertised on Amazon). It's a small plant but again it needs acidic soil and I can't be messing about with it. Looks nice though.
I found autumn raspberries a waste of time. They don't get enough sun on them to develop any flavour worth mentioning and too sharp to eat raw. When you cook with them they need so much sugar adding that the end product tastes like a sweet and sour chinese takeaway. You don't need to net them because the birds don't like them either. Any fruit worth the eating will need netting in my experience apart from blackcurrants as the birds find it difficult to get a foothold in the plant.
You have been lucky with your gooseberries so far but believe me when the blackbirds decide they want them they will strip the entire crop in days. You could go away for a long weekend and come back to a barren bush.