Growing Blackberries

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Blackberries

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Blackberries, like raspberries, are a very easy berry to grow. Once this native berry is ripe, get ready for an abundant harvest, picking every couple of days! Here’s how to grow and harvest blackberries in your backyard.

Basically, there are three types of blackberries:

Erect thorny blackberries
Erect thornless blackberries
Trailing thornless blackberries

Erect blackberries are bushes that support themselves, while the trailing blackberries have long canes that must be trellised for support.

All blackberries are perennials; the roots survive year after year. However, the top of the plant above the soil is what we call biennial. This means that the canes grow vegetatively for a year, bear fruit the next year, and then die. However, every year the plant sends up new canes to replace those that died! For a great fruit harvest and to avoid a messy plant, pruning is important. (See more below.)

Planting

When to Plant Blackberries

Plant when the canes are dormant, preferably in early spring.
- Planting may also be done in late fall, however, it should be delayed until early spring in very cold areas as low temperatures could kill some hybrid varieties.
Blackberries and their hybrids are all self-fertile, so multiple plants are not needed for fruit production.

Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site

Select a site that receives full sun for the best berry yields.
Soil needs to be fertile with good drainage. Add organic content to enrich your soil. (Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.)
Make sure you plant your blackberries far away from wild blackberries, which may carry (plant) diseases that could weaken your own plants.

How to Plant Blackberries

For semi-erect cultivars, space plants 5 to 6 feet apart. Space erect cultivars 3 feet apart. Space trailing varieties 5 to 8 feet apart. Space rows about 8 feet apart.
Plant shallowly: about one inch deeper than they were grown in the nursery.

Care

How to Care for Blackberries

Mulching is important throughout the season to conserve moisture and suffocate weeds. Keep a thick layer of mulch surrounding plants at all times.
Blackberries require plenty of moisture, especially when growing and ripening. Ensure plants receive one inch of water per week and more in hot temperatures.
Blackberries benefit from fertilizing in early spring with an all-purpose fertilizer such as 10-10-10, or a 16-16-8.

Trellis Trailing Blackberries

As mentioned above, trailing blackberries need a trellis or support. Explore a two-wire system, running a top wire at five to six feet with a second line 18 inches below the top wire. After the first year, there will be fruiting floricanes along the wires. Train the new primocanes into a narrow row below the fruiting canes. Directing all canes in one direction may make it simpler.

Pruning

We have provided detailed pruning information below, but do not be scared. The main idea is to simply remove the old canes that already bore fruit and let new ones take their place.

Trailing blackberries: After the fruit harvest period, the old fruiting (floricanes) are removed to the ground. However, unless there is a lot of disease, it’s best to delay removing the old fruiting canes until they have died back considerably. This allows the dying canes to move nutrients back into the crown and roots. After old fruiting canes are removed, train the primocanes up on the wires. Work with one or two canes at a time in a spiral around the trellis wires. Canes from adjacent plants may overlap a little. No pruning of primocanes is necessary.

In areas with low winter temperatures, leave the primocanes on the ground for the winter where they could be mulched for winter protection. In the spring, after danger of extreme cold has passed, train the old primocanes (now considered floricanes) up on the wires. Avoid working with the canes in cold weather, as they are more prone to breaking.

Erect blackberries produce stiff, shorter canes that come from the crown and from root suckering (often forming a hedgerow).
Erect blackberries benefit from summer pruning. Remove the top one to two inches of new primocanes when they are four feet tall. This causes the canes to branch, increasing next year’s yields. Plants will require several pruning sessions to tip each cane as it reaches the four foot height. Primocanes (suckers) that grow outside the hedgerow should be regularly removed.

In the winter, remove the dead floricanes (old fruiting canes) from the hedgerow. Also shorten the lateral branches to about 1½ to 2½ feet.
If you have primocane-fruiting erect blackberries, cut all canes off just above the ground in the late winter for the best fruit. In the summer, when the primocanes are 3½ feet tall, removed the top 6 inches. The primocanes will branch, thereby producing larger yields in the fall.
If you have semi-erect blackberries, they are easier to manage on a Double T Trellis. Install four-foot cross arms at the top of a six-foot post. Install a three-foot cross arm about two feet below the top line. String high-tensile wire down the rows, connecting to the cross arms.

Semi-erect berries need to be pruned in the summer. When the primocanes are five feet tall, remove the top two inches to encourage branching. Several pruning sessions will be required as canes reach the appropriate height. In the winter, remove the dead floricanes (old fruiting canes). Spread the primocanes (new floricanes) out along the trellis. Canes do not need to be shortened. However, they can be if they are difficult to train.

Pests/Diseases

Raspberry Borers
Fruit Worms
Gray Mold
Viruses
- If your plant is suffering from the blackberry disease known as Raspberry Bushy Dwarf virus, the leaves will be have some bright yellow on them, and the leaves of the fruiting vines may have a bleached look in the summer. The disease known as Blackberry Calico will cause faint yellow blotches on the leaves of the plant.

Harvest/Storage

How to Harvest Blackberries

Pick only berries that are fully black. Mature berries are plump yet firm, a deep black color, and pull freely from the plant without a yank. Berries do no ripen after being picked.
Once blackberries start to ripen, they must be picked often—every couple of days.
When picking, keep the central plug within the fruit (unlike raspberries).
Harvest during the cooler parts of the day. Once picked, place berries in the shade and refrigerate as soon as possible

How to Store Blackberries

Blackberries are highly perishable and will only last a few days once harvested, even with refrigeration.
Although fresh fruit is always best, blackberries can be stored by canning, preserving, or freezing. Techniques used for freezing blueberries can also be used on blackberries.

Recommended Varieties

Here are some favorite blackberry varieties to investigate, but be sure to ask about varieties that fit your growing zone.

Erect Thornless: ‘Navaho,’ ‘Arapaho’
Erect Thorny: ‘Cherokee,’ ‘Brazos,’ ‘Shawnee,’ and ‘Cheyenne’
Semi-erect Thornless: ‘Black Satin’
Trailing: Olallie

Wit & Wisdom

Blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries are very high in ellagic acid, which is an antioxidant that acts as a scavenger, helping to make potential cancer-causing chemicals inactive. Ellagic acid reduces the genetic damage caused by carcinogens like tobacco smoke and air pollution. Blackberries also contain other antioxidants that can help lower cholesterol and ward off cardiovascular disease.

Recipes

Reader Comments

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It sounds like the berries

It sounds like the berries have the Spotted Wing Drosophila fruit fly larvae in them. This will cause the berries to be very bitter and will make them just drop to the ground. Get some of the berries and put them in a closed jar after a few days see if you can see some very small whitish insects flying around inside the jar. If you know someone that has a microscope you can the eggs and larvae under the skin of the drupelets. Or you can take some of the berries to the local county agents office to get them to test the berries for insects.

I am concerned about viruses

I am concerned about viruses in my wild blackberries. If my blackberries are producing normally and fervently can I assume they are free of virus?

Is there any way to treat the

Is there any way to treat the virus in wild blackberries?

There are many types of

There are many types of viruses. Unfortunately, in most cases, infected plants should be removed and destroyed to minimize the spread of viruses. The best prevention for the future is to spray fungicides in the winter before growth starts, avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer, thin plants to improve air circulation, control weeds, irrigate early in the day so that foliage can dry out in the afternoon, and avoid leaf wetness. Also, remove and destroy all old canes after the final harvest and remove any new canes that have lesions.

I had the same problem this

I had the same problem this year as in previous years, so I suspect that my plants are infected. I cut all the canes and tilled the soil and will be adding new topsoil. I will be attempting to start a new crop from seeds (from another source) in the spring, and plant the new canes in the same spot.

Can I treat the soil with a fungicide before I plant the new canes and, if so,what fungicide should I use?

Thanks in advance for your response and I really appreciate your website.

Jack if your plants have a

Jack if your plants have a virus then after you get rid of the plants completely, you nee to wait at least 3 years before planting more berry plants in that location.

I was hoping for an answer to

I was hoping for an answer to my last question, but since I didn't get one I'll try again.
I have wild blackberries growing near my house. The new canes look very green and healthy but the ones with berries on them are brown and almost look dead (they do have green leaves on them). In years past they have produced very small, hard and dry fruit. Does this sound like the virus that has been mentioned here? I have been using Miracle Gro fertilizer this spring to, hopefully, produce better results this year. Any Comments?

there are mot any effective

there are mot any effective chemical control for any virus in blackberries that I know about. The only thing you can do is dig up infected plant before it infects the rest of the plants. last year I had 3 plants with orange rust that I dug up. The plants the virus was on is resistant to that virus, BUT just because it is resistant doesn't mean it wont get the virus just less likely. i would recommend going to oklahoma state univ. website and dept of ag on that site then scroll down to Damon Smith pdf file of blackberry diseases to see some of the diseases as well as what they look like on the plants.

I have a tree that produces

I have a tree that produces enough berries in a typical year to make two pies. This year the fruit yield is at least 15 times what is typical. I live in NE Ohio. I was picking some berries then I noticed the most ripe ones are on the ground. What do I do with them to make sure they're safe to eat? There are bats living in the tree.

Yes, it's as safe as the

Yes, it's as safe as the fruit on the tree as long as your ground doesn't have dangerous chemicals on it. There are some people who only eat what falls naturally from a plant!

Does blackberries have

Does blackberries have thorns?

Blackberries may be thorny or

Blackberries may be thorny or thornless. (They're not technically "thorns" but they certainly are thorny and can make picking a challenge!) Some readers say that the thorny blackberries taste better while others just can't take the thorns and go for a thornless cultivar.

When I pick my berries I

When I pick my berries I sometimes have a small green stem attached. Do you pick this off or is is safe to eat?

It sounds like you are

It sounds like you are picking too early. Ripe blackberries will release easily from the stalk.

My Blackberry bush has load

My Blackberry bush has load of unripened blackberries. I noticed there were about 8 thck branches with no fruit gorwing in the middle of the plant from the ground up.. I cut those back to the ground. Ever since i cut those back the leaves and plant appears to be dying..did cutting back those brances cause the plant harm?
Thank you for your assitance
Peggy Spinelli

Peggy it sounds like you cut

Peggy it sounds like you cut the primocanes (first years growth) of the vines. It is the floricanes (second years growth) that produce the berries on most varieties. Do not cut any vines or canes back during the flowering or berry ripening stages. Always wait until you pick the last of your berries before any type of pruning, you have cut your production of berries next year by cutting those canes out.

I have a small bush that is

I have a small bush that is very healthy looking. It blooms every spring, but the fruit dries up after the petals fall. Is this a black raspberry or blackberry? I transplanted it two years ago to a sunnier spot and made sure it had plenty of water this spring, but it still doesn't produce. It had black raspberry looking fruits on it years ago. Is it just too old? It produces beautiful new shoots. HELP!

it sounds like you may have

it sounds like you may have the mummy berry virus google it to see the info on it.

I have a wild blackberry tree

I have a wild blackberry tree at my work. We just picked some today. When we soaked them in water we noticed very small insects that look like very small grass seed. What are they and what should we do. If we hadn't soaked them we would not have found them. Are they something to worry about?

It's hard to tell what insect

It's hard to tell what insect you spotted. Thrips and mites sometimes cause damage to the berries. Usually blackberries are attacked by bigger bugs, like stink bugs and Japanese beetles.

Blackberries are attacked by

Blackberries are attacked by several very small insects, thrips, aphids and fruit flies. There is a new fruit fly called the spotted wing drosophila that has hit the U.S.A. in last 6 years that will wipe out whole crops of blackberries and blueberries as well as other fruits. I have a friend that lost over 50k pounds of blueberries 2 years ago in south Ms. to this fruit fly and another aquantance in Oxford Ms. that lost their whole crop of berries. I have a researcher from USDA/ARS in Popularville Ms. that told me 75% of all of the berries he has bought in several chain stores have the eggs or larvae in the blackberries also in the blueberries.

I purchased 2 plants from a

I purchased 2 plants from a store at 2 different times. neither plant has sprouted/

When is the best month for

When is the best month for picking blackberries

When you pick blackberries

When you pick blackberries depends on your location in North America as well as the variety. In general, blackberries are picked during June in the South, and in July and early August in the North.

It depends on the varieties

It depends on the varieties of blackberries. I have 9 varieties and my berries start to get ripe on or around May 22nd and don't stop until end of Aug. and into Sept. each variety will get ripe for 4-6 weeks and each variety will start to get ripe at a different time. The longest growing season I have had was 2009, I picked my first blackberry on May 19th and the last on Thanksgiving Day. 6 months and 1 week of non stop picking.

How do I know if the

How do I know if the blackberry plants i purchased have a virus?

Unfortunately, blackberry

Unfortunately, blackberry plants may show no evidence of virus just by looking at them. You will know your plant has a virus if the berries do not produce well, they mature in a misshapen way, or the berries grow but are very small.

potatoes and berrires

why do you not plant potatoes and berries near
each other and how far apart should they be

According to our cooperative

According to our cooperative extension: Do not plant raspberries where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, or eggplant have been grown within the past four years, because these crops carry a root rot called Verticillium that can also attack raspberries. Destroy all wild raspberry and blackberry plants within a distance of 600 feet of your planting site if possible, to reduce the possibility that virus diseases might be spread to your planting.
Blackberry plants should be set 4 feet apart in rows 8 to 12 feet apart.

Sour Blackberries

I have a raised bed of blackberries, the production is great. Some of the berries are more sour than sweet. Is there anything I can do to reverse this situation?