Blackberries

[Texan]

Have any of you grown blackberries?

 

[Rosalind]

They grow wild here, I didn't need to plant them. Why, what do you want to know?

 

[vfem]

I have some wild ones growing in our woods... but I don't do anything for them.

 

[Texan]

I have some wild ones growing in our woods... but I don't do anything for them.

I am thinking of makeing some raised beds to grow some for wine making purposes. Trying to research to see if thats feasable.

They grow wild here, I didn't need to plant them. Why, what do you want to know?

Somehow I didnt see your post. I want to know how hard they are to grow. I keep forgetting there is a search feature on these forums. I think I am going to do a search.

 

[Rosalind]

You don't really need to raise their beds. Unless you have some other pressing reason to raise beds, such as ease of maintenance or having especially horrible soil.

What you'll want to do is build some sort of trellis-like thing to tie the canes to, similar to raspberries. About 3-4 feet off the ground, you'll need to run support wires or something, and then tie the canes to that. Otherwise they tend to be rambunctious and difficult to pick.

Oh yeah, be sure to keep any dogs out of them. My dog once chased a squirrel right into a patch of blackberries, then got stuck in the thorns. Some of the thorns really got tangled in his fur, it was pretty bad. Took me a while to get the poor guy loose, and there's still little bits of white fluff on the briars out there. Free-range chickens, confident that you will never catch them there, will also enjoy hanging out under the blackberries after dark, gorge themselves on the berries, and then poop purple goo all over your dearest possession (such as your truck/car).

 

[Texan]

You don't really need to raise their beds. Unless you have some other pressing reason to raise beds, such as ease of maintenance or having especially horrible soil.

What you'll want to do is build some sort of trellis-like thing to tie the canes to, similar to raspberries. About 3-4 feet off the ground, you'll need to run support wires or something, and then tie the canes to that. Otherwise they tend to be rambunctious and difficult to pick.

Oh yeah, be sure to keep any dogs out of them. My dog once chased a squirrel right into a patch of blackberries, then got stuck in the thorns. Some of the thorns really got tangled in his fur, it was pretty bad. Took me a while to get the poor guy loose, and there's still little bits of white fluff on the briars out there. Free-range chickens, confident that you will never catch them there, will also enjoy hanging out under the blackberries after dark, gorge themselves on the berries, and then poop purple goo all over your dearest possession (such as your truck/car).

Thats pretty funny about the chickens. I have our 20 chickens (15 weeks old now) in a large wire covered run. They are happy chickens but they dont get to run wild. We have a Rottweiler and a Pitt Bull patrolling the properties (we own two side by side).

The reason (please correct me ifin I am wrong) is that I am running out of dry areas. I just cant bring myself to plow up our beautiful front yards. I am about to stick young steers in the back pasture, so that leaves me with the middle yard. I have already made a nice garden area. We were going to plant today but it rained really hard last night. Dang, I got off subject.

I was thinking to raise them off of the ground about 12 to 15 inches to facilitate drainage. Right or wrong?

Aught to make some mighty fine wine? Are there any soil acid issues like there would be with blueberries?

Mike D

 

[Rosalind]

Ours grow in mucky areas, I don't think they require much in the way of drainage. Eh, I will try to describe the site: We have a long gentle Northern facing slope. On 3 sides of this slope are rocks and big hardwood trees, on the 4th side is the house. The middle of the slope is cleared flat, and is where my veggie garden is. At the bottom of the slope, the northernmost side, there are a bunch of evergreen trees and boulders, and the chicken coop. The blackberries grow all along the part-shady interface between trees and grass, on all sides. In spring & fall, this same area turns to that horrible shoe-sucking mud.

For soil, I think they are not picky about soil. Ours are growing happily in the acidic-type soil that blueberries also like, BUT when I lived in PA we had alkaline soil full of limestone, and they were fine with that too. If you had to err on the side of caution, I'd say go with neutral soil and don't bother to add much--just a bit of mulch or leafmold. I'm guessing they don't take a whole lot of fertilizer, as we get plenty of berries and ignore our blackberries.

Yes, good wine, although my favorite thing was to cook up some vodka, add a lot of blackberries to the liquor, then re-distill everything.

 

[Texan]

, then re-distill everything.

aammmmmmmmmm, I'mmm telliiiiiiiiiiiiiinn.

Just kidding. Thank You for the information.

 

[Sylvie]

Easy to grow, there are the thornless for the less adventurous.
I don't think blackberries are too picky. They grow in our heavy clay soil. I planted several at the edge of my garden and pretty much forgot them, didn't water or fertilize and they are just fine. I am watching for the underground runners they send out to dig and reposition those.

I have made blackberry wine; it was so strong that it tasted like thick cough syrup. I love the jelly, though.

You know if your property needs drainage best. I don't think I have ever seen them in standing water like elderberries.

I agree: neutral to slightly acidic soil.

 

[Texan]

Easy to grow, there are the thornless for the less adventurous.
I don't think blackberries are too picky. They grow in our heavy clay soil. I planted several at the edge of my garden and pretty much forgot them, didn't water or fertilize and they are just fine. I am watching for the underground runners they send out to dig and reposition those.

I have made blackberry wine; it was so strong that it tasted like thick cough syrup. I love the jelly, though.

You know if your property needs drainage best. I don't think I have ever seen them in standing water like elderberries.

I agree: neutral to slightly acidic soil.

I'm gonna do it. Thank all of Yall for the information. I think that in a couple of years I may have a seperate to of an acre just for berries!!!!!!

I've never even seen an elderberrie. I am going to have to research those