Thornless Blackberry (Rubus Ursinus)
Blackberries are not only delicious but good for you to. The Blackberry, a member of the rose family, is in fact not a true berry, it is botanically termed an aggregate fruit as it composed of small drupelets.
The plant roots are perennial but produce biennial stems, this is best explained here, the old stems will die off and the new ones will produce the fruit. This process takes two years to complete so be sure you know what you are removing. Frankly, my method is to just remove the ones that have died off.
Do not over think this process, I have allowed mine to do whatever they want then I remove the dead wood each year, so you can make this an exact science if that is your personality type, or allow the plant to go crazy (my personality type 😉 and serve as protection for wildlife as well as a source of fruit. You can trellis it along your fence on the traditional fashion allowing more fruit bearing branches, or let it take over a section of your yard as we have, either way is it an enjoyable addition to the garden.
There a whole host of nutritional benefits to the fruit as well and while you may know that blackberries are one of the most notable antioxidants or that they are an incredible source of vitamin C, K, folic acid, B and even a source of magnesium, you may not know that even the seeds promote health by providing Omega’s 3 and 6, fiber, and even some protein! Seriously, this is a super food… not to mention ridiculously delicious and tragically over priced at the stores.
You will literally produce dozens of pints of fruit from a single plant and as you allow the plant to grow the production becomes greater. You have never tasted a blackberry as delicious as the one you grow. You will need to share with birds unless you grow the thorned blackberry, but I found the reward not worth the pain of reaching through the barbed wire-like thorns to get to my fruit, so we share until we are over taken, then create a screen with bird mesh.
Here is a list from Texas A&M of the Blackberries they recommend for our area. click here I am still seeing blackberry plants at the nurseries so go get you one! The featured plant in this video is Arapaho…Enjoy!
Then go get your fruit garden on!
Lisa LaPaso
“Saving the Planet One Yard at a Time”
Watch my other videos on my YouTube channel!
- Posted in: Central Texas Gardens ♦ Eco Friendly ♦ Edible Gardens ♦ Native and Adapted Plants ♦ Perennial plants ♦ Water Wise ♦ Xeriscape
- Tagged: Austin Texas, Avery Ranch, Blackberry, Central Texas, fruit, Lisa's Landscape & Design, native and adapted plants and design, North Austin, Organic Gardening, plant selection, Thornless Blackberry, vines, vining fruit