Question 1

How far apart should the plants be?

Accepted Answer

We recommend 8 feet in the row and 6 feet between rows or 3 feet wider than the equipment.

Question 2

When is the best time to plant the blackberries?

Accepted Answer

We recommend any time from the last freeze in the spring to about two weeks before the first freeze in the fall.

Question 3

What is the best type of structure to support the plants?

Accepted Answer

On a mature plant, you will get five canes that will grow up to 40 feet long each. The support is needed so you can keep the fruit at a height that makes picking easy. Generally, a grape-type trellis is best with 12 gage wire at three, four, five, and six feet. Tie the primary canes along the bottom wire using binder twine or the new berry clips sold. The plastic clips can easily be reused and last several seasons. With the primary along the bottom, the laterals should grow up towards the sun. Arrange them so they get as much sun as possible, tying them the same as the primaries. When the laterals get to the top, cut about two inches off the tip. New canes growing for next year's crop should be attached the same way but on the opposite side of the wires so it will be easy to remove the dead canes after they have fruited. If you want a DIY project, check out this article on making a Balcony Garden!

Question 4

How large are the berries?

Accepted Answer

Generally the fruit will be one to one and a half inch long. Letting the fruit fully ripen will greatly add to the length.

Question 5

How sweet is the berry?

Accepted Answer

If allowed to fully ripen, it is very sweet. According to a winery, the sugar was 11% compared to about 6% for wild blackberries. If it is “picked' instead of letting it fall into your hand, it will not be sweet and will pucker your mouth like a lemon.

Question 6

How does the taste compare to other blackberries?

Accepted Answer

This depends on your taste preferences but generally, since it is sweet, the taste is pleasing to most people.

Question 7

Do I need to protect the plant from our extreme winters?

Accepted Answer

Our winters in Indiana get down to as low as 10 below Fahrenheit and as high as 105 in summers… its pretty extreme. We have not done anything to protect the plants and they have survived for over 35 years. In colder areas with temperatures below minus 20, it is necessary to provide some protection. Snow is the first choice, then a high tunnel or 6 mil white or clear plastic temporary greenhouse is all that is needed and it will extend the growing season also.

Question 8

How and when do I prune the plants?

Accepted Answer

We have never pruned the plants but rather we let the canes grow to full length. Tipping the primaries at any length will cause the laterals to grow longer but total plant and fruit production should be the same. After the plant has fruited, the two-year-old canes will die and need to be removed back to the ground to get rid of clutter and let more sunshine get to the new canes. This can be done two months or more after fruiting ends but generally, there are fewer errors in cutting in the spring. The plant recovers nitrogen from the dying canes and stores it to use in the spring to get the plant started growing again.

Question 9

When is the best time to plant the blackberries?

Accepted Answer

We recommend any time from the last freeze in the spring to about two weeks before the first freeze in the fall.

Question 10

How long does the plant live?

Accepted Answer

We actually don't know! We have plants over 30 years old still producing. Generally at about 15 years old the production declines but we don't know if this was from age or shortage of fertilizer as they had never been fertilized after the year of planting. Two customers have reported their plants are over 40 years old.

Doyle's Blackberry Inc.