🍇
Blackberry
Rubus fruticosus
Rambunctious canes with unbeatable late-summer yields.
Sun
Full sun
Water
Weekly
Soil
Well-drained, pH 5.5–7.0
Spacing
1.5 m apart
Days to harvest
1st harvest year 2
Hardiness
Zones 4–10
Seasonal Calendar
S
S
H
H
H
S
S
JFMAMJJASOND
Sow Harvest
The method
- 1
Choose thornless if possible
Modern thornless varieties are just as productive and much easier to manage.
- 2
Train on wires
Tie this year's fruiting canes one way, next year's canes the other.
- 3
Prune after fruiting
Cut old fruited canes to the ground in autumn.
Common problems
Overgrowth
Cut aggressively; a blackberry left alone becomes a hedge in one year.
Redberry mite
Prune old canes low; encourage predators.
Good neighbors
GrapeBeanMint
Field tips
- “A single plant can yield 10 kg — one is plenty for most families.”
- “Freeze berries in a single layer, then bag — they don't clump.”