mediaOrganic » Blackberries http://www.media-organic.com a journal of suburban sustainability Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:10:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 blackberries starting to ripen http://www.media-organic.com/blackberries-starting-to-ripen http://www.media-organic.com/blackberries-starting-to-ripen#comments Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:57:56 +0000 john http://www.media-organic.com/?p=1070 This one was absolutely perfect! Unfortunately, the drought has taken it’s toll on the blackberries. I did finally extend my irrigation system to the blackberry bed but only after I noticed their suffering. By that time half of my berries had dried up and half of the surviving berries were misshapen…so I will relish [...]]]> img_4743This one was absolutely perfect! Unfortunately, the drought has taken it’s toll on the blackberries. I did finally extend my irrigation system to the blackberry bed but only after I noticed their suffering. By that time half of my berries had dried up and half of the surviving berries were misshapen…so I will relish those few perfect berries I am blessed with this year.

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]]> http://www.media-organic.com/blackberries-starting-to-ripen/feed 0 a tale of two blackberries http://www.media-organic.com/a-tale-of-two-blackberries http://www.media-organic.com/a-tale-of-two-blackberries#comments Sat, 05 Jun 2010 20:27:13 +0000 john http://www.media-organic.com/?p=948 My thornless upright Apache blackberries left, and wild blackberries growing on the slope behind my garage right. Look for a compare and contrast post in a few [...]]]> apache blackberrieswild blackberriesMy thornless upright Apache blackberries left, and wild blackberries growing on the slope behind my garage right. Look for a compare and contrast post in a few months.

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]]> http://www.media-organic.com/a-tale-of-two-blackberries/feed 2 blackberries planted http://www.media-organic.com/blackberries-planted http://www.media-organic.com/blackberries-planted#comments Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:18:42 +0000 john http://media-organic.com/?p=146 This is an experiment for me. Last year was my first stab at growing berries. I purchased 10 small canes at Lowes (5 red raspberry, 5 black raspberry). All appeared alive and healthy and I found a spare patch of ground in a out-of-the-way spot to plant them. Unfortunately, over the [...]]]> blackberries This is an experiment for me. Last year was my first stab at growing berries. I purchased 10 small canes at Lowes (5 red raspberry, 5 black raspberry). All appeared alive and healthy and I found a spare patch of ground in a out-of-the-way spot to plant them. Unfortunately, over the season 6 of the 10 didn’t make. The four surviving specimens are beginning to leaf out now but they are small.

This year, I once again have the berry bug and I vowed to take a better stab at this. So I first found a better location with more direct sun. Next I selected more mature plants in 10″ pots. I chose thornless blackberries (var Apache). I dug a trench along the length of the trellis and amended the sandy soil with composted leaves and chicken manure. Finally, I built a trellis structure to support the canes that can get to 8 ft. If the berries don’t work out, I can use the trellis for peas or beans.

trellis with 4 blackberry plants About “Apache”: Largest of the Arkansas thornless, Apache was the highest yielding of the thornless options in research trials conducted at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. Introduced by Dr. John Clark and Dr. James Morris—after 11 years of trait selection, according to Baker—Apache’s flavor is very good, rated between that of Arapaho and Navaho; soluble solids (percent sugar) averages 10.7 percent. This variety is erect and stands up better than most all varieties. No disease problems have been found, and no signs of orange rust have been spotted in any of the plantings. It has excellent quality, and a glossy black conical-shaped fruit.

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