What a Tease

(Backpost for 07/19/10) Last fall I planted eight Triple Crown blackberry plants. This spring I divided them and replanted them for a total of twenty four. They have grown beautifully and most plants have two to three canes about six feet long.

I picked this variety based on a few things I had read. One was that they are a heavy producer. This variety is known to produce as much as thirty pounds per plant. They are also thorn less. The berries are large, about the size of a quarter (see picture). The final reason was there growing habit was suppose to be semi erect and require little to no training. This last fact I can assure you is not true. In fact they are of such a trailing nature that they I have had to pull them from the grass' thatch.

Despite their trailing nature and need for more training than I expected, I am quite impressed by the size of the berries I have picked off of the one floricane (blooming/fruit bearing stem) I left standing up. Hopefully next year the fruit will produce enough for market, although I am sure it wont be thirty pounds per plant quite yet.