Blackberries

I love Blackberries. Me and little John spend alot of time in the woods that time of year. John can spot berries like no nobody can. Of course the little cuss eats his share before we get back to the truck, but hey... thats half the fun of pickin'. Harvesting wild berries takes alot of time. You have to know which patches are ready and when......and it helps if you can beat Mrs. Johnson to the patch! Dry summers tend to kill alot of the harvest in our area. Last year was a great year, but many times just before they are ready the berries dry up and dehydrate on the vine. This spring we plan on planting a few rows where we can water them and watch them closer. I'm thinking very strongly about planting thornless plants. I hate getting cut up and the kids don't care for it either. They have some thornless hybrids that make alot of fruit. One that I am considering is the
Doyles Thornless There are some others out there, and I am still researching. The Doyle will produce 10 to 20 gallons of berries per plant. Fruit is in large bunches with 40 to 100 berries. The only down side is the price. They sell for $15 a plant, but if they yield like they say they do it could be well worth the money. Sure we'll still pick some wild ones.....good excuse to scout new traplines and look for deer sign, but most of the jelly will hopefully come off the cultivated plants.