Blackberry

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by fumanchu, Nov 26, 2020.

  1. fumanchu

    fumanchu Gardener

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    Can you grow a blackberry bush up wires against a fence?
     
  2. ricky101

    ricky101 Total Gardener

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    Hi,

    Yes, they will grow up against most things, you can train your shoots as you like.

    We let the long new years shoots grow out during the summer, then carefully bend them to form a more compact circle up against the garage wall.
    Still got plenty of fruits in the freezer from this years crop ! :)
     
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    • fumanchu

      fumanchu Gardener

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      I'm not sure this is a blackberry. Is blackberry a bramble? My neighbour says its a blackberry bush - but it doesnt look like brambles. It might actually be a blackcurrant and she has the name wrong. O gawd. Can you train blackcurrants up a wire too? I've never grown anything apart from strawbs before.
       
    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      A photo would help.
       
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      • fumanchu

        fumanchu Gardener

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        It's in the middle there beside the fuchsia.. There are two apple trees trained up that big fence, I had thought to put it over there near them?
         

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      • shiney

        shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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        To actually try and identify it we would need a close-up of the stem/branch and leaves if any are left.

        Bramble and blackberry are the same thing. Bramble is the name given for a wild blackberry. :noidea:
         
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        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

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          It's very difficult to tell from that distance. The growth habit looks more like a currant bush, which grows from a single point. Brambles/blackberries grow as individual canes that shoot up separately from the ground.
           
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          • fumanchu

            fumanchu Gardener

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            Thanks JWK.It's not a great pic but I think that's the answer. One more problem solved, now onto the next one which I'm sure I'll hit soon :biggrin:
             
          • ricky101

            ricky101 Total Gardener

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            Agree its a current bush may be blackcurrent, but they also come in red and white berries.
            (though a slim chance its one of the modern patio blackberry bushes)

            You can see in these pics the difference between a black current and black berry.

            Nice looking plot in front of the window, what are you planning for there ..?

            000220.jpg
            000221.jpg
             
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            • fumanchu

              fumanchu Gardener

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              Great thanks Ricky, pics make everything easier. What you call blackberries I call brambles and I dont want them in the garden, I can pick them from the wild. Not a clue what to do with the garden yet really - but the old man who lived here was a gardener, he worked his whole life at a huge house locally, doing all kinds of garden maintenance, so the soil should be good and the garden all ready to be refreshed. My own one that I left had taken me 30 years!
               
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              • Scrungee

                Scrungee Well known for it

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                I can (and do) easily pick 300lbs of Blackberries from the wild, so would never bother growing them myself, same with crab apples, damsons, cherry plums, etc.

                This year I even gave up on growing blackcurrants, doing away with pruning, feeding, losing plants to big bud, losing loads of fruit to birds, especially pigeons who would eat them before ripe/netted, and 'topping and tailing' was a real chore. So I got a load of frozen, prepared blackcurrants delivered.
                 
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                  Last edited: Nov 28, 2020
                • fumanchu

                  fumanchu Gardener

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                  I might go this way meself, will give it a try for one summer and see what it entails Scrungee. I haven't got energy or strength to waste, so if it's too much work then I won't do it.
                   
                • shiney

                  shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                  I suppose it depends on how much you want and how much work is needed to get what you want. Our blackberries take very little work to maintain, don't feed them at all but put compost down each Autumn. I cut the whole lot down to less than knee high each Autumn, carry the cuttings 40-50ft to the bonfire and barrow the compost from just past the bonfire.

                  They need watering as it is always so dry here but that gets done by the sprinkler when I have it watering the veg plot (berries are conveniently near the edge of the veg plot). Depending on how the season goes we get 50-100lb of berries each year. They were planted in 1953 :old:

                  We are saved the bother of having to go out and find them in the wild (hoping that someone hasn't got there before us) and just have to stroll to the bottom of the garden. :blue thumb:

                  The only drawback is that they are quite vicious plants whereas the newer varieties have had a lot of the thorns bred out of them.
                   
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                  • fumanchu

                    fumanchu Gardener

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                    I'm very grateful for all input and advice, I can think over winter what to do. :biggrin::dbgrtmb:
                     
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