Oneka Floral & Design

If you plan to grow a vegetable garden it is a nice idea to think about adding some fruit to your planning. You will discover there is nothing simplier and easier to cultivate than a few blackberry shrubs.

The next time you are out walking look out for them. They’re easy to identify once you know what you are looking for. Their most individual feature is the thorns that extend from their branches. It is useful to remember where you have seen the blackberry bushes so that you’re able to gather the tasty fruits that they produce. The berries usually mature on the plants in the late summer. They flower with fragrant white flowers every spring. Blackberry bushes are located throughout America and most other countries with an appropriate climate. They produce the very best berries when found in the full sun, however you can come across them in shady locations as well.

Blackberry bushes can usually be found near raspberry bushes in the wild. Although wild blackberry bushes produce smaller berries than the blackberry bushes you plant from the nursery, the wild berries tend to be more flavorful. It is important to watch for poison ivy which often grows within the same areas as blackberry bushes. Poison Ivy rash is the cost that lots of berry pickers pay when trying to pick the berries.

The location of natural blackberry bushes were marked and remembered by Native Americans so that they might harvest them each year. They used the berries as food, but they also used them to dye animal skins to produce a richer, darker color.

The first settlers used blackberries to treat many ailments. They were especially useful for respiratory illnesses and coughing. The fruit is also used to produce a rich colored, sweet wine by many people that like to produce home made wines. The overall favorite use for these sweet, delicious berries, though, is blackberry jam. They also make a delicious pie, if you don’t mind the pips.

If you are considering growing blackberries in your yard it is wisest to place them along the edge where there is not a great deal of people traffic. This is to avoid being scratched by the sharp, long thorns. The bushes should be cut back after they have finished producing fruit. They need to be trimmed back to around 18 inches above the ground. This needs to be done to prevent them from growing the tall runners that will usually have more thorns than berries on them.

If you’re going to plant several bushes be sure you allow enough space so that you do not get so scratched when collecting the berries. Regardless of how near the bushes are to each other picking blackberries is a job that calls for wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Blackberry bushes also live for a long time so you’ll want to consider this when picking an area to plant them.