Blackberries

[feldon30]

I'm so glad that there are thornless blackberries with known good flavor now.

I've got 2 Ouachita growing which are thornless erect.

I almost ordered Triple Crown as I've heard first-hand reports of a gallon+ per plant harvests, but then I saw they are trailing and would need a bit more pruning and management.

[drew51]

Triple Crown is a monster, yes semi-erect, and it grows 15 foot canes. For me it's a problem because it's more erect than not. I have found the thornless erects to not be hardy enough for Zone 6 in my area. It's erect enough you can't lay it on the ground to protect. Extremely hard to protect upright canes. I want trailing thorny cultivars. As the thorny ones have the best taste. Although Triple Crown is fantastic. I lost my crop this year, but got a taste last year. It is alive and producing primocanes. Navaho not only lost it's canes, it died. Wyeberry, tayberry and boysenberry are trailing and survived, as I could cover them easily. Chester lost all it's canes. Natchez lost all but one cane.
I will try and lay these down or at least tie them, put a fence around them and fill with leaves. I will have to limit cane length to do this. If they die next year I'm pulling all erects out. Way too much trouble to deal with erects for my area. Hopefully in the future more hardy cultivars will be developed.
Having said this I will keep Triple Crown and find a way to make it live. Berries are just so good, I want this one no matter what. As you mentioned it produces ton's of fruit, what an excellent cultivar.

[Tormato]

If you cut the new cane at about 3' to 4' (removing only about 4-6 inches if I remember correctly), it will send out side branches and take on the form of a bush. Late in the season the branches can be cut back some, also.
This works with the wild ones around here.

Gary

[Tracydr]

I'm really looking forward to moving to MC. I want to grow so many types of fruits. Rasberry,blueberry, blackberries and strawberries are on my short list, along with stone fruits, apples and persimmons.
Do blackberries and raspberries get planted in fall/winter?.

[drew51]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I'm really looking forward to moving to MC. I want to grow so many types of fruits. Rasberry,blueberry, blackberries and strawberries are on my short list, along with stone fruits, apples and persimmons.
Do blackberries and raspberries get planted in fall/winter?.

You can in spring or fall, yes.

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I'm really looking forward to moving to MC. I want to grow so many types of fruits. Rasberry,blueberry, blackberries and strawberries are on my short list, along with stone fruits, apples and persimmons.
Do blackberries and raspberries get planted in fall/winter?.

Depends whether they are in a dormant stage, and also greatly on your local climate.

BTW, a colleague of mine in Phoenix (actually Glendale AZ) gets 3 massive harvests a year from Black Satin Blackberry, plus an abundance of Red Flame grapes and many other fruit cultivars that are well suited for the local climate.

[feldon30]

I've had good results with Indiana Berry mail order. Years ago I ordered 25 strawberry plants and they did great. This year I bought Jewel black raspberries and they are doing well.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I'm really looking forward to moving to MC. I want to grow so many types of fruits. Rasberry,blueberry, blackberries and strawberries are on my short list, along with stone fruits, apples and persimmons.
Do blackberries and raspberries get planted in fall/winter?.

Tracy,

When you do move, first plan out where the fruit trees will go. And, plant them the first spring. Otherwise, you'll waiting one extra year longer for the first fruits.

Gary

[b54red]

I would love to grow some blackberries. I don't really care whether they are thornless or not but would like some that don't have the hard seeds in them that are prevalent in the wild berries around here. I would really like a variety that is as tasty and zingy as the wild ones but with bigger seedless fruits. I don't think our winters will be a problem because wild ones are everywhere down here.

I would also like to plant some blue berries but have had terrible results in the past with them. I now have an unused tomato bed because grafting has helped me so much that I don't need it anymore and I would love to convert it to fruiting bushes. I also would like a variety of blue berry that has some zing in the flavor. Many of the commercially bought ones are just too bland and sweet.

Bill

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by b54red

I would love to grow some blackberries. I don't really care whether they are thornless or not but would like some that don't have the hard seeds in them that are prevalent in the wild berries around here. ...

That is common among underwatered berries. Regular watering and feeding will eliminate that in most blackberries. For your location, I recommend Arapaho.

[rags57078]

Originally Posted by b54red

I would love to grow some blackberries. I don't really care whether they are thornless or not but would like some that don't have the hard seeds in them that are prevalent in the wild berries around here. I would really like a variety that is as tasty and zingy as the wild ones but with bigger seedless fruits. I don't think our winters will be a problem because wild ones are everywhere down here.

I would also like to plant some blue berries but have had terrible results in the past with them. I now have an unused tomato bed because grafting has helped me so much that I don't need it anymore and I would love to convert it to fruiting bushes. I also would like a variety of blue berry that has some zing in the flavor. Many of the commercially bought ones are just too bland and sweet.

Bill

Look into growing blueberries in containers its a lot easier to control the PH

[b54red]

Originally Posted by rags57078

Look into growing blueberries in containers its a lot easier to control the PH

How large a container do you need for a blueberry bush?

Bill

[rags57078]

you can start out using a 12 inch and as it grows up-pot it or you can use a large pot 20 inch and be done . Myself I just use the large pot

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by rags57078

Look into growing blueberries in containers its a lot easier to control the PH

The Southern Highbush cultivars of blueberries (most likely available in Alabama) only require a pH around 5.8 to 6 -- much like roses. The northern blueberries (e.g., in the Dakotas) have a far more severe requirement near pH 5.

[Hermitian]

My Arapaho blackberries are on their 3rd crop in the indian summer we're having out here.