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I'm somewhere in the middle of this year's harvest, and enough time has passed for an appraisal. There have been many variables this year, but out of a possible 10, I'd give it a 5. I have about 60 bearing plants, most in 15 gallon containers.
Because of the drought, last year I pruned very harshly, and in the winter, transplanted almost all the berries into a mix that holds more water, but still drains well. And this year the birds have been very aggressive in harvesting the crop - enough to make me build a quick shelter so they can no longer get to the plants.
That said, my crop is less than usual, but it's impossible to know exactly why. I think a big part is that we had an unusually warm winter and because of the very few chill hours, there were nowhere near as many blooms. (Leafing out on some varieties has been slow too.) Bloom time was also odd. Plants of the same variety grown close to each other did not all bloom at the same time. Some very early, some late or not at all. I still have a few branches with lots of flowers right now.
Also there were fewer pollinators. I saw only one or maybe two bumble bees working the flowers, and the honey bees were reduced in numbers, which also could be from the drought. And humming birds were not working them either, unlike other years.
A work-horse like Emerald had not only fewer berries, but many of the berries are smaller than usual. The new leaves however are ample and strong, so I think that's a pollination issue. A few plants of other varieties had virtually no berries, or only very small ones.
Jewel, another work-horse, has almost as many berries, but they are smaller than usual. The plants are also vegetatively strong, so I don't think the small fruits are the result of culture.
The young Sweetcrisps had a better than expected crop (their first year to bear), and some still have a few flowers.
There are still a good number of plants that are just starting to ripen, so I'm hoping it's going to be a very long season. The picking season started a few weeks earlier than usual too. I'd rather have a very long, slow season for more fresh fruit. There has been more than enough fruit for eating, but just not very many to give away or dry or freeze.
Because of the drought, last year I pruned very harshly, and in the winter, transplanted almost all the berries into a mix that holds more water, but still drains well. And this year the birds have been very aggressive in harvesting the crop - enough to make me build a quick shelter so they can no longer get to the plants.
That said, my crop is less than usual, but it's impossible to know exactly why. I think a big part is that we had an unusually warm winter and because of the very few chill hours, there were nowhere near as many blooms. (Leafing out on some varieties has been slow too.) Bloom time was also odd. Plants of the same variety grown close to each other did not all bloom at the same time. Some very early, some late or not at all. I still have a few branches with lots of flowers right now.
Also there were fewer pollinators. I saw only one or maybe two bumble bees working the flowers, and the honey bees were reduced in numbers, which also could be from the drought. And humming birds were not working them either, unlike other years.
A work-horse like Emerald had not only fewer berries, but many of the berries are smaller than usual. The new leaves however are ample and strong, so I think that's a pollination issue. A few plants of other varieties had virtually no berries, or only very small ones.
Jewel, another work-horse, has almost as many berries, but they are smaller than usual. The plants are also vegetatively strong, so I don't think the small fruits are the result of culture.
The young Sweetcrisps had a better than expected crop (their first year to bear), and some still have a few flowers.
There are still a good number of plants that are just starting to ripen, so I'm hoping it's going to be a very long season. The picking season started a few weeks earlier than usual too. I'd rather have a very long, slow season for more fresh fruit. There has been more than enough fruit for eating, but just not very many to give away or dry or freeze.
I don't know if they like to be root bound - most things do better when they are not. But that does not mean you won't be successful growing in smaller pots. Most of mine are in 15 gallon, and a few I moved up into larger pots (25 -30?). But I won't be doing that again - they are just too difficult to move or do anything else for that matter. The plants in the larger pots definitely grow larger, but you don't have to have the largest plant possible to be successful. At this stage, I'd rather keep more in the 15s than fewer large ones in pots that are unmanageable. 
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