🫐 Blackberry

Cultivated blackberries are bigger, juicier and less seedy than wild ones, and the thornless varieties are easy to pick. They crop heavily in late summer and autumn, and grow in a wide range of conditions, including partial shade and poor soil.

They are vigorous climbers best trained along a wire fence, trellis or wall, and a single plant can cover several metres. They are ideal for hiding eyesores and for wildlife-friendly gardens, as the flowers and fruits are loved by pollinators and birds.

Varieties to try

Loch Ness (thornless, heavy and sweet)Oregon Thornless (thornless, decorative leaves)Apache (large, thornless, upright)Waldo (compact, thornless)Reuben (autumn-fruiting, very large)

Plant bare-root or potted canes between November and March in a sunny or partially shaded spot with fertile, well-drained soil. Dig in plenty of compost. Space plants 2–4 m apart depending on vigour, as they can spread widely.

Install posts and horizontal wires at 1 m, 1.5 m and 1.8 m. After planting, cut the cane to 20–30 cm above the ground. Water in well and mulch around the base. Compact varieties such as Waldo can be grown in large pots.

Top tips

• Set up wires before planting.
• Cut canes to 25 cm after planting.
• Allow plenty of room.
• Choose thornless varieties for easy picking.

Mulch each spring with compost and water in dry periods. Tie in new canes to the wires as they grow, keeping new growth separate from the old canes that will fruit this year: tie the new growth to one side and the fruiting canes to the other.

After fruiting, cut the old canes that bore fruit to the ground, and tie in the new canes to replace them. This is the main pruning job. Birds and wasps will take the fruit, and cane spot or botrytis can occur in wet years; good air flow helps.

Top tips

• Train new canes separately from fruiting ones.
• Cut out fruited canes after harvest.
• Mulch each spring.
• Keep ties loose to avoid girdling.

Watch out for

Raspberry beetleBirds and waspsBotrytisCane spotSpotted wing drosophila

Pick blackberries when fully black and glossy, and they come off the plant with a gentle tug; unripe ones are shiny and stay stuck. Berries ripen gradually from August to October, so pick every few days. Ripe berries are soft and sweet.

Pick in the morning on a dry day, and handle gently, as berries bruise easily. Use shallow containers and do not stack deeply. Wear gloves and sleeves for thorny types.

Top tips

• Pick when fully black and soft.
• Pick every few days.
• Use shallow containers.
• Pick on a dry day.

Eat fresh with cream or yoghurt, or cook in crumbles, pies, jams, jellies, sauces and cordials. Blackberries and apple is a classic autumn pairing. They also make wonderful ice cream, syrup, and brambly vinegars, and bring colour to puddings.

Fresh berries keep for only 2–3 days in the fridge, so process quickly. Freeze unwashed on a tray, then bag for up to a year, and use straight from the freezer in crumbles and jam. Bottled blackberry syrup and jelly store well on a shelf.

Top tips

• Pair with apple in crumbles.
• Freeze on a tray and bag.
• Make jelly from surplus.
• Sieve for seedless syrup.