Planting and Growing Luscious Blackberries & Raspberries - Greenwood Nursery Guide
Enjoy the rewarding experience of harvesting your own blackberries and raspberries! This guide from Greenwood Nursery, your trusted online nursery, provides expert advice for planting and cultivating these delicious and productive berry plants.
All blackberry and raspberry plants from our online plants nursery are self-fertile and will produce fruit on their own. However, planting a second variety nearby will lead to heavier fruit production through cross-pollination. Expect your blackberry and raspberry plants to begin producing fruit in 2 to 3 years, with a typical yield of 2 to 4 quarts per plant.
Blackberry Plants:
Blackberry plants exhibit two growth habits: upright and trailing (requiring support). Upright varieties grow like typical shrubs, while trailing types often spread through their root systems. To manage the spread of trailing varieties, consider planting a one-foot deep barrier around the planting area using any suitable material to contain root expansion. Blackberry plants thrive in full sun and prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Soil testing before planting is recommended to determine if amendments are needed. Fertilization needs vary based on plant type and soil conditions, making soil testing crucial before application (apply in early spring only to balance soil). Avoid planting blackberries where eggplants, peppers, potatoes, or tomatoes have grown in the past 3 years.
Space blackberry plants at least 3 feet apart with rows spaced five to eight feet apart. Blackberries fruit on second-year shoots called floricanes. During the floricane's flowering and fruiting year, the plant produces new first-year shoots called primocanes. Prune out the floricanes (canes that flowered and fruited) at the end of each season. The following year, the previous season's primocanes become floricanes and produce fruit, continuing the cycle. To identify floricanes for pruning, tie a string or ribbon around them after they flower and fruit. If a cane or limb has not flowered, DO NOT cut it off.
Raspberry Plants:
Raspberry plants also prefer full sun and thrive in soil with a pH of 6.5. Soil testing is the best way to determine soil condition and necessary amendments. Based on soil test results, apply fertilizer in March. For fall-bearing raspberries like Heritage, apply a second round in May. Avoid planting raspberries where eggplants, peppers, potatoes, or tomatoes have grown in the past 3 years.
Space raspberry plants about 2-3 feet apart with rows spaced 3 to 5 feet apart. Most red raspberries have an erect growth habit and can be maintained as shrubs with light pruning. For taller growth, install a simple trellis for support. Canes that have flowered and fruited should be removed at ground level after fruiting or during fall/winter cleanup, along with any damaged, dead, or weak canes. Smaller vegetative canes produced during the growing season should be thinned, as they will produce fruit the following year. If a cane or limb has not flowered or fruited, DO NOT cut it off. Fall-bearing raspberries like Heritage can be mowed down to 2-3 inches after fall fruiting if only a fall crop is desired. For both spring and fall crops, prune as regular raspberries.
With regular maintenance, your raspberry and blackberry plants from Greenwood Nursery will provide enjoyment for about 8 to 12 years.
Explore our selection of high-quality blackberry plants and raspberry plants at our online nursery and start your fruitful journey today!
