Fruit · Cane fruit
Blackberries
Rubus fruticosusBlackberries are among the most generous fruit for the effort involved, producing heavy crops from vigorous, arching canes. Thornless varieties make picking far more pleasant without giving up flavor. The one rule: give the canes sturdy support, since they can sprawl for metres.
Sow depth
Roots spread, crown at soil level
Spacing
6.5–10 ft apart
Sun
Full sun
Germination
30–45 days to establish
Time to harvest
150–425 days
Difficulty
Easy
When to sow blackberries
- Sow from around the first expected autumn frost until about 6 weeks after the first expected autumn frost.
Plant bare-root canes — set roots just below the soil surface.Space plants generously; established canes spread wide and arch far.Water in thoroughly and mulch to retain moisture while roots establish.
Train onto wires — tie new canes in to keep fruiting wood off the ground.Prune out canes that have already fruited right after harvest ends.Feed and mulch annually; blackberries are hungry, heavy-cropping plants.
Pick when fully black — berries pull free easily, without resistance, when ripe.Harvest every few days through the fruiting flush to catch berries at peak.Handle gently; ripe fruit bruises and softens quickly once picked.
Companion plants
Keeping blackberries away from tomatoes and potatoes avoids shared verticillium wilt risk.
Watch out for
Cane spot and rust — Fungal spotting builds in damp, crowded canopies. Thin old canes yearly and improve airflow through the row.