To propagate blackberries, just pin some tips down and they will root - but they are difficult to maintain in a hedgerow as they tend to form impenetrable thickets.
Rasps will put up new shoots themselves - just dig up the roots. Again though they tend to turn into ever-spreading forests which take over everything.
We have hedgerows where we allow some small trees to grow and provide fruit. These include Mirabelles ( a tiny plum on a strong small tree), crab apples, rowanberries (for wine and jellies), but mostly the fruit is for the birds, or to be mixed together for hedgerow jelly. We do have some blackcurrants in one length of hedge, but ultimately they will make a gap, as they are short-lived. The same goes for elder which crowds out the opposition then dies young, leaving a gap.
You could though make a hedge which was never intended to be an actual hedgerow, but is just a line of fruit bushes and canes, with the occasional tree, and with wild strawbs underneath. You can grow wild strawbs from seed, then in subsequent years transplant the runners - they love a bit of shade, unlike cultivated strawbs and taste wonderful. Gooseberries and redcurrants can be propagated like blackberries by pinning down the tips until they form roots
Topic: Edible Hedgerow (Read 5209 times)
