Blackberries

Blackberries are much more delicious picked and eaten right off the bush than from the grocery and they can easily be grown anywhere in the greater Houston area. From testing in several Houston locations over the past three years, we have found that Kiowa blackberry is more productive, produces over a longer period of time, is sweeter, and more hardy than any of the other varieties. Purchase at least five plants to help support each other, but 10 plants are better.

 

Care of Blackberry Plants

 

Blackberries ripe for the picking.

Planting: Plant the bare-root blackberries as soon as you get them home or heal them into some mulch and keep moist until you plant. Plant in existing soil with no amenities. You can plant them every three to four feet. The canes of each plant need to be gathered and tied to a central pole/stake. Blackberry canes should be pruned at 4' to promote growth and fruit production. They need a minimum of half-day sun, and they do not like to stand in water. Mulch heavily to prevent weeds for they do not like competition. Blackberries should easily withstand freezes. Water during the dry months of late spring and summer to keep the plant healthy. No pollinators are needed. It is a good idea to stake the berries and tie the berry canes to the stake. This helps control the berries and makes them manageable, especially the thorny ones.

 

Pruning: No pruning when planted. When the canes get to be greater than 4', they should be snipped to encourage bushy growth and thus more berries. In the summer, after production, the dead canes need to be pruned off. They will turn brown, so you know which ones are dead.

 

Care: They need either full sun or partial sun to produce. They need to be mulched well prior to summer and watered regularly during the summer in order to get production in the spring. They need no protection from winter freezes - they do okay with freezes. They have virtually not pests or diseases, so they are easy to care for. No spraying needed.

 

Harvesting: When the berries pull off the branches without any effort, they are ready and at their maximum sweetness. If they take some effort to pull off, they are not yet ready.

 

Fertilizing: Fertilize with a balanced organic fertilizer in the spring of the second year.

 

Varieties of Blackberries for the Houston Area Climate

 

Kiowa Blackberry Produces the largest (3" long and 12 grams) of the Arkansas varieties. Produces large quantities of outstanding flavorful berries for about six weeks. This thorned variety grows 5-6' tall with a 4-8' spread and blooms earlier and longer than other blackberries. This variety is so superior to other blackberries for our area that we will carry only this variety at our annual January fruit tree sale.