Blackberries, like so many wild plants, have been domesticated for human convenience. Indeed, some cultivars are now so tame that they not only offer larger fruit than their feral cousins; they’ve even surrendered their thorns!
In some areas of the country, blackberries are considered a nuisance. Their spiny canes clog roadsides and crowd stream banks; hikers are tripped and flayed by their barbed tendrils; exuberant blackberry thickets overrun pasturelands and lawns.
Despite blackberries’ evil reputation, berry pickers head for the woods in droves every summer to gather the dark, violaceous, thimble-sized fruit that hangs in clusters from those vicious branches.
Some gardeners and landscapers have decided that having blackberries outside their back doors is not only more convenient than driving several miles to a cherished picking spot, cultivating a few blackberry bushes on one’s property is probably safer, too.
Herbicides are often sprayed along roads to keep rights-of-way clear, and automobile traffic inevitably deposits exhaust-borne chemicals on nearby foliage. Since many pickers congregate along roadsides to pick blackberries, there is the real possibility of acquiring toxins along with that delectable fruit:
Thus, the introduction of blackberry cultivars into home or commercial gardens represents a step forward for health-conscious growers, especially those who want to produce organic berries.
Blackberry Cultivars for Home Gardens and Landscapes
Thornless Blackberries
One of the greatest advances in blackberry cultivation was the development of thornless varieties. The fruit on these cultivars is typically larger and more abundant than wild-type varieties.
Popular varieties include:
- Triple Crown: produces up to 30 pounds of fruit per plant, once established. Can be grown as a vining or upright form. Ripens in late August. USDA Zones 5 – 9.
- Chester: also a heavy producer. Similar in growth to Triple Crown, but ripens later and continues up until frost. Zones 5 – 9.
- Arapaho: an upright variety; can be grown without support if pruned back to 4 feet. Ripens in mid-June through July. Zones 6 – 9.
- Apache: an upright cultivar. Begins ripening in late June. Zones 6 – 9.
- Doyle’s: a heavy-producing, vining variety. Ripens over 4 – 6 weeks beginning in midsummer. Zones 3 – 5.
Thorned Blackberries
Many wild-type cultivars have been adopted—thorns intact—for commercial and home production; some growers feel that thornless varieties lack some of the flavor qualities of their untamed ancestors.
Important cultivars include:
- Cascade Trailing: known to hikers and pickers for its ability to reach out and grasp at passing ankles. Produces tasty, small berries, beginning in early August. Needs a pollinizer, such as Cascade or Tayberry. Zones 7 – 9.
- Cascade: Slightly more upright than Cascade Trailing, but produces larger similarly-flavored fruit. Ripens in July. Zones 7 – 9.
- Tayberry: actually a blackberry-raspberry cross. A heavy bearer that tends to sprawl. Fruit is long, narrow, and reddish-black. Zones 5 – 9.
- Chickasaw: an erect variety that bears large quantities of large fruit. One of the higher-producing of the upright forms. Zones 5 – 10.
Growing and Cultivating Blackberries
- Soil: Blackberries tolerate a wide range of soils but prefer well-drained humus with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0
- Exposure: Sun or partial shade
- Spacing: 3 – 6 feet apart, depending on variety (erect cultivars tolerate closer spacing)
- Planting: Remove all weeds from 20-foot rows that are 3 – 5 feet wide. Fertilize poorer soils with rotted compost or manure. Plant seedlings in the middle of the row, just deeply enough to cover their roots. Leave at least 5 feet between rows. Mulch heavily after planting to prevent new weed growth
- Pruning: Most blackberries bear fruit on the previous year’s growth (it usually takes a year or two for plants to bear well). Prune the tips of new canes when they reach 3 – 4 feet in height. This encourages side shoot growth. Each winter, trim side shoots to 12 – 24 inches. After harvesting fruit, prune old canes to the ground.
- Trellising: All varieties can be trellised for easier harvesting. A wire or two stretched between posts at either end of a 20-foot row is usually sufficient support. Loosely tie new canes to the wires with string or plant ties. Tie side shoots, fanwise, to the trellis as they grow
- Fertilizing: Apply a shovelful of rotted manure or compost to the base of each plant in late winter or early spring. Reapply mulch after fertilizing each year
- Water: Plants require at least two inches of water weekly during the growing season for best berry production
Once established, blackberries make a productive and attractive addition to any garden landscape. And having them in one’s own backyard makes berry picking a lot easier, thorns or not!
 |
