Frost Fruits

The Berry Growing Process

You may be asking if blackberries grow well in Utah. The answer is that it depends. Part of the problem is that there are a variety of types, including the erect and nearly erect types from the eastern United States, the East, the SouthEast, the Pacific Coast, and the semitrailing evergreen types.

All of these different parents have crossed and recrossed to produce the many cultivars we have today.

The Blackberry

Their common trait is the large, sweet, dark-colored berries. But don't confuse blackberries with black raspberries. Raspberries will separate from the flower part that holds the berry, but blackberries don't.

The Canes:

We love the fruit, but there are many canes that can be rough. Blackberries are known for their nasty thorns, which is why many do not like to grow the crop. However, there are thornless cultivars-like ours, which makes the picking process that much better!

All blackberry shoots grow from the roots and basal buds. Like raspberries, the roots of blackberries are perennial while the canes are biennial. The canes grow vegetatively the first year and bear fruit the next year and then die. Ever year the plant sends up new canes to replace dead canes.  Remove the canes that bear fruit each year and let the new canes take their place. In some, canes do not die once they have borne fruit. Instead, they send out new growth from the terminal buds on the old canes and continue to grow. If this happens, they become overwhelming. Cut the canes back to lateral branches, or remove them all together if canes continue to grow instead of dying.

Give Them Space:

Blackberries need room. Set plants 3 feet apart in rows at least 8 feet apart. Erect varieties need no trellising, while trailing varieties need trellising for best yields. As the primocanes grow the first year, thin them to 10 inches apart in the row during the dormant season.

During the summer, head the canes back to 4 feet and let the laterals grow. After they are growing well, cut the laterals to 1.5 feet. This forces secondary laterals that increase the berry production.

Keep an eye on them.  As we have treated our berry bushes well over the years, they have done the same with their gorgeous fruit!