unripened blackberries
Planting Blackberries for Spring
With spring virtually here in many parts of the country, the time to plant fruits and vegetables has come. To yield delicious fruit that is easy to grow and use in summer recipes, consider the blackberry plant. Don’t know how to grow blackberries? Buying seedlings from a local garden center or buying seeds online simplifies the process considerably. Don’t mistake a the mulberry tree seedling as a future blackberry tree – this is a common mistake as mulberries look much like blackberries; however, blackberries never grow on trees. Blackberries grow best in part sun/part shade with good drainage. The site should be weeded and fertilized. As soon as freezes end, it is time to plant.
Give the roots enough room so as not to bend them when planting. Dig a hole large enough so as not to bend roots. Distribute the seedlings in rows; each plant should be allowed two feet from the next while each row should be seven feet from the previous. As the plant grows, keep it trim during the first year. During the second year, the plants can be allowed to bear fruit. The berries are ready to harvest when they have achieved their characteristic deep violet-black color. This is when the word pays off, because blackberries can be made into jam and canned, or frozen and used for delicious desserts all through the summer and autumn months.
Reference: http://usagardener.com/how_to_grow_fruits/how_to_grow_blackberries.php
