The true devotee of blackberries (which includes boysenberries, dewberries, and loganberries) will brave snakes, thorns, bees, and whatever else may inhabit the bramble patch for a single bowl full of ripe berries swimming in cream. Usually found wild and sprawling over hill and dale, blackberries can also be brought under control and cultivated in neat, well-disciplined rows.
Varieties
There are two types of blackberries--the trailing type (sometimes called dewberry) and the erect type. The upright growing varieties form stiff canes, requiring little support. Trailing types, on the other hand, will become a tangled nuisance and berries will be difficult to reach if canes are not trained on a trellis or other form of support.
When and how fruits form also differ somewhat. Trailing forms produce smaller fruit clusters that generally ripen up to two weeks earlier than erect types. The best known erect varieties are Bailey and Darrow. Trailing varieties include Boysen (boysenberry), Logan (loganberry), and Cascade.
Planting
When choosing a site for the blackberry patch, look for a well-drained soil that retains plenty of moisture. Sometimes weeds can be better controlled if the soil is prepared the year before and used for an annual vegetable crop. Remember, young plants brought home from the garden center and left lying around can dry out. Roots will shrivel and die. If a delay is unavoidable, heel in plants by setting in a temporary earth trench and covering roots with loose soil.
At planting time, it helps to soak the roots in water an hour or two if roots appear dry. Then set out the plants in rows spaced eight feet apart. Plants should be three to five feet apart in the row. Trailing varieties need at least ten feet between rows. Next, make holes deep enough to accommodate roots, and set in plants to a depth equal to the depth they were planted at the nursery. Cut back canes to about six inches after firming soil around the roots.
Care and feeding
After several years of solid growth, blackberries can hold their own. But the new planting must be carefully tended to prevent weeds from choking young plants. Some gardeners, eager to use every square inch of soil, plant vegetables such as cabbage, beans, cauliflower, and potatoes between blackberry rows the first year. This intercropping means bonus vegetables for the dinner table and a cleaner berry patch because of the extra cultivation.
It will be just a matter of months before some method of cane support will have to be constructed for young plants. Trailing varieties, if left to sprawl, become a thicket. The erect types are self-supporting, so long as the proper pruning techniques are followed. Most growers like to support all bramble fruits to keep them healthier and to make picking easier. All that is needed is a simple trellis consisting of wire and poles. For trailing types, nail a crosspiece about 18 to 24 inches wide on posts placed at either end of the row and about 24 inches off the ground. Then simply train canes to grow up in between wires. Erect types can be tied with soft twine to a single wire stretched between the posts.
Whatever method you use, fruiting and good growth depend on a regular pruning schedule. Keep in mind how blackberries grow. The crowns are perennial, but the canes that emerge each year are biennial. The first year they mature and send out lateral branches with fruit buds. In the second season, these buds finally develop into ripe fruit. Once fruiting has occurred, these canes, having no further function, die. Pruning has two other main purposes:
ÑTo improve fruiting. In spring, cut back lateral branches to a length of about 12 inches.
ÑTo encourage fuller growth, improve ventilation, and contain growth. As root suckers appear during the growing season, pull them out of the ground to prevent ordered rows from dwindling into a thicket. When erect types exceed a height of 30 to 36 inches, cut back tips so the plant will form stronger canes. Then, at the conclusion of the season, cut out all spent canes at soil level and destroy them. If new emerging canes are especially numerous, thin to four or five healthy canes per plant. For trailing varieties, leave 12 to 16 canes per plant.
To keep the blackberry planting vigorous, supplemental applications of a complete 5-10-10 fertilizer will keep yields high and plants strong. Apply side-dressings along the row at blossoming time and a lighter application shortly after fruiting.
Insects and diseases
As a rule, insects and diseases seldom present a serious problem to the blackberry grower. Occasionally, aphids will be found sucking on leaf juices. Most berry ills can be kept under control by planting only disease-resistant varieties, removing and destroying weak and diseased canes immediately, and keeping the surrounding area free of weeds where diseases and insects can gain a foothold.
Harvesting
As soon as berries begin to turn color, keep an eye on the patch so you can harvest fruit at peak ripeness. Berries should be sweet but still firm. Once ripening occurs, berries should be picked each day and preferably during the morning hours. Take care not to crush or otherwise damage fruit, and it's ready to wash and eat.
