By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Summer reminds me of one of the premier desserts in North Carolina. When I was a youngster growing up in Nash County, one of the many thrills was digging into a blackberry pie. As far as I know, the only way you could find the ingredients was to locate a blackberry patch out in the country. Of course, you usually had to pick them, which meant dealing with briers and chiggers. Sometimes, friends or my Franklin County relatives would bring us some. There was nothing better than the tangy flavor of hot blackberry pie and the sweet taste of vanilla ice cream.
Of course, this is my second favorite dessert. I like banana pudding the most. Unfortunately, we have trouble growing the right kind of bananas in the Tar Heel State for that delicacy.
Since those summers long ago in Nashville, there has been quite an evolution in the blackberry world. There are numerous thornless varieties available to grow in North Carolina. They include “Natchez,” “Ouachita,” “Osage,” “Sweet-Ark Caddo,” “Sweet-Ark Ponca,” “Von,” “Prime-Ark Freedom,” and “Prime-Ark Traveler.” These are all erect varieties, which are the easiest to grow.
There are also semi-trailing varieties, such as “Chester” and “Hull,” and trailing varieties like “Triple Crown.” These varieties are more like what you pick in the wild, but without the thorns. They require a two-wire trellis setup, much like grapes. They all need full sun to grow properly. They also need a fair amount of room to grow, especially if you are using a trellis. Plant them 4 to 8 feet apart.
Container-grown plants can be planted in the spring or fall. Canes will emerge in the spring, and you should distribute them evenly along the wires. When the canes reach the top, you should tip them. For the trailing type, do not tip. Instead, let the canes twirl around the top wire, then down to the lower wire, and back up, and so on.
When planting blackberry bushes, the bottom of the small root ball should be placed in rich soil. Amazingly, blackberries can tolerate a pH anywhere from 5 to 6.5, which means slightly acidic to neutral soil. If possible, plant no deeper than the length of the root ball. The hole should be twice the diameter of the root ball. Incorporate some composted material, such as North Carolina-based Daddy Pete’s.
Water the plant well, cover it with native soil, and then tamp it down to prevent air pockets in the soil, which can prevent good drainage and ruin the roots. Your blackberry bushes like well-drained soil and consistent moisture. They are adaptable, however, so you will find they need a lot less moisture than you might think.
Add a couple of inches of hardwood mulch, pine straw, or pine bark chips to the base of the blackberry bushes to help hold moisture and protect the root system. You will probably plant them in a bed anyway. Pull the mulch away from the stem to protect it. Again, water the plants well.
The folks at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service recommend pruning out all of the fruiting canes, as they will no longer produce any fruit. You will need to continue to tip, tie, or train the canes that have not produced any fruit. This process should continue until winter. In the winter, prune the lateral canes down to about 12 inches. Leave 4 to 8 canes per square yard. This will aid in fruit production for the next year.
As a bonus, I have read that blackberries may help fight cancer and cardiovascular disease, and may help our brains age more slowly.
I know this sounds like a fair amount of work, so just imagine a bowl of piping hot blackberry cobbler topped with homemade vanilla ice cream on a sweet summer evening. And please invite me over. The fruit and the dessert are true old-fashioned winners!