Blackberry Facts

v Usually Second fruit of the season

v Fruit produced from the middle of May until Mid July

v 52 five hundred foot rows

v 5 miles of Blackberries!

v 10 acres of production area

v Thorny variety – Kiowa - fruits 4 to 5 weeks starting

the middle of May

v Thornless varieties – Ouchita and Apache - fruit for approximately

6 weeks

v All canes are trellised (vines tied to wires) several

times a year so that even the thorny bushes can be

picked with a minimum of “sticks” (by the thorns)

v Blackberries are produced on two-year-old canes.

v After harvest we cut all the canes that fruited to

leave ample room for the new canes.

Picking hints

v Best time to pick – May 20 through June 15

v Pick berries when jet black and very plump. The

little “pockets that make up the berry are called

“drupelets”. Make sure these are plump and

bursting with juice when you pick them.

v Blackberries will not ripen after picking.

v Berries produced on thorny bushes are tarter and

hold their flavor better in cooking.

v Berries produced on thornless bushes are normally

sweeter.

v You may want to wear gloves when picking

blackberries to avoid stickers.

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