I'm a couple zones warmer than you (SW CT), so this may not be completely relevant. I planted 5 bare-root Prime Jan (from Nourse) last April. Each plant had a few berries, but not very many. They were finally getting into the swing of things when the first hard frosts finished the season in November, killing a lot of green berries and flowers. Since they were freshly planted, that may have delayed things. It will be interesting to see if they ripen earlier this year. Several places I've read suggest treating them like everbearing raspberries and cutting them to the ground each spring. If they are not cut to the ground, the floricanes should have berries earlier in the season, but the plant may then produce a smaller fall crop. Since this is my first full year with them, I'll probably try cutting 2-3 of the 5 down to the ground and see what type of a difference it makes in ripening time and quantity.

I am zone 5, some winters a solid zone 4..I grow Arapaho and Navajo.....they are both thornless, and very hardy here.They do come in earlier, but that's about all I can say for them. I have both thorned and thornless, and from what I grow, you seem to give up flavor when you give up thorns! I think that well trellised blackberries are easy enough to pick, and the thorns aren't that much of a problem...if I didn't already have thornless established, I wouldn't grow them...they just aren't that great. I picked tons of wild blackberries as a kid and the thorns were just part ofthe experience...kids adapt and learn! My kids always picked thorned fruit, and they lived! Donna

Update on blackberry winter survival (three weeks later)… Uncovered Plants - Black Satin (no winter damage). These were low to ground so maybe some snow protection. - Triple crown (some winter damage) - approx. 20% die back). Seem to have handled the winter fine but some dieback, primarily on the thinner canes). - Ouachita (some winter damage) - approx. 10% die back). Almost no dieback…surprising because I thought they would be less hardy than other erect varieties. - Kiowa (significant winter damage - approx. 75% die back). At first I thought these had overwintered well, but two of the four plants didn’t leaf out and the other two were significantly damaged. This variety has had some health problems over the last two years with (2 of 6 previously dying). Since this year’s crop was a loss and I have had problems with this variety in the past, I decided to replace them with a newer, thornless variety: Von Blackberry. - Prime Ark 45 (significant winter damage - approx. 50% die back). Honestly, some of the dieback may be from the primocane fruiting sections from last fall, but what is left seems to be growing well now. I think I’ll make these a primocane only crop after this season. - Wild Treasure Trailing. In ground planting - left uncovered and plant died back to ground. Potted planting (covered) lost most of its cane length. Given space and effort, not sure this variety is worth keeping. - All raspberries were uncovered and nearly all had no noticeable winter damage. I even had a blackhawk black raspberry and two double gold raspberry plants in pots just sitting in the open and both plants are growing really well and blooming. - I did have two canes on the Cascade Delight raspberry that died during the winter but I believe that was partly due to exposed roots from some soil erosion in their raised bed. Covered Plants. - Black Diamond. I decided to give it a reprieve and let it grow again this year but spray it for cane borers. I had to remove all of last year’s growth due to cane borers but this year it has three times as much growth (e.g. canes) and looks healthy. There’s already a 8” of growth this season and that’s a lot for this variety in my climate. - Siskiyou. No winter damage. Both plants look good and have been putting on amazing growth (well, at least amazing compared to my previous attempts). These second year plants each have 5 or more canes and the cane diameter has doubled since last year. The primocanes are already about ½ inch thick (e.g. diameter) and about 12” in length so far. Yeah! Last year’s growth is getting ready to bloom. - Kotata. No winter damage and the plants are growing new canes. I have 2-3 new canes per each plant and there’s about 6-8” of growth so far. Less vigorous growth from these plantings. - Thorny Boysenberry. The non-potted plants suffered the trifecta of cold weather, cane borers, and voles, so I have maybe 10% of the canes from last year but they are getting ready to bloom. I have had problems with leaf spot on these but I gave them a good lime-sulfur spray treatment this spring, so hopefully this will help. New growth has been outstanding with the cane diameter doubling, much like the Siskiyou blackberries, and there are 8-10 canes per planting with 12-18” of growth already. I’m going to do a better job of protecting these in the winter this year. - Marionberry. I lost about 50% of the cane length from the overwintering period but have learned more about what not to do while preparing them for winter. Plants seem fine but not as vigorous as Siskiyou or Boysen but more vigorous than Kotata. - Loganberry. I lost about 75% of the canes on these from cane borers and the cold. These may be the least cold hardy of the trailing berries that I own. The primocanes are growing vigorously though.

my p.a. freedom canes got 9ft. tall from planting in may to sept. with a ton of flowers and berries. very vigorous! we got 2ft. of heavy wet snow that laid them down 2wks ago. hopefully i can get them to ripen if i put them in high tunnels next year. there is a variety that fedco here in maine carries that is supposed to be hardy to zone3. wish i saw that before i bought the freedoms. if i can get the fruit to ripen in the tunnel i don't mind the extra effort. i have 4 hybrid hazels s i got from arbor day that are a cross of the american and beaked hazels. the nuts are slightly smaller than the ones you buy at the store. i also have wild beaked on the property. the squirrels eat them and so far left my hybrids alone. check out bagersett research out of i think minnesota. they have dozens of commercial hybrids. there are some breeders in the mid west provinces that sell hybrids as well. don't remember the names.