Iam just starting to think about starting some blackberries. I need to know the basics such as what kind of soil, how much sun, etc. I looked it up in Carla Emery's book, but she isn't very specific. Do you have to start them at any certain time of year? How many plants to produce enough for a family of 6 for a year? Thanks!

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), July 06, 2000

Answers

Gene Logsdon has a good book "Successful Berry Growing" Has a whole chapter on Blackberrys. The book is a little old but all the info still works. The library should be able to find a copy to read. Also, Look at the Mother Earth News 11-99 for an article on a thornless type that put out 20 gallons of berrys per plant. It was a little pricey, but with berrys one plant becomes many with no effort at all. With a little work you could have a bunch in no time.

I just went and looked in the want ads of a Moms earth news. Check out www.fruitsand berries.com That's the place for those particular plants. We have a small patch of thornless berrys a neighbor gave us starts of 2 years ago. They are just about ready to pick. I like to go out along the railroad tracks here and pick wild ones. We like to take a day and get a bunch. Good luck, John

-- John in S. IN (jsmengel@freewwweb.com), July 07, 2000.

I know for all the years I've picked them the bigger ones always seem to be the ones that have partial shade. That way they don't ripen too fast and have more time to grow. The years there wasn't much rain, the berries did poorly. If you can maybe consider a type of mulch, one that would allow enough drainage but yet still keep the moisture in when needed. Depending on where you live as to when you would plant them. They have to have enough time to spread their roots before the winter sets in. I know I goofed last year- wasn't thinking. Transplanted some small pines in the fall and they didn't have enough time and they froze out over the winter. Dumb of me!!

-- Pat (pmikul@pcpros.net), July 07, 2000.