In Vietalva parish, a woman built a varied berry garden from a small plot
In Odziena, Vietalva parish, Viktorija Fjodorova has spent years developing a diverse berry garden featuring raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, quince, grapes and cranberries. The idea for her own raspberry garden first took root while she worked in Norway.
For more than 20 years, Viktorija Fjodorova has lived with her partner Ansis on a plot of land in the center of Odziena, in Vietalva parish. When they first acquired the land, Viktorija's dream was to have her own raspberry garden. The family's main occupation is grain farming, and most of the land is used for growing cereals, but over time a small portion was set aside for raspberries and other plants close to Viktorija's heart.
An idea born in Norway
Viktorija recalls that her wish for a raspberry garden began years earlier, when she worked in raspberry cultivation in Norway. Eventually she planted a small number of raspberry bushes on her own land, but after the first harvest season she realized it wasn't enough — the berries were quickly eaten fresh, leaving nothing to preserve for winter.
The garden grew alongside the family
A real turning point came in 2019, with the birth of the family's third daughter, Marta Kristiāna. At that time, Ansis agreed to let Viktorija mark out a larger area for her garden, and she began planning it in earnest. In addition to the raspberry bushes she already had, she bought several varieties of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, quince, grapes and cranberries. Every plant was placed deliberately, so each would sit in the right spot and complement its neighbors, creating a garden where the plants work together.
