I last saw your protection in 1969-1971. @krismoriah
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I got an Ouachita, an Osage, and a Prime Ark Traveler a few years ago and this is my 1st big harvest season. The Osage is my favorite taste wise but the Ouachita isn’t far behind and produces a lot more. I’m going to try planting the Osage elsewhere as I think I crowded it it too much. You don’t see any ripe berries because the kiddos have been getting a pint or two every few days. Living my dream here!
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The kiddos may be harvesting unripe blackberries. During the harvest season, when ripe berries are picked, there should be quite a few near-black but not ripe berries left behind.
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Oh yes! Some of the the ones they pick definitely should have been left on longer! They are very little kiddos though, and they’re learning. I think letting them put together the the color and feel to the flavor they get helps them learn more than anything. The smiles are worth it ^___^
I do think some of it is the varieties. We’ve gotten all of the Osage we are going to get now on this last picking. The kiddos do get excited and pick some of the other two that are ripening earlier but not quite ripe.
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Blackberry harvest has started and they are delicious!
My suspicion is that my family heirloom blackberry are doing well for you, both delicious and highly aggressive. If you put them in the worst soil you have they will see that as a challenge and turn it into rich black loam before the plants finally die. They extract nutrients from clay and if your ground is high in clay they do better. They like to stay evergreen much longer than most blackberries. In the winter they eventually do drop their leaves briefly but grow better in winter here than summer. The massive roots underground till the soil, making it extremely lose. When the blackberries are done the soil will be 10x better than they found it. All that said @39thparallel is a brave man to try to save these highly aggressive growing blackberries. They refuse to be contained as everyone will discover who grows them. Initially i unintentionally made them hardier because most didn’t live through the harsh Kansas conditions. Once i realized they were adapting i took my next starts from the hardiest. Root propagation is fine but their greatest trick is when they reproduce by seeds. They mutate in size, taste, and hardiness every time they reproduce by seeds. These berries wont play nice with other bushes. They will attempt to take over anything that competes with them. Trees will usually do better with their presence because the trees roots are moist and the berries loosen the soil for the trees. They mulch the tree with their leaves and canes over time. In my area i saw wildlife return to the area because of the shelter they offer. The berries provide a safe home for rabbits, quail, deer, pheasants, racoons, coyote puppies, turtles, possums, badgers, groundhogs, skunks, packrats, all types of birds eg. Brown thrush. They not only provide shelter but food as well. Many things i do for wildlife because i’m one of the few who does now. Mulberries, blackberries, pawpaw, persimmons were all things my grandfather grew spray free. In addition he grew a host of nut trees and acorns spray free. My family is one of the few that truly believes in independence and living off the land. Our rules are slightly different but many things we do is done out of respect for nature. Those that disrespect nature and try to control it are in conflict with my values. I believe strongly in independence. The berries i eat reflect my belief system. Let me ask a question everyone should be asking of themselves, do you believe a person is healthier eating healthy things or sick things? Society does not promote independence it promotes dependence. If you live in a place where you were suddenly on your own these blackberries make more sense. The thing that few realize is we are always somewhat on our own which we realize during the hardest times. Every farmer on the planet who can think knows he has a big problem with modern agriculture. Lets remove gmo seeds, chemicals, fuels, and fertilizer all of which he gets from other people usually. Gmo grains are just grains with bacteria inserted in them to resist being killed by harsh chemical sprays that kill other plants. How do we know it is safe to eat? We are all sick with something and ask if our diet and living conditions are safe? Large predators like mountain lion will become frustrated if you keep your goats or cows in an area surrounded by these blackberries. Things like eagles, hawks, owls, and bobcats and coyotes cannot over hunt their food supply. Rabbits and birds that feed many predators reproduce in these blackberries before something kills them. Like everyone i will die and those who come after me should know about the world they live in and the food they should eat. A blackberry that can be grown spray free is gold.
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All my blackberies grow spray free.
My illini blackberries are very easy to contain… they just do not spread at all. New pcanes come up just a few inches feom the crown.
Obsidian … so far does not seem to be an agressive spreader… again so far pcanes came up right near the crown.
Think i am going to try a couple new varieties next spring. I am into thorny… which keeps my birds away. Kiowa and Katota are on my mind.
Would like to hear more about this Health Berry…
When it ripens ?
How they taste ?
What they look like ?
If you planted a patch in a field… surely you could contain them by bushhogging around them a couple times a year ?
Thanks
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Society is an old word in a paper dictionary on a shelf in a library that isnt visited because the internet exists.
‘Healthy’ is still undefined. Some think that ‘carbs’ kill you. Some think that ‘meat’ causes cancers. ‘Healthy’ is like trying to talk religion or politics. Nobody thinks the same things. The least sick and most highly populated places on Earth do not eat what Americans eat.
‘Safe to Eat’ - we live in a country that has a law or regulation for every aspect of everything. Congress voted that Pizza is a vegetable. If you put 2 tablespoons of tomato on a cheeseburger its a vegetable also. If its in the store its obviously safe. The Candy Aisle is bigger than the fruit section now. The Chip aisle is bigger than the vegetable section now. The Soda pop aisle and the frozen pre made meals are also bigger. The meat aisles seem to be dwindling. Not many folks cook meat anymore… they buy it already cooked.
Being an American means that you are free to eat whatever you want. Being an American means that you will have good healthcare for when you get old and you will have strong medications to fix whatever you did in your younger years. You can also have surgeries to remove cancers and blocked arteries. Also take pills to lower blood pressure. We also have the best medications for diabetes.
Who cares about habitat, and healthy, and all that other nonsense you talk about.
Order a Wagyu beef sandwich, or a meat lovers pizza, or boneless fried chicken, or a foot long meat lovers sub… and forget about those old thorny blackberries.
I would tell you to write a book… but nobody reads books anymore.
Maybe make a podcast?
I am done with society (social media)… for the most part.
In the past week I saw someone post pics of bags of sand bought at Amazon because he googled and saw that blackberries like sandy loam soil.
I also saw someone post ‘Help, an insect bit me under my shirt while i was picking my blackberries’ what can i spray on my berries to kill all insects… i dont want them biting my kids’
There is something in the food or water that is making people lazier and dumber and ignorant… or maybe its me… i know i cant deal with it anymore.
Yes brush hogging contains them and spraying or cutting down any that pop up 20 feet away. The problem is occasionally their seeds are viable and when they are they come up in odd places.
There is some truth in what you say. Most of the times my circle is pretty small of people. I like people and wish the best for everyone. I’m covered in some kind of bites all summer long. If your used to nature it doesn’t bother you but i understand they are not. Mosquitos , ticks , etc. Bite me more as i age. Chiggers bit me a lot when i was a kid. Ticks are the worst for me but bite me the least. Every bite they make heals very slowly. Food is very tasty and we have lots to chose from!
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Move to France
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I think an honest real solution is to turn off all internets and have a phone that actually just makes phone calls and dont read any ‘news’.
My grandmas photo albums had pictures of people smiling enjoying life. You dont see that much anymore.
Anything other than that is technically BS.
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My soil can also be heavy clay in spots and am seeing some pretty thick canes. I’ll be sampling them before long if I can get to them!
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By now several people have found out how wicked the thorns and delicious the berries are on these. There are several members growing these. They are not like any blackberry that you have grown before! They still have some green leaves. This allows them to keep growing even during winter. They spread quickly because of their survival strategy. Dont grow them close to anything you love they will take over.
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