Blackberries, a favorite summer fruit, come in a diverse array of types and varieties, each bearing unique characteristics that cater to different preferences and growing conditions. Ranging from thornless to thorny, trailing to upright, and primocane to floricane, understanding the various kinds of blackberries can greatly enhance the cultivation and enjoyment of these delightful berries.
Thornless blackberries, as their name suggests, lack the sharp thorns typically found on blackberry canes, making them a more approachable option for home gardeners. These user-friendly varieties, such as Apache, Arapaho, and Ouachita, are celebrated not only for their ease of handling and harvesting but also for their generous yields of large, sweet berries that appeal to many palates.
On the other hand, traditional thorny blackberries like Brazos, Rosborough, and Choctaw offer a robust authenticity that some growers find appealing. Despite their prickly canes demanding careful management, these varieties are often cherished for their large, sweet, and tart berries. The thorns, formidable as they may be, often lend these plants a degree of pest resistance, contributing to their vigor and productivity.
For those seeking a more vine-like growth habit, trailing blackberries are an excellent choice. With flexible canes that can be trained along a trellis or fence, varieties like Boysenberry, Marionberry, and Loganberry offer a different aesthetic and growth pattern. Beyond their unique structure, these varieties are equally valued for their flavorful and juicy berries that make a delightful addition to any summer dish.
Lastly, primocane blackberries such as Prime-Ark Freedom and Prime-Ark Traveler offer an innovative twist to traditional blackberry cultivation. Unlike most blackberry varieties that bear fruit on the previous year's growth, primocane varieties can produce fruit on the current year's canes, enabling a potential double harvest within a single growing season.
The world of blackberries is as diverse as it is delightful as is the world of raspberries and currants. Whether you favor the ease of thornless varieties, the authenticity of thorny blackberries, the vine-like beauty of trailing types, or the innovative potential of primocane blackberries, there's a blackberry variety ready to flourish in your garden and enrich your summer palate.
Thornless blackberries are a group of blackberry cultivars that have been bred to lack the sharp, prickly thorns traditionally found on blackberry canes, making them easier to manage and harvest. They come in a variety of species, each offering unique flavor profiles and berry sizes, and are known for their sweet, juicy fruits and high yields, making them a popular choice for both commercial growing and home gardens.
Apache: This variety is known for its large, sweet berries and high yield. It's also resistant to diseases.
Arapaho: An early ripening variety, Arapaho produces sweet and tart berries. It's also known for its cold tolerance and resistance to diseases.
Navaho: This variety produces high yields of sweet, firm berries. It's known for its cold hardiness and resistance to diseases.
Ouachita: This variety is noted for large, sweet, high-quality berries with good storage and handling qualities.
Triple Crown: This variety is highly productive and disease resistant. The berries are very large, sweet, and juicy.
Chester: Chester blackberries are very heavy producers and have excellent resistance to disease and pests. The fruit is medium-sized, very sweet, and great for fresh eating and preserves.
Natchez: Natchez blackberries offer large, sweet-tart berries and are noted for their high productivity and disease resistance. They are also early ripening.
Loch Ness: This high-yielding, thornless variety produces large, glossy, flavorful berries.
Hull: This variety is a hardy, high-yielding blackberry bush that produces medium-sized, sweet berries.
Prime-Ark Freedom: The world's first primocane-fruiting thornless blackberry, this variety is known for high yields of large, sweet berries that can be harvested twice in a growing season.
Prime-Ark Traveler: Another primocane-fruiting thornless variety, the Traveler produces large and very sweet berries suitable for commercial and home use.
Thorny blackberries are traditional varieties of blackberries that have sharp, prickly thorns on their canes, requiring careful handling during maintenance and harvesting. While these varieties may require a bit more caution to grow, they are often valued for their high productivity, large berry size, and the robust, sweet-tart flavor of their fruits, making them a favorite among many growers and consumers.
Brazos: An older, very hardy variety known for its large, tart berries. It is very productive and does well in warmer climates.
Rosborough: This is a variety released by Texas A&M University. It is a highly productive variety known for its large, sweet-tart berries.
Chickasaw: This variety produces large, sweet berries and has a high yield. The plant is vigorous and has good disease resistance.
Kiowa: It produces some of the largest blackberries of any variety and has a long harvesting period. The berries are sweet and excellent for fresh eating, but the plant does have thorny canes.
Shawnee: This variety has a long harvest season and is known for its large, sweet fruit. It is very productive and has good disease resistance.
Choctaw: The Choctaw blackberry produces sweet berries that are medium in size. The berries ripen earlier than many other varieties.
Trailing blackberries, also known as vine blackberries, have long, flexible canes that arch and trail along the ground or can be trained up onto trellises or fencing, contrasting with the stiff, upright canes of erect blackberries. Their trailing habit can lead to a more expansive growth pattern, which can require a bit more space and maintenance, but these varieties are often praised for their sweet, flavorful berries that are excellent for a variety of culinary uses.
Boysenberry: A large, dark purple, juicy, and sweet berry. It's a cross between a raspberry, a blackberry, and a loganberry..
Marionberry: Known for its intense, tart flavor, the Marionberry is the classic blackberry of the Pacific Northwest. It is a type of trailing blackberry developed by cooperative extension service researchers at Oregon State University.
Loganberry: This raspberry-blackberry hybrid is large, dark red, and slightly longer than a typical blackberry. It is juicy with a sharp flavor.
Youngberry: A cross between a blackberry and a dewberry, Youngberries are large, sweet, and juicy with a wine-like flavor.
Kotata Blackberry: A trailing blackberry variety that has firm, sweet, high-quality fruit. It is resistant to several common diseases.
Columbia Star: This variety is a thornless, trailing blackberry with firm, sweet, high-quality fruit. It's also resistant to several common diseases.
Primocane blackberries are unique in that they can produce fruit on the current year's growth (primocanes), which allows for a potential double harvest in a growing season. Here are some primocane blackberry varieties:
Prime-Ark 45: This variety produces large, sweet, and tart berries on thorny canes. It's known for its high productivity.
Prime-Ark Freedom: The world's first thornless primocane-fruiting blackberry, this variety is known for high yields of large, sweet berries that can be harvested twice in a growing season.
Prime-Ark Traveler: Another thornless primocane variety, the Traveler produces large and very sweet berries suitable for commercial and home use.
Prime-Ark Horizon: A newer variety, the Horizon is known for its large, sweet, and firm berries.
Prime-Jan and Prime-Jim: These are earlier varieties of primocane blackberries with thorny canes. They produce medium-sized, sweet, and flavorful berries.
