Blackberry
Thorny Blackberry, Thornless Blackberry, Trailing Blackberry, Dewberry, Blackberry, Blackberry, Bramble, Bramble Blackberry, Shrubby Blackberry, Wild Blackberry Complex, Bramble
Vigorous canes need a sturdy trellis system. Like raspberries, blackberries fruit on second-year canes — cut out canes that have fruited after harvest. Tip-prune new canes at 4–5 ft in summer to promote lateral branching and more fruit. Thornless varieties are easier to manage. Very productive once established; can spread aggressively — contain by removing suckers. Harvest when berries are fully black and slightly soft.
- Spacing
- 90–150 cm
When to plant blackberry
Plant 2–6 weeks before your last spring frost.
Dashed line: typical last spring frost in zone 7 (Apr 5). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow blackberry
- 1
Plant
Plant bare-root canes in early spring, with a sturdy post-and-wire support in place.
- 2
Train
Blackberries fruit on second-year canes. Tie new canes to one side and fruiting canes to the other to keep them apart.
- 3
Prune
Cut fruited canes to the ground after harvest. Tip new canes at 1.2–1.5 m in summer to encourage side shoots, and pull out suckers to stop them spreading.
- 4
Harvest
Pick when berries are fully black and slightly soft. Thornless varieties are far easier to manage.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun
Water
Medium water
Temperature
-20–35 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-hardy — tolerates frost
Days to maturity
365–730 days
How Tomatograph watches your blackberry
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- First frost within 14 daysReminder to mulch the roots before winter.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for cane blight, which thrives in those conditions.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Blackberry questions
- When should I plant blackberry?
- Plant 2–6 weeks before your last spring frost.
- How far apart should I plant blackberry?
- Allow 90–150 cm between plants.
- What grows well with blackberry?
- Good neighbours include garlic, marigold, chives.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).