Raspberries killing Gooseberries and Blueberries

Question

Last year we planted a gooseberry, raspberry and a blueberry bush in raised beds in our garden. It was the first time we grew any fruit and all 3 produced a very small crop, which we were happy with. This year our raspberry bush has taken off and looks like it is going to have a really good harvest but there is still no sign of any fruit growing on our gooseberry or blueberry bushes. Although there appears to be space around all three bushes, could it be possible that the raspberry bush’s roots are killing the roots of the other two plants or is there some other reason?

Answer 1

It could be a pollination issue. Bees tend to focus on one kind of flower at a time. So it sounds like they would have been pollinating the raspberry flowers first and perhaps something interrupted their ability to pollinate your other plants’ flowers, such as bad weather or an insecticide.

The other issue may be that the blackberry and blueberry were simply a little more stressed after planting than the raspberry. Because of this, they failed to flower this year and instead were focused on growing roots.

Either way, I would say that I would give them another year. There is no reason why these 3 plants cannot grow in the same area.