We started with Blacksatin and Dirkson blackberries in the 80’s.
Both were very productive and very sour. The fruit was not sweet enough to eat until is was soft, overripe and ready to drop. They make great wine if you add a lot of sugar
Once our customers tasted several of the blackberries from U of Arkansas, they refused the buy the Blacksatin or Dirkson and we pulled them all up.
Coming somewhat late to the party here… as Matt said I tried a great many western blackberry varieties. I found that nearly all trailing types did not do well at all, they just don’t like the heat dished out here. My orchard is on a south hill so is extra hot even beyond the usual mid-atlantic heat.
Basically they all failed except the semi-erect ones: Osage, Triple Crown, and some experimental semi-erect ones – Orus 2711-1, 2816-3, and 2816-4. The failures I kept in the ground for years but they never grew much. I finally pulled the last of them out this last spring.
Thanks. Which ones do you have now? And which taste better, in your opinion?
Thanks. So which ones do you like best that are remaining? I’m considering Osage.
Thanks, Bill. That’s interesting about your grafted blueberries.
I wouldn’t think SWD would affect bloobs, considering how early they come on. I thought that was a late summer issue.
At the moment we have about an acre of Natchez, Ouachita and Navaho which ripen in sequence -first of June until mid August.
We used to have several acres of thorny Arkansas blackberries which tasted much better than Dirkson or Black Satin but the thorns were terrible.
I would like to try Osage, Traveler and Von and see how they fit with the other varieties, but my apples and peaches consume all of my energy.
Honestly the differences are not super great to me. Some years one is better, some years another. Note I didn’t have Osage and Triple Crown together for much, the TC were in a bad spot so they were removed not long after I added Osage. My memory though is Osage was a bit better at ripening up to sweetness. This last year all my Osage got eaten by the deer so all the memories of it are from previous seasons. 2711-1 is my overall fave since it is a bit bigger berry, but I don’t think it is readily available.
Marion blackberry has the best flavor, in my opinion. Siskiyou is probably next. Thorny boysen is really good when ripe and NewBerry also has a really good flavor. Unfortunately, not of these grow well in Kentucky.
Which one ripens in June?
Natchez in early June, followed by Ouachita in mid June
They are decent flavored berries?
The flavor of all three is similar, they are all products of the U of A breeding program. The Natchez need to hang a while before they are picked in order to get the maximum sweetness.
I don’t have any of the more current varieties like Osage, Von or any primocane varieties to compare them to, but the U-pick customers love them. No thorns is a big bonus for customers when they pick and especially for the operator when the canes are pruned.
They don’t handle cold weather below zero well, which is very rare in my area.
I found this really good presentation http://extension.missouri.edu/greene/documents/Horticulture/Blackberry/Blackberry%20Cultivars%2C%20McWhirt%20Nov_15%2C2016.pdf. As i’m trying to figure out how they do in my area I’m fighting the temptation to order a row for testing. Test crops have served me well historically.Thank you!
Drew…I know you weren’t too impressed with the white blackberries, but have you seen that Jung is offering a berry they are calling “Polar Berry Blackberry” (‘Nettleton Creamy White’)?
An orange when ripe, raspberry… I’d be a customer…
I keep meaning to add a raspberry again. What do you recommend for our area? Anything that doesn’t require full sun (which has become difficult in my yard…lol)
Thanks
Scott
The yellows need less light. As for the reds, Prelude is the most aggressive grower here. All around robust cultivar. berries are good, but lean towards tart. Himbo Top is not as robust, but produces tons of berries for me with only an eastern exposure. Berries are low acid. These berries grew on me, i didn’t like them at first. Mostly my bias towards tart fruit. My wife does not like tart, and it is one of her favorites. After three or 4 years I’m starting to appreciate them more. Not bad at all! JT likes Cascade Delight, he has moist conditions and it does well for him being resistant to root rot. I will try it when i can find a spot!
Most of the Arkansas Blackberries have problems when the temperature gets to zero or below. Some commercial growers in areas below zero have use some type of shift or rotating arm trellis to place the blackberry plants close to the ground where they can be covered up with Remay or similar. I have seen homemade shift trellis systems that were cumbersome, but some high quality prepfab systems are in place that look pretty good but they are expensive.
I believe most of the USDA blackberries handle the cold better
A test would be useful for sure.
I grew Navaho here. Slow to establish, lost floricanes first winter. Never did again for 2 winters. taste like Triple Crown. We had lows of -12 and -16 the last two years. I have removed it because it ripens for me right when SWD is the worst. Also I’m more a fan of trailing thorny types. Not for production and obviously not for ease of harvest! On flavor. Have you heard some people taste soap when they taste cilantro?
Well I get a strange taste with most thornless blackberries, some exceptions, and my wife lost interest in them, so out they went. Only thorny cultivars here now. Reminds me of dolphin free tuna, it’s just not the same without the dolphin, For me blackberries don’t taste the same without thorns.
Yes, and that berry to me was terrible. It produced better, but man it was not good. Burbank’s was great but small, It’s the blackberry version of pixie grapes.
At least the fruit!
I have been looking for Nightfall Blackberry for several years and I see that it is offered by OGW now. With shipping, it would cost me $45 for one plant…ugh…
I have been to that same orchard. My father grew up just a few miles away from there.
I have been looking for Jewel Gooseberry and they have it too. Steep without postage argh!
