Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi All,

I am looking to purchase a blackberry for my allotment, thornless hopefully. Please can you recommend a variety.

Thanks

Hi Tracie

We have one that came from Aldi. Don't know if a variety was given, but they have them every year. Thornless, huge lovely tasting fruit and masses of them.

We have a couple of Himilayian giant I think they were called about 30 years ago. Thornless, prolific and still going strong. The suckers do have thorns though

The birds gave me mine, (or some other critter). I was still in that confused 'what one to buy' when I noted a stick with a few leaves on the path & gave it a chance. (Did not know it was a blackberry either, but always the optimist & would have been happy with a raspberry)! Totally thornless, big tasty berries, but a bit huge & thick smooth stems. I couldn't even id that stick as a blackberry! Not answering your question though, but it was over a decade ago, but I have a cutting/stick from it decorating the shed as well, so maybe have a look or chat with the other plot holders as you could get lucky too & not have to pay for a stick or two - (although I think technically they aren't called a stick).

Hi Tracie, I have just bought "Chester", which is meant to be big and nice tasting." Ouchita" is a beautiful variety with me. "Triple Crown", "Adrienna", "Loch Tay","Loch Ness", and "Loch Maree" are all nice thornless varieties. Good Luck.

Have just moved into a house with beautiful and delicious thornless blackberries growing over an old pergola. House has been in the family for decades (I recall climbing the pergola as a child to pick the berries!) but blackberry (and the rest of the garden) not been pruned for a long while, and the pergola will need replacing. If I cut right back (end of Oct maybe?) will it sprout new canes next year? Or should I leave a few? All advice welcome as I'm a total soft fruit novice. Thank you!

If you cut it all back you will not get berries next year. Try to save some of the non fruiting stems from this year by tying them out of the way while dealing with the rest of the plant, they should just about be long enough to safely tie them to something, but I've had them snap along the stem before & what was left of it fruited. Would be a shame not to get a reward from what sounds like it could be quite a job for you. Good luck with that!

As Westi said, cut out all old wood and try and keep the strongest of this years growth….any weak new growth can also be removed!
And if you have any homemade compost, you could give it a good layer of that…..watering first if it has ben dry.