Lexi
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Where to plant raspberries and blackberries?

I have two small potted raspberry and blackberry plants.. but nowhere to plant them. How long do they take to produce fruit and do they take a while to get bushy? And do they need full sunlight or can they be in partial shade? They're both about a foot tall right now and I want to get them into the ground ASAP, even if it's a bit late to plant them. I could look this up online, but I want some opinions and tips from you guys. :)

DoubleDogFarm
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Being potted plants, they can be planted anytime the ground isn't frozen.

Both like full sun, but 6 hours will most likely do.

Should get some fruit from both year two.

This is a row of Marionberries. Blackberries like elbow room. I suggest 3ft to 4ft apart.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20orchard%20July%202012/OrchardJuly9th2012002.jpg[/img]

Eric

MaryDel
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Raspberries do better in warm climates if they are partially shaded. I planted 5 'Heritage' plants this spring where they get 1/2 a days sun. They are doing great. I'm still picking berries from the original canes, and the new canes are so heavy with fall berries that they are leaning towards the ground.

I've bought a new house, and have planted them right by the side door as I'm going for the edible landscape concept. If you can't eat it, I'm not planting it!

JONA878
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Hi Lexi.
Couple of points I would add.
Both are going to need some support framework. If the raspberry is a normal ( Floricane) then it will have to be fairly strong as it has to support the canes through the winter.
Autumn Rasps ( Primocanes ) can get away with lighter structures as you would normaly let fewer canes through the winter on them.

Blackberries crop far better on one year old canes so a strong support system that allows you to control the new growth while cropping the old will pay hands down.

pickupguy07
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If you could find an old chain link fence someone has taken down and wants to get ride of... that would be perfect. 6' high is best.

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Enginerd
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Warning - those raspberries send out shoots under the ground that come up as new vines. When I planted, I buried some landscaping edging around the edges to keep them from overwhelming the available space. It worked pretty well for a few years, but I found a couple small canes "escaped" this summer. Just something to keep in mind!

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rainbowgardener
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Oh yeah, raspberries spread like crazy. Not only from the roots, but from seeds that the birds drop. They are becoming a real pest in my yard.

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klevelyn
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Blackberry's grow new canes each year for the crown and don't spread like raspberries do. I planted mine by the fence in my side yard so I could keep it pruned and keep it contained.

raspberries spread and need to be kept in check from year to year. So plant where it has some space. They both produce on second year canes.

gumbo2176
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klevelyn wrote:Blackberry's grow new canes each year for the crown and don't spread like raspberries do. I planted mine by the fence in my side yard so I could keep it pruned and keep it contained.

raspberries spread and need to be kept in check from year to year. So plant where it has some space. They both produce on second year canes.
I beg to differ with that first statement. My blackberry plants are sending out many new shoots well away from the original plants, some as far as 2 ft. away. They are doing the exact same thing people here report about raspberries as far as being a plant that takes over and is invasive if left to spread all it wants.

gumbo2176
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pickupguy07 wrote:If you could find an old chain link fence someone has taken down and wants to get ride of... that would be perfect. 6' high is best.
I'd be hesitant to put a blackberry plant to grow on chain link fencing. The canes need to be removed once they are done producing fruit and I just did that a few weeks ago. A lot of the canes are very woody and would be a real pain to remove from the tight confines of that type fence.

I have a trellis I built that gives me all the space I need to train the canes while growing and to trim when finished. It is very simple to build and cost effective. I put three 10 ft. 2x4 posts in the ground about 2 ft. deep and spaced them 6 ft. apart in a row for a total outside space of 12 ft. with one in the middle. I then took four 2x4x12's and ripped them down the middle to make eight 2x2's. Starting 1 ft. from the bottom of the uprights I screwed one 2x2 on the face of the 2x4, went up a foot and secured the next 2x2 on the backside of the upright. I continued alternating each foot and wound up with a ladder like trellis 12' long by 8 ft. tall. The canes weave easily between the "rungs" and removing them when they are finishes is a breeze.

Oh, and all wood used was treated lumber put together with plated screws meant for outdoor use.

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Gary350
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I have a 35 year old blackberry patch in my back yard. It likes full fun best but it does fine with 50% sun. The trees on the west side were planted from seeds now they are 40 ft tall and giving my blackberry patch full shade after lunch. My patch is 4 ft wide 20 ft long and I can still pick 5 gallons of berries every summer.

Blackberries make new growth every year. New growth will not make fruit the first year. New growth makes fruit the second year.

The plants send runner out under ground and they will come up all over the place and make new growth. You can keep the plant under control with the lawn mower new growth cuts down very easy. You can let the plants spread in any direction you like.

I try to keep work down to a minimum so after about 6 or 7 years I let my blackberry patch migrate about 6 ft to the east. After 2 years of growth I cut down the old blackberry patch. About 6 or 7 years later I let the patch migrate back to the west and cut the old patch down.

SOB
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Gary350 wrote:I try to keep work down to a minimum so after about 6 or 7 years I let my blackberry patch migrate about 6 ft to the east. After 2 years of growth I cut down the old blackberry patch. About 6 or 7 years later I let the patch migrate back to the west and cut the old patch down.
That's a great idea! So you don't do any thinning/trimming?

MaryDel
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Some raspberries produce a fall crop on new growth.


My plants produced a small spring crop on last years cane, and then a much larger fall crop on this years canes.

By planting in half a days sun, you can trick the plants into producing from spring right through fall. I am picking berries from the first of this year's canes right now, and each plant has 3 or 4 new canes that grew in August that just appear to be starting to flower now.



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