Blackberry

Blackberries are a powerhouse of nutrition. According to the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission, blackberries are astonishingly high in antioxidants as well as anthocyanins. They are easily grown but can easily take over an area if they are not taken care of, as they are fast-growing!

Prune your blackberry bush canes at least once every summer after they have finished fruiting. These brambles will grow leafy canes every spring that don’t produce fruit until the following year, so don’t cut them off. Instead, look for the canes that have finished fruiting, and cut them back to the ground. You should be able to recognize them by their brown bark compared to the green bark of the new canes.

Select a site that is in full sun for optimum fruiting. The plants are tolerant of partial shade but prefer full sun. Blackberries require well-drained, organically rich, loam soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 This is important because they are extremely sensitive to wet soil. They do not tolerate clay or sandy soil, except for the thorn less evergreen cultivar, which tolerates heavy, poorly drained soils, according to the Oregon State University Extension.

After you see ripened blackberries, you want to pick them every three to six days. This prevents the birds from getting the growing blackberries before you do!