If you’re looking for an easy, rewarding way to add delicious fruit to your garden, then growing your own blackberries is a fantastic option. Blackberries are perfect for beginners—low maintenance, resilient, and generous with their yields. Best of all, they thrive in the UK climate. Even up North… So whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about how to grow blackberries in your garden.
Don’t forget…
Once you’ve learned all about growing blackberries, take a look at my next article about The Best Tips for Growing Rhubarb!
Let’s dive in!
Why Grow Blackberries?
There’s something uniquely satisfying about plucking fresh, juicy blackberries straight from your garden. They’re a brilliant addition to your summer fruit crop, ideal for snacking, pies, jams, and freezing for later. Plus, blackberries are packed with vitamins and antioxidants, making them a healthy option for the whole family. But that’s not all—they’re also incredibly easy to grow and maintain, which is why they’re perfect for UK gardens.
A Personal Tip: When I first started growing blackberries, I was amazed at how little effort it took to get a huge crop. The birds, on the other hand, were just as delighted—so netting the bushes became a necessity!
Choosing the Right Blackberry Variety
Before you get started, the first step is to choose the right blackberry variety. While wild blackberries are often found growing along hedgerows in the UK, cultivated varieties have the advantage of being thornless, which makes harvesting much easier (and less painful).
Some popular varieties include:
- Loch Ness: Thornless, productive, and ideal for smaller gardens. Produces large, juicy berries.
- Apache: Another thornless variety with sweet, firm fruit.
- Chester: Known for its high yield and late-season harvest, perfect for extending the blackberry season.
- Oregon Thornless: A classic choice with delicious berries and no thorns.
Each variety has its strengths, so choose based on your space and personal preferences. If you have a small garden or are limited on space, a compact or dwarf variety will be ideal.
When and Where to Plant Blackberries
Once you’ve chosen your variety, it’s time to think about when and where to plant.
Blackberries are best planted in autumn or early spring, giving them plenty of time to establish before their first growing season. However, planting in autumn tends to be the preferred option as it allows the roots to settle over winter.
Location, Location, Location
Blackberries need full sun to produce the best fruit, so choose a sunny spot in your garden. Although they can tolerate partial shade, they’ll be happiest (and most productive) with at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.
Soil Preparation
Blackberries aren’t fussy, but they prefer well-drained, fertile soil. Before planting, enrich the soil with well-rotted manure or compost. If your soil is heavy clay, consider adding some organic matter to improve drainage.
How to Plant Blackberries
Now for the fun part: planting your blackberries. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to get your blackberry bushes off to a great start.
- Dig a Hole: For each plant, dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball. Space plants around 1.5 to 2 metres apart to give them plenty of room to spread.
- Position the Plant: Place your blackberry bush in the hole, ensuring the roots are spread out. The crown (where the roots meet the stem) should sit just at soil level.
- Backfill the Hole: Fill in the hole with soil, firming it gently around the base. Water the plant well.
- Support System: Blackberries benefit from support, especially if you’ve chosen a variety that grows tall. Install a trellis or wire system to help guide the canes and make harvesting easier.
- Mulching: Once planted, apply a layer of mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Caring for Your Blackberries
Blackberries are generally low-maintenance, but a little TLC goes a long way. Here’s how to keep them happy and healthy.
Watering
During the first growing season, keep the soil consistently moist, but not waterlogged. Once established, blackberries are relatively drought-tolerant, but they’ll benefit from regular watering during dry spells, especially when fruiting.
Feeding
Each spring, give your blackberries a boost by applying a balanced fertilizer or some well-rotted compost. Blackberries aren’t greedy, but they do appreciate a little extra nutrition, particularly in the early stages of growth.
Personal Note: I once forgot to feed my blackberries for an entire season, and while they didn’t exactly rebel, they certainly didn’t produce as well as when I’d given them a springtime feed.
Mulching and Weed Control
Keep a layer of mulch around your blackberry plants to help retain moisture and suppress weeds. Straw, wood chips, or well-rotted manure all work well. Check for weeds regularly and remove them by hand to prevent competition for nutrients.
Pruning Blackberries
Pruning is an essential part of blackberry care. It might sound daunting, but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually quite straightforward. Plus, it will keep your plants producing lots of juicy berries year after year.
How to Prune Blackberries
- After Harvest: Blackberry canes (the stems that produce fruit) only fruit once. After harvesting, cut back any canes that have fruited all the way to ground level. This clears space for the new canes (primocanes) that will produce next year’s crop.
- In Late Winter: In late winter or early spring, thin out the primocanes, leaving around 5-7 of the healthiest, strongest canes per plant. This encourages good air circulation and prevents overcrowding.
Pruning not only promotes better fruiting but also helps prevent disease. Don’t worry if you make a few mistakes—blackberries are quite forgiving.
Common Pests and Diseases
Blackberries are hardy plants, but they can still face a few challenges. Here are some common issues to watch out for and how to manage them.
Pests
- Aphids: These little sap-suckers can be a nuisance. Regularly check your plants, and if you spot any, give them a spray with soapy water or introduce natural predators like ladybirds.
- Birds: Birds love blackberries almost as much as we do. Protect your ripening fruit with netting to ensure you get your fair share of the harvest.
Diseases
- Powdery Mildew: This fungal disease causes white powdery spots on the leaves. Improve air circulation by thinning out overcrowded canes and watering at the base rather than on the leaves.
- Botrytis (Grey Mould): This can affect fruit in damp conditions. Regular pruning and keeping the soil well-drained will help prevent it.
Harvesting Your Blackberries
One of the best parts of growing blackberries is the harvest. Blackberries typically ripen from mid-summer to early autumn, depending on the variety and location.
How to Harvest
Wait until the berries are fully black and slightly soft to the touch—if they’re still firm or red, they need more time. Simply pick them by gently pulling them off the cane.
A Personal Experience: There’s nothing quite like the taste of sun-warmed blackberries straight from the bush. My kids love helping with the harvest, but I have to admit, a good number of berries get eaten before they make it inside the house!
Post-Harvest Care
Once you’ve harvested your blackberries, it’s best to use them fresh or freeze them right away. Blackberries don’t keep well at room temperature but can be refrigerated for a few days.
Propagating Blackberries
Once you’ve successfully grown your blackberry plants, you might want to propagate them to expand your blackberry patch or share them with friends. The good news is that propagating blackberries is easy and fun!
Propagation Methods
- Tip Layering: Bend the tip of a long cane down to the ground and bury it in the soil. After a few weeks, it will develop roots. You can then cut the new plant from the parent and transplant it.
- Root Cuttings: In winter, take 10-15cm root cuttings and plant them in pots or directly in the ground. By spring, new shoots should appear.
Both methods are simple, but tip layering tends to be the easiest and most effective for beginners.
Growing Blackberries in Containers
If you don’t have a garden or are limited on space, you can still grow blackberries in containers. In fact, blackberries can do quite well in pots as long as they receive plenty of sunlight and water.
Choosing the Right Pot
Choose a large, deep container (at least 40cm in diameter) to accommodate the blackberry’s root system. Make sure the pot has good drainage, and fill it with quality ericaceous or well-drained compost.
Caring for Potted Blackberries
Potted blackberries will need more frequent watering, as pots dry out faster than garden beds. Feed them regularly with a balanced liquid fertilizer during the growing season to ensure a healthy crop.
What are you waiting for?
Growing your own blackberries is one of the most rewarding gardening projects for gardeners. With just a little care and attention, you’ll be able to enjoy juicy, sweet berries every summer for years to come. Whether you’ve got a sprawling garden or just a balcony with space for a pot, blackberries are adaptable, resilient, and always generous with their fruit.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to start planting and enjoy the satisfaction of growing your own fresh blackberries right at home! If you need more expert guidance, check out this handy guide from Gardener’s World about growing blackberries.
And don’t forget—once you’re up and running, you can even propagate new plants to share with your neighbours or expand your blackberry patch.
Your next read: The Best Tips for Growing Rhubarb: A Complete Guide
Rhubarb is a fantastic, low-maintenance perennial that’s perfect for both beginner and seasoned gardeners alike. With its striking red stalks and large green leaves, it’s not only a great addition to your garden visually but also a delicious ingredient for pies, jams, and sauces. In this complete guide, we’ll walk you through the best tips for growing rhubarb successfully—from choosing the right variety and planting techniques to ongoing care and harvesting. Whether you’re starting with crowns or seeds, these tips will help ensure a healthy and bountiful rhubarb harvest for years to come!