I have a patch of wild blackcaps myself. Love em, even though they're small, they make the BEST pies, jelly, jam, etc. I've got about 40 feet of row, and its about 5 feet wide.

Well, it's kind of late for this year to shape them up before harvest -- just do your best and accept the fact that there are some in the middle you probably won't reach, unless you can borrow a suit of armor from someone.

Now, the good news -- you can make this a LOT easier to handle next year.

The old canes ("floricanes") that are blooming and soon to bear fruit are all going to die within a few weeks of the last berries getting ripe, so if you cut those in the harvest process, no big deal.

The NEW canes ("Primocanes") that emerged from the ground this spring are probably about 2 to 4 feet tall now (depending upon where you are in IL, more north = shorter due to later spring than S. IL). Those you can shape up nicely for next year. If you just let them grow, they form the tangled mess.

What you need to do is to TOP the new canes at around 4 to 5 feet tall -- just cut the center out when it reaches that height. This will make it branch out a lot, and, more importantly, NOT flop over and NOT grow into the tangled mess. You may need to come back one more time in the season and pinch out some of the tips of the new side branches before THOSE get out of control.

I've pruned black raspberries here any time between mid July and about Labor Day and had good success getting them to branch for the next year.

Also, at some point after all of the berries are done, you need to go in there and cut all of the old fruiting canes off to ground level. This is one of the harder jobs, since they are thorny, but you can't leave all of that dead wood in there, it just makes an impenetrable thicket in a few years.

If you do it right, you will end up with a MUCH more manageable bed, and as many if not more berries, because all of that branching turns into fruiting wood next year.

It takes me maybe an hour to two hours to do this job every year, and it really makes a night and day difference on the manageability of the patch and ease of picking for the next year.

We have everbearing red raspberries, & I have finally resorted to digging out most of the canes, so that I am left with only 6 clusters, about three feet apart. I don't know how much fruit we will get this year, they have not yet flowered. However, I have been weeding the bed, and its much easier to get the weeds pulled.

Oh, yeah, for the truth in advertising part -- I NEVER got around to doing this myself last year, so the blackcaps are tangled mess, just like the OP's patch.

I'll just send the fam in there to pick -- they can suffer the wounds and I'll reap the sweet rewards! That's just how I roll.

Now if I could only learn to laugh just like Dr. Evil!

*LOL*

Thanks so much!! I do have the kids to help, although the canes are in some cases taller than they are. I'll have them work the low sections. :D

And it's a pity I don't have the same contacts as I used to... and that at 28 weeks along I'm a lot bigger 'round the middle, hah! I would SO wade into the hedge in plate armor! Let the neighbors get a good laugh at the crazy lady clanking around the thorns. :D

(I do have a SIL who wants berries this year; maybe she can get the middles? *lol* )

Really, though, thank you both! I kept finding info on other varieties instead, and forgot the terminology to look it up more directly. And I'd never heard about topping the canes on these, it'll make it easier next time 'round if I don't have to worry about shaking all the berries off whenever I turn! :D I shall wade in with my trusty bucket and shears and all will be well!