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Tasman Bay Berries CEO Glen Holland (left) and Richmond-based Fruitfed Supplies Representative Jonny Richards check out this season's boysenberry crop.

25 years of boysenberry growing

Tasman grower Glen Holland has learned a thing or two about growing boysenberries over the past 25 years.

“Like most berries, they’re a bit fiddly,” says Glen who owns and manages Tasman Bay Berries in Hope, near Nelson.

“Last year, high winds just two days out from harvest pushed the outer rows over and damaged fruit on the windward side of the plant. We lost a lot of fruit to that wind, but that’s growing for you. Other seasonal considerations include the threat of Botrytis during flowering and pests like red berry mite, and tracking any changes in MRLs for different markets that our boysenberries go to.”

Glen’s journey to becoming a boysenberry expert started back in the late 1990s. 
“I managed an apple orchard for a local family who owned dairy, apple and berry entities. When they sold the apple orchard, I was a Fruitfed Supplies Representative for a year which I really enjoyed but wanted to get back to growing. The family’s berry farm manager left so they approached me.”

Glen started with them in 1999 and managed several operations for the family over a few years. He enjoyed growing boysenberries, deciding to invest in his own land as well as managing the other berry operation, and buying that business when the owners retired. At one point, he managed 45 ha of the delicious berryfruit but has since scaled back to about 15 ha in production.

In earlier years, most of the harvest went into individually quick frozen (IQF) berries, with some hand-picking for fresh gate sales and retail outlets. Now, more than 70 percent of their harvest is freeze-dried to make boysenberry powder, some goes to be pureed for Heinz, and there’s a small volume for gate sales.

“We’re a key supplier to Nutrient Rescue which uses the boysenberry powder for its super-shot blends. It’s an end product with huge applications as a high value ingredient for the food, beverage and wellness industries. New information about the health benefits of boysenberries, particularly gut and lung health, is coming out all the time. We started out with them as they got established in New Zealand, and it’s been a great journey as they begin to expand into global markets.”

In terms of growing, irrigation water is critical in early summer as fruit sizes and vines are growing replacement canes for next season. 

“Botrytis is our number one enemy if we get wet weather over flowering so try to prevent infection with options recommended by Jonny Richards, our Fruitfed Supplies Representative. Product choice gets harder every year with the end markets having different residue requirements. 

Red berry mite and raspberry bud moth are pests that can be a problem after harvest, chewing out the tips of new canes. We’re always monitoring and use an independent entomologist, as well as Jonny’s advice. He’s always helpful; I’ve worked with him since I worked at Fruitfed Supplies myself and he supports any development work we’re doing with infrastructure aspects like posts and wire.”

A new block established this year was planted with the two proven boysenberry varieties, Tasman and Mapua, both bred in Nelson. “These varieties have been performed consistently for us over the years. We replace vines after 10 to 15 years and work hard to keep them yielding well. Soil health is a big part of that, and we mulch all pruned canes to spread under vines. Having done this for several years, our soils are rich with organic matter.”

Glen is fortunate to have a great team who work around the Tasman region, returning each year for pruning and harvest. “Our work fits in around vineyards and hops for this family-oriented team and we complement their efforts with students for summer hand-picking.”

In terms of machine harvesting for the processed berries, it’s mostly done between midnight and 8am when completely ripe berries are easier to shake gently off the vines. Each row may be harvested up to 10 times over a four to five week period, with the machine taking only the ripest berries. Obviously, protecting fruit against bird damage is another consideration. “We’ve tried most things – our children on motorbikes, bird scarers, and a drone with bird scarer but we’re near a flight path so need permission now. Removing large trees nearby where birds nested helped, but it's always a challenge.”

Glen says there’s higher demand for boysenberries now but not many new growers. “There’s considerable potential for growth as people learn more about the health benefits of boysenberries which are largely retained when freeze-dried. We could potentially expand more ourselves, having taken on another full-time staff member recently. Currently we farm over several blocks, leased and owned, so as demand grows, we’ll look to put more in.”

A veteran of the industry, Glen enjoys encouraging others and sharing his knowledge as a mentor, just one of the ways he tries to ensure a thriving boysenberry industry in New Zealand. “I’d love to see more young horticulturalists revitalising the industry. It’s an exciting time for boysenberries, and I want to help others make the most of the opportunities ahead."