Blackberries and shade tolerance?

17 years ago

I've been reading up on growing blackberries and I've found a few places that say they're shade tolerant.

Anyone have experience with this? I've got a spot that I'm not clearing out until next year. It gets sun a couple of hours right now, and should get a lot more sun next year.

I'm sure they won't produce that much in shade, but even if they produce a matter of a few quarts/year I'd love to plant some blackberries.

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garnet69

17 years ago

I'm new to this site and have been following this thread. Just thought I'd post my experience with Blackberries in my zone 5 garden.

My dad planted rooted tips from his blackberry the year after I moved into my house so I don't know the exact variety but I can tell you they are thornless and not shrubby (long canes). Everything I know, I learned from my Dad who has been growing them successfully for 15 years.

They like a rich loamy, well-drained soil, although mine are planted in clay amended with compost. As for light requirements, mine grow best in partial sun/shade; even 2-3 hours of sun is enough. I had one that was planted in full sun which never did well. My best producer gets morning sun, shade midday and late afternoon sun.

As for trellises, I tried it but found a better system. I have mine tied to garden wire secured to the fence the same as you would do for espalier fruit trees. They donÂt take up a lot of space that way. I have the wire spaced about 1.5 ft apart horizontally. This way all the canes get an equal amount of light with no one cane shading out another. ItÂs also easy to control the direction of growth for new canes. I let the canes grow as long as they please. If you donÂt have a fence, put in posts and secure it that way.

Come the winter, I cover the canes with burlap, just staple it to the fence (weÂre talking wood fence, not chain link). In my zone, protection is a must to limit winter dieback, the minus 35C winds with get them every time. I have never lost a cane to the ground. Come spring, I prune, prune, prune. IÂve learned that if you leave your canes long, the fruit is smaller; however, if you prune the cane to approximately 5-8 feet long, you get big beautiful blackberries. A lateral shoot will grow everywhere there is a leaf node and from there will bloom your blackberries.

The only true pests IÂve encountered were bees. They love them. They get territorial and I've been stung now and again. Robins also like them. Mine donÂt grow too close to the ground so rabbits arenÂt a problem.

As for what to do with them, I have a multitude of recipes but some of my favourites are peach and blackberry crumble or just mashed, mixed with a little sugar and poured over vanilla ice cream. Last year I made my own blackberry liquor Â it was good enough to sell.

Sorry this post is so long - just thought I share my (limited) experiences.

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Comments (13)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
17 years ago
S: Plant away. They are about as shade tolerant as any fruit. When I grew up near Rockford, the wild black raspberries were my favorite fruit. The wild blackberries had problems but I remember them being in the shade more than the raspberries. Here in Texas blackberries have larger fruit if grown in partial shade.

The Fruitnut
sdrone
Original Author
17 years ago
Forgot to ask.....

Do blackberries require multiple hybrids to fruit like blueberries do? Or can I pick up a few of the same hybrid (faster since I don't have to do mail order) and be ok?
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well ... hmmmm .... you are on the right track ... but working on the wrong variables ... i am going to come at it from another angle ... hosta are VERY HEAVY WATER USERS ... and they use the most water.. in the most heat .. which is why they struggle in the deep south ... they simply cant pump enough water to offset the loss ... and part of that is ... night temps.. they can cope better up here in MI because at night it cools considerably ... hosta actually sweat ... transpire ... in england.. which is above the 60th parallel.. or 2/3 of the way to the north pole.. they are ALL FULL SUN ... partly because the sun barely shines.. lol .. but also because of the declination of the sun.. the British are a pasty peeps.. because the sun is not as strong.. so the hosta can cope ... compare that to LA.. and you can see a stark difference. .. so.. hosta can grow in full sun .. hosta are only shade tolerant.. but the sun .. or conversely.. the shade is not really the issue.... its all about how effectively they can pump.. enough water. and if they have a recovery period to cope ... the fact that a hosta looks ratty in late summer.. is more a function of not enough water.. rather than too much light ... ken ps: zone.. which is.. in its simplest form.. MINIMUM WINTER TEMP ... has nothing to do with it .... pps: i have tons of wood hyacinths.. i dont know why you failed with those.. unless there are multiple plants under that common name ... ppps: hosta also have a requisite dormancy period.. and if you go too far south.. they dont get it ...
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Many vines don't do well in shade, but I think there are a few possibilities. I don't think Trumpet Creeper would thrive or bloom in the shade. It would probably survive, but I wouldn't expect a very thick or vigorous plant. Virginia Creeper would probably do OK, but again I wouldn't expect much fruit in the shade. Virginia Creeper seems to produce fruit mostly when it can climb and get into some sunlight. Greenbriars might grow well on a brush pile in the shade. They are thorny and can be tough to work around, but they create good cover for animals and birds, and at least the stems are green all year long. They produce a fruit that birds eats, which is another nice bonus. Blackberry canes aren't vines, but will cover a brush pile a little bit. I wouldn't expect lots of fruit in the shade. If it really is shady, perhaps a wild rhododendron (rhododendron maximum) would be a good choice. Of course it isn't a vine, but it is native, evergreen, sprawling, has nice flowers, and tolerates a lot of shade. Around here (Pennsylvania) it tends to grow under hemlock groves, which are among the shadiest places in the forest.
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fruitgirl
17 years ago
You're fine with one variety of blackberry, and you're also fine with one variety of blueberry. There is some suggestion that you'll get slightly more yield if you have more than one vartiey of blueberry, but research has shown that this is not the case with all varieties, and the difference isn't that great.
doof
17 years ago
Blackberries will do MUCH better in full sun. I was able to grow some under a very shady tree, but never got fruit, and it never thrived as well as it did when in the open. If space is a consideration (like it is for me), try to do the best you can with getting it SOME direct sunlight. Use strategery.
doof
17 years ago
Oh, let me add....

When determining how shade-tolerant blackberries are, it's probably important which variety you are growing. The wild ones here in southern California that you find in the parks seem to do very well, with thorny sprawling bushes and small berries. A big enough wild blackberry patch can sort of create its own shade after a while!
goodground
17 years ago
I planted my 5pk of jewel black raspberries all in the same hole. Will this be a problem? Thanks
jellyman
17 years ago
goodground:

Did you run out of space? The only problem I see is that you lost the opportunity to plant a larger area. They will probably survive, but I think it is apparent they will be a little crowded. You can always dig them up again in the dormant season and spread them sooner or later. I recommend sooner. Black raspberries are normally planted around 3 feet apart.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
sdrone
Original Author
17 years ago
This spot will get some sunlight, and will get more over the next year or 2 as I clear out a dying bush/tree thingie. I have a different spot that gets a lot more sun and I'm tempted to plant there; I may flip a coin. Both are sloped and will drain well, but both will need soil amendment.
sdrone
Original Author
17 years ago
Both spots aren't more than 6' wide, so I can only put out a couple of plants.
Scott F Smith
17 years ago
I have blackberries in degrees of shade. With 3-4 hours of sun per day they produce very well. With 1-2 hours they produce little. So dappled shade is OK but deep shade is not worth the bother in my opinion. This is for Triple Crowns. I just pulled up a row of thorny blackberries this spring and put in tiproots from my Triple Crown row in their place.

Scott
Scott F Smith
17 years ago
Gee 6' isn't very wide at all, I would consider putting them in both places to get enough harvest to make it worthwhile.

Scott
sdrone
Original Author
17 years ago
that's not a bad idea; I just started considering that this morning. I'll prepare both spots and see what happens.

Blackberries and shade tolerance?

garnet69

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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

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