Berry Pickin'!

[bluechick]

Yay! The dewberries started getting ripe right after the first of the rains last week. We've been able to pick some for several days and most of them were plump little guys. If the rain keeps up, maybe this will be a good berry year.

The wild blackberries, for the most part, aren't ready yet but I picked about a half dozen while we were looking for dewberries. They still look smallish and I don't know if they're going to plump up. On the other hand, DH picked one berry off the Kiowi we planted last year. It's HUGE! It's about 2 inches long and 1 inch across. It was billed as a whopper blackberry, with berries getting up to 3 inches in length, but I didn't believe the hype until now. Has anyone else grown Kiowi? It has some wicked thorns on it. We also planted some thornless varieties (Arapaho and Ouachita) at the same time but they seem to be less vigorous. Anyone with experience with thornless blackberries?

We bought another set of blackberry gloves today, the kind that go all the way up to the elbow. We fought over the single pair we had last year. Maybe another pair will keep down the squabbling. :D

Personally, I think berry picking should be done in an air conditioned suit of armor.

bluechick

[Steve from Colorado]

I wonder if you might be able to help me identify this plant?

It grows near Gold Hill in Boulder County, Colorado, at elevation 8,000 feet approximately. I've lived in the area for decades and never noticed them before, although we've had lots of rain this year after many years of drought.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[Steve from Colorado]

Never mind. Someone in alt.survival identified them as sedum.

[Davej]

I've been very happy with my thornless blackberries which I planted perhaps 20 years ago. Don't make the error I made and plant them next to a fence b ecause of course they will spread and soon will be right up against the fen ce and then you won't have the access to keep the weeds under control. This is a good damp berry year here. I have been picking raspberries and the th ornless blackberries are just turning pink now.

[bluechick]

Hi, Dave!

Are your thornless blackberries as prolific as the thorny varieties? Our Ouachita is weak so we pinched the flower buds to keep its energies to reviving itself. Arapaho is thriving. However, it doesn't seem to have as many berries as the Kiowi (large thorny type). All of these were newly transplanted earlier this year so I realize none of them will be as prolific as the established plants are. Just wondered how yours are doing after a few years.

All our berries are planted near a fence so...too late. :) However, we can get to both sides of the fence as it's on our property. We haven't had a problem weeding yet.

We were told that raspberries wouldn't grow here but our lone plant went nuts and produced its little heart out. It must be very happy in the location where we put it. I intend to get another raspberry plant or three next year.

We had lots of rain early in the spring when the plants were flowering but then went into a dry spell, then we thought we might need to build an arc. :) It's been literally feast or famine where rain is concerned. We've had very little rain the last two weeks but had a sprinkle today. I was afraid this would be like last year when so many berries dried up on the canes. Even with the uneven rains this has been a much better year.

[Terry Coombs]

We've had a lot of rain here , and it's been fairly well spaced out to benefit the plants - my garden has exploded . The wild blackberries here are loaded , though for some reason the berries are small . Blueberries are apparently being snatched by wildlife as quickly as they ripen , because I sure as hall ain't gettin' any . I need to check the muscadines , but if anywhere near 50% of the flowers make fruit we'll be knee deep in fruit . I was out in the woods today marking trees for firewood and I don't think you can go anywhere this side of the creek and not have muscadine vines in sight .

[bluechick]

We sorta cultivated some of our blackberries too, the ones near the garden and they've benefited from runoff from the garden. They are very plump and we have to pick them every day. I don't know why more birds and other wildlife aren't getting more of the blackberries but they're stealing our blueberries every chance they get. >:( We did get bird netting but too late, I'm afraid.

I wonder why your blackberries are small? That usually means they haven't had enough rain, as far as I know. Are they sweet? Ours were small and tart last year but are plump and sweet this year. I wonder if all the ran we got when the flowers were blooming and when the fruit was first developing made a difference in the sweetness.

We have several muscadine vines here and many have tiny grapes but the wildlife can have them. I grew up with a big muscadine arbor out the back door and I think I had my permanent fill of them back then. :) We've asked the neighbors to pick the muscadines when they get ripe but I think it will be like the blackberry situation: they want someone else to do the pickin'. I hope you have great luck with your muscadines. Maybe the wildlife will see the error of their ways with the blueberries and will share the grapes. :D

[Davej]

Prolific? They are vigorous and productive if they get full sun and adequat e moisture. There are plenty of berries per year-old stem, and with enough watering they make big berries. The berries are probably not as sweet as th e thorny types. Last Winter was very cold and killed the ends of some of th e stems. Adding a layer of mulch to the row every year is a good idea. My b erries are now pink so I should try to cover them with bird netting soon. I had a thorny variety also but they were so difficult to tend and mow aroun d that I finally mowed them down. I do have raspberries but they are nothin g compared to the hook-shaped thorns of the blackberries.