Weather forecasters are calling for a cold night on Saturday, May 9, with temperatures expected to dip to 35 °F in Central Virginia and 30°F in the Shenandoah area.

It’s an understatement to say that Dr. Reza Rafie is passionate about growing berries in Virginia. Rafie, a horticulture Extension specialist with the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) at Virginia State University (VSU), has devoted nearly 15 years to researching and promoting berry production.

Weather forecasters are calling for freezing temperatures over the next few days. Homeowners with container-grown blueberry plants need to protect them from freezing temperatures, if the flower buds are opening up.

Virginia State University is conducting trials of growing raspberry in containers on a single stem under high tunnel conditions. Dr. Reza Rafie, horticulture Extension specialist at VSU believes this system of raspberry production can be a good fit for Virginia’s small-scale farmers and even homeowners. This video briefly describes the potential of container-grown single-stem raspberries.