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Blackberries

Rubus

Category: Fruit

Blackberries, like raspberries, are very easy to grow. Blackberries come in several varieties, namely erect and trailing. Erect blackberries are bushes that support themselves, while trailing blackberries must be trellised for support. All blackberries grow perennially and will come back year after year.

How to Grow Blackberries

Quick Info

Spacing
2 ft spacing
Sun
Full Sun
Water
1 in/week
Season
Perennial
Frost
Tolerant
Height
3-6 ft
Germination
Sprout to Harvest
2 years
Soil pH
Acidic - Slightly Acidic

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Varieties

Baby Cakes
Baby Cakes Dwarf, thornless blackberry perfect for patio pots with compact plant habit.
Chester
Chester Perfect fruits are very rich and jet black.
Columbia Giant
Columbia Giant Abundance of incredibly large blackberries bursting with sweet juicy flavor!
Columbia Sunrise
Columbia Sunrise Produces prodigious yield of deliciously sweet, medium-sized conical berries.
Darrow
Darrow Berries are fantastic, large with great true blackberry flavor.
Hall's Beauty
Hall's Beauty Combines ornamental beauty with outstanding yields of sweetly delicious berries.
Natchez
Natchez High yields of large, great tasting berries.
Osage
Osage Exceptional flavor and sweetness. Perfect for home gardens.
View all 13 varieties →

Companion Plants

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Combative Plants

For the "why" behind this companion planting info, open in the Planter phone, tablet, or web app .

Nutrition

Vitamins

Nutrients

Pests

Diseases

Beneficial Critters

Growing from Seed

Growing blackberries from seed is not recommended for the home gardener. Purchase transplants from a local nursery.

Planting Considerations

Pruning is important for blackberries. For erect blackberries, prune the top few inches of new canes when they reach four feet tall. In the winter, remove the old canes. For trailing blackberries, remove the fruiting canes all the way to the ground once they have died back considerably.

Feeding

Fertilize at planting and every spring once new growth appears.

Harvesting

Harvest blackberries when they look ripe!

Storage

Store blackberries in a low humidity crisper drawer in your refrigerator. Do not wash them until you are ready to eat them. Blackberries can also be frozen or made into jams and jellies.

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