How Do You Grow Blackberries And Raspberries?
Blackberries and raspberries are perennial plants that bear fruit on biennial canes. The roots live on indefinitely, but each year they send up canes that generally produce fruit the second season, then die. With a little TLC, the right variety will give you luscious berries for years, in any climate. Choose a site that gets full sun, preferably a gently sloping hillside where the cold air drains away. Bramble fruits will tolerate some shade, but the more sun they have the more fruit they’ll produce, especially in cooler climates. Till the planting area well (remember, this is a permanent bed) and dig in plenty of compost or well-cured manure to provide the right soil conditions: well-drained but moisture-retentive. The soil should be slightly acid; 6.0 is ideal, but plants will do fine in any pH from 5.5 to 7.0. Buy plants from a reputable nursery or mail-order catalog, and make sure they’re certified to be free of diseases and root nematodes, both of which can give your garden proble
