Growing Blackberries
Next time you’re out hiking, look out for growing blackberries. They’re easy to spot when you understand what you are looking for. Their most individual attribute is the thorns that extend from their branches. It is useful to remember where you have found the blackberry bushes in order that you can gather the tasty fruits which they supply. The berries normally mature on the plants in late summer. They flower with scented white flowers in the spring. Blackberry bushes are located all over America and many other countries with a suitable environment. They yield the very best berries when found in the full sun, however you can still find them in shaded locations also.
Blackberry bushes can often 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 tend to be sweeter. It is important to watch out for poison ivy which frequently grows in the same areas as blackberry bushes. Poison Ivy rash is the price that lots of 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 could 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 cure a number of illnesses. They were especially useful for respiratory illnesses 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 overall favorite use for these sweet, delicious berries, though, is blackberry jam. Additionally they make a delicious pie, if you don’t mind the pips.
If you’re thinking of growing blackberries in your yard it is best to plant them along the edge where there is not a lot of traffic. This is to avoid being scratched by the sharp, long thorns. The bushes should be cut back after they are done fruiting. They should be trimmed back to around 18″ above the ground. This is done to prevent them from getting the taller runners that often times have more thorns than berries on them. If you are going to plant a number of bushes make sure you allow for picking so that you don’t get as scratched when picking the berries. However near the bushes are to each other collecting blackberries is a task that requires wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Blackberry bushes also have a long life span so you’ll want to think about this when picking an area to plant them.