When growing blackberries or hybrid berries you need something to train them along and if you don\u2019t have somewhere to train these fruits, they will quickly grow out of control and be harder to prune and less productive. You can most certainly grow them along fences and walls using horizontal wires or just fanned out for effect. Alternatively you can grow them on a post and wire system which is relatively easy to construct and is the best way to train blackberries or hybrid berries. You can do this by driving 2.5m (8ft) long and 7.5cm (3in) diameter posts into the ground to a depth of 75cm (30in) at 5m (15ft) intervals. Stretch 3.5mm plastic coated fencing wire between the posts at 30cm (1ft) vertical intervals. Alternatively use Gripple Wire which is a non-metallic UV stabilised nylon ‘wire’. The beauty of the Gripple Wire system<\/strong><\/a> is that the wires can be automatically tensioned with the Gripple tensioners rather than by use of standard straining bolts. You can now plant your blackberries or hybrid berries 2.5-3.5m (8-11ft) apart along the fence depending on the vigour of the plants.<\/p>\n The most important thing to recognise is that the majority of these plants have considerable vigour in them, some far more than others though, so they all need an annual pruning and a training system planned for them. Pruning is carried out after harvesting in summer or autumn. As the new canes start growing the following spring and summer they need to be tied into their supports. Fruit is produced on two-year-old canes (i.e. the previous season’s growth) so, to make things easy, keep this year\u2019s fruiting canes separate from young new canes as the season progresses. Try tying the new canes in a vertical bunch in the centre (you can keep them tidy by tying them out along the top wire in bunches). Train the fruiting canes along the lower three wires, tying them in with twine. In autumn, the fruited canes can easily be pruned out from the base after harvesting, and you should then take the bundled-up current year\u2019s canes and train them along the lower wires to make space for next year\u2019s new canes to be bundled in the centre. Alternatively, tie fruiting canes in one direction and the current year\u2019s canes in the other. Sometimes the fruiting canes are twisted around the wires in patterns to conserve space with very vigorous cultivars. Plants with strong, rigid canes that cannot easily be twisted around the wires can be trained as a fan, with the new growth bunched in the centre, as above.<\/p>\n As I noted earlier there are now some primocane varieties of blackberry around and these have the greatest of assets and that is their pruning technique. These blackberries are pruned just once a year in early spring when all growth is cut back to ground level.<\/p>\n In times of drought you will need to keep your plants watered and once a year in early Spring I suggest that you give all of your plants a good handful of Fruit Feed<\/a><\/strong> or blood, fish and bone.<\/p>\n There are now a huge number of varieties available and suitable for the garden or allotment and the following are my suggestions:<\/p>\n Black Butte<\/strong> is a relatively new variety which can produce berries up to 5cm (2in) The berries are rich and sweet and full of favour. Their main harvesting time is between early July and mid-August.<\/p>\n Buckingham Tayberry<\/strong> is a naturally thornless <\/i><\/b>tayberry and identical in all other aspects. The berries are long and red and far more aromatic in taste than a loganberry. Highly recommended!<\/p>\n Chester<\/strong> is a good late season thornless blackberry which produces exceptional yields of high quality fruit making this blackberry one of the most widely grown blackberry varieties in the country. Unfortunately it is a very vigorous variety best suited to more spacious areas.<\/p>\n Karaka Black<\/strong> which originates from New Zealand, is one of the sweetest tasting blackberries available as well as having an eye catching, elongated shape. These dark black fruits are very firm, have a good blackberry flavour and have an outstanding shelf life. Karaka Black is the earliest high quality variety available. Picking commences in early July and can extend until early September.<\/p>\n Loganberry LY654<\/strong> is a natural thornless mutation of the well-known loganberry. It is probably the best known raspberry x blackberry hybrid which still has its place in your soft fruit growing areas. The berries are large, succulent, juicy and rich and best eaten when dark red in colour. Picking commences in mid-July.<\/p>\n Loganberry LY654<\/p><\/div>\n Loch Maree<\/strong> produces an unusual, double pink blossom making it both decorative and productive in the garden. The fruit size is similar to Loch Ness but it crops earlier and the berries have a superior flavour, although the plant itself is more vigorous than Loch Ness. The thornless canes are semi-erect and fairly vigorous.<\/p>\n Loch Ness<\/strong> is probably the most widely commercially planted blackberry and has the added benefit of being thornless as well as being a fairly compact grower. This variety produces very high yields of top quality fruit which is large, very firm and glossy black. It\u2019s season starts in early August and will often last until early October.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Blackberry ‘Loch Ness’<\/p><\/div>\n Obsidian<\/strong> produces large berries which are even in shape and stay firm even after being kept in the fridge. The flavour of the berries is outstanding and the crop is always reliable and heavy. It will start fruiting in early August and picking can last for many weeks.<\/p>\n Reuben<\/strong> is the world’s first primocane blackberry (i.e. cropping on first year growth) and it produces very large, sweet berries. Because of its primocane habit there is the potential to get two crops every year – a summer crop on the old canes and a later crop on the current season’s growth as with primocane raspberries. This is not in the slightest vigorous and as it has a very upright habit Reuben can even be grown in a pot or container.<\/p>\n Gerry Edwards Gerry is an experienced amateur fruit grower who is Chairman of the RHS Fruit Group, a member of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Fruit, Vegetable and Herb Committee and also their Fruit Trials Panel. Gerry judges fruit nationally for the Royal Horticultural Society and is also a qualified National Vegetable Society judge.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are many people who just love foraging around the countryside in the late summer or autumn for wild blackberries and if the berries are picked in time they are so very yummy! But getting the right time is a … Continue reading Varieties<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.pomonafruits.co.uk\/wpblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Loganberry-LY654-0901273.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Blackberry](\"https:\/\/www.pomonafruits.co.uk\/wpblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Blackberry-Loch-Ness-0901461.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n22nd April 2015<\/p>\nBlogs & Guides<\/h2>\n
![\"Growing](\"https:\/\/www.pomonafruits.co.uk\/wpblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Blueberry-in-open-ground.jpg\")
<\/a> Growing Blueberries<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Growing](\"https:\/\/www.pomonafruits.co.uk\/wpblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Grape-Black-Hamburgh.jpg\")
<\/a>Growing Fruit Under Glass<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Damsons](\"https:\/\/www.pomonafruits.co.uk\/wpblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Damson-Merryweather-0800219C.jpg\")
<\/a>Damsons for the Finest Jams<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Growing](\"https:\/\/www.pomonafruits.co.uk\/wpblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Agriframes-Tabletop.jpg\")
<\/a>Growing Tabletop Strawberries<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Gooseberries:](\"https:\/\/www.pomonafruits.co.uk\/wpblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/American-Gooseberry-Mildew-1200023.jpg\")
<\/a>Gooseberries: A Forgotten Fruit<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Grow](\"https:\/\/www.pomonafruits.co.uk\/wpblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Nectarine-Sauzee-King.jpg\")
<\/a>Grow Your Own Peaches & Nectarines<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n