Jul 22 2010
Cultivating Blackberries In The Yard
If you plan to grow a vegetable garden it is a nice idea to think about adding some fruit to your plans. You will discover there is nothing simpler to plant than a few blackberry shrubs.
The next time you’re out hiking be on the lookout for them. They’re simple to identify once you understand what you are looking for. Their most identifiable feature is the thorns that extend from their branches. It is useful to remember where you have seen the blackberry bushes in order that you can gather the wonderful fruits which they produce. The berries usually mature on the plants in late summer. They blossom with perfumed white flowers in the spring. Blackberry bushes are located all over America and many other countries with a suitable environment. They produce the very best berries when located in full sun, although it is possible to come across them located in shaded places also.
Blackberry bushes can typically be found near raspberry bushes in the wild. Although wild blackberry bushes produce smaller berries than the blackberry bushes you plant from a nursery, the wild berries are usually sweeter. It is important to watch out for poison ivy which often grows within the same areas as blackberry bushes. Poison Ivy rash is the price that many berry pickers pay when trying to harvest the berries.
The situation of natural blackberry bushes were marked and remembered by the Native Americans in order that they might harvest them every year. They used the berries as food, but they also used them to dye animal skins to create a richer, darker color.
The early settlers used blackberries to treat a number of illnesses. They were especially useful for respiratory ailments along with coughing. The fruit is also used to produce a rich colored, sweet wine by lots of people that like to produce handmade wines. The general favorite use for these sweet, delicious berries, though, is blackberry jam. They also produce a delicious pie, if you do not mind the seeds.
If you’re considering growing blackberries in your yard it is best to grow them along the parameter where there is not lots of people traffic. This is to prevent getting scratched by the sharp, long thorns. The bushes need to be cut back after they have finished fruiting. They should be cut back to around 18 inches above the ground. This is done to stop them from growing the tall runners that tend to have more thorns than berries on them.
If you are going to grow a number of bushes be sure to allow enough space so that you do not get as scratched when collecting the berries. However near the bushes are to each other collecting blackberries is a job that necessitates wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Blackberry bushes also live for a long time so you might want to think about this when deciding on an area to place them.
