Thinking of adding blackberry bushes to my garden....

I'm thinking of adding blackberries to my garden.... Has anyone got blackberries growing? They used to grow wild around here when I was a kid, so I hope that means I would have success. Is there anything special I need to know? How big do they get? Maybe I need two bushes.... The spot I'm considering is sunny and dry.

 

daisy, we planted 3 'thornless' blackberry plants, a Scottish variety, several years ago and they are producing like crazy the last few years, after we moved them to another area where they get full sun. i haven't done anything for them except keep them well watered. i do plan on reading up on pruning them and ridding them of their dead canes, soon!

i really love the thornless varieties. even tho they're thornless, i am always waiting to get pricked! habit i guess!

 

Yum! Yum! I can taste jam already!!

 

How big are they Bunkie? I think I'll look around the local nurseries and see what they've got.

(Sorry about your snow today...)

Stratsmom... to make jam you have to NOT eat all the berries right away, right? Hmmm, jam sounds doubtful!

 

Eileen, are they as wide as they are tall? Wondering about 1 or 2 bushes in the space I am thinking of.

 

right eileen! ours are close to 6 feet tall, then they drape over and almost touch the ground.

i have 15 quarts from last year still in the freezer to make jam, and wine, out of, and pies and muffins! and we ate a bunch and i made a bunch of jam last fall! last year was the best year ever.

 

A row of posts with a single heavy wire you can tie canes (with twine) to, to keep them upright is a good thing.

Full sun, mulch and a hint of ruthless rototilling as they spread are a good thing.

Each year you will tie up new canes in the spring, and cut out old ones in the fall.

 

I started some blackberries a couple months ago. I got the upright kind, but there will be thorns. The variety I have is Kiowa. Supposed to produce HUGE berries! I have them in a big container so they don't spread and will hopefully be easier to tend to. I noticed yesterday that they are flowering.... come on big juicy berries!

:-D

 

OK! Thank you all for the advice. Based on this, I think I will change the location to a spot where there is a fence to use as a support. It's also more out of the way so they can grow a bit more freely in between pruning. The original spot is practically in the midle of the yard. The new spot is going to require a lot of prep work though... Cherylad I'm encouraged that you're going to have fruit the first year. I'm going to shop around and see what I can find locally.

 

Last year was the first year for mine !! I had enough from one vine to last us all winter and still have a couple of bags left !! I will make jelly from last years berries and freeze this years fresh crop !!

 

Mart, that many berries from the first year? That is encouraging, if so. Was yours thornless or thorny?

 

Thornless Blackberries, my poor husband is going to come home in 2 weeks for vacation see my to-do list and be tempted to turn right back around and go back on the road. Thank you Bunkie! I didn't know there was a thornless variety![/quote]

 

you're welcome dd! i love the thornless blackberries, but, like i mentioned, i still wince almost everytime i pick berries and put my hand in the thicket...then i think, "oh no, these are thornless"!

welcome to garden stew!