Blackberries

Recommended varieties:
~western trailing (ripe June/July)~
*Siskiyou
Boysenberry
~eastern erect (ripe July/Aug)
Apache
Arapaho
*Navajo
~eastern semi-erect (ripe August/Sept)
**Triple Crown
Chester
*Prime Jan

Not recommended: Marion

Planting:
Plant in early spring. Space western trailing plants 4-6 feet apart, rows 8-10 feet apart. Erect types should be spaced 3-4 eet apart, rows 8-10 feet apart.

Trellising & Trimming:
Western trailing type - Set stout end posts between each plant. Place top wire 5 feet above ground, the next one 3 feet above. New canes grow for one year, overwinter, grow fruit the next summer, then die. Cut out the canes that bore fruit at ground level . Train new canes singly in a spiral, fan shaped wrap on two wires. Put longest canes on first.

Erect type - Cut new canes to about 40" as they develop in the summer to promote lateral branching. After the harvest, kep only 3-4 of the strongest new canes. During the following spring, cut back lateral branches on floricanes (canes that bore fruit last summer) to 12-18" to improve fruit quality.

I planted 1 Triple Crown plant this year.