I know there have been similar discussions here, but the goals seemed different so I figured I start a new topic.
I am currently planting small trial fields to help me assess varieties for a future commercial venture.
I currently have triple crown and Chester planted last year and given a rotating trellis. I would like to also try out some erect varieties that can be managed without trellis. Going trellis free could potentially save a lot of work and cost in the beginning, but obviously would have some drawbacks of its own. I think there’s probably enough benefit to be worth trying some in the test field. Has anyone here grown blackberries trellis free? If so what are some varieties you think have commercial potential? I have a strong preference for disease resistance. I’m not wholly opposed to spraying, but I would definitely prefer varieties that require minimal pesticides.
Bonus points if you know of a nursery selling several of the recommended varieties at wholesale. I’ve looked at agristarts and may go with them. They require a purchase of 72/variety. I was planning to do only one 50-100’ row of each variety since, although we’ll probably try selling some at farmers markets, our main crop in this test plot is information, so I’d prefer to have as many different varieties as I can.
I ordered in Ouachita, Navaho, and “Prime Ark”. Unfortunately they were varieties Hartmann’s doesn’t always carry and they only knew that the prime ark was thorny. I bought it since I was already buying from them and wanted to make sure I at least planted some kind of primocane.
I’ve seen a guy grow them where every winter he’d chop the canes down to 2.5’-3’ and he wouldn’t trellis them, they looked like bushes and they seemed to produce great.
I tend to use tomato rings so you can move around the good canes you keep and the ones that die off. They move around a tiny bit. But still stay in neat rows. Pays to have the thicker wire rings though to take all the repositioning.
@Nutbush-VA
Three years ago I added Von and Ponca. They both produce upright canes, 6’ to 7’ in my climate. Von is a little less sweet here than Ponca. Both have very good “eastern blackberry” flavor.
That sounds like something similar to what I’m thinking. I didn’t know folks cut them quite that short though. I didn’t think the floricanes put on any new growth after winter. Do you know what kind of blackberry they are?
I’ll have to think on that a bit. My first thought would be tomato cages would seem to be almost as much hassle as trellising on a large scale. That said I’ll put a little more thought in it. It’s a test plot anyway so I may try it with a row or two and see how it works.
Good to know! I hadn’t heard much about either of those. Fresh flavor is definitely a priority since the plan is for at least part of the farm to be upick
They do grow a little the second year, but only a short ~1 foot shoot with a few leaves and the cluster of blossoms.
I have no clue what he had, they were thornless.
I saw a youtube vid of a u-pick place growing Kiowa Blackberries… and they had tipped them quite low (3 ft or so).
They were very bushy and upright… and loaded with fruit.
They may have had a wire run down the row on both sides of the plants but that was it. The plants were not tied to that wire… it was just there to provide some support and to define the row.
Kiowa has a very stout thick erect cane and huge berries.
Do you know which prime ark? I’ve noticed traveler is less hardy with less resistance to everything vs freedom. I absolutely love prime ark freedom. Been growing it for about 3 years now? Also traveler acts a little different than freedom as well. I’ve noticed traveler wants to trail on the ground vs freedom likes staying straight up.
** I’ve only tried prime ark freedom and traveler. I don’t know about the thorny one but these two are thornless and i can’t say how much i love freedom enough
I’m currently using tomato cages in my small pots and I do not recommend them. The ones that grow outside the cage, you have to pull them with a string or something to hold them up when they get too tall (4+ ft) and the berries start ripening. This goes for raspberries as well.
I’m going to do one of those metal green poles in the corner of each storage tote and some sort of string or rope around them this year.
Oplea grows Triple Crown commercially without a trellis for upick. He might be able to give you some advice on how best to approach it. Take a look at this post and the rest of the thread.
Kiowa is definitely on my short list to try based on what I’ve seen! I do wonder if it’ll work for upick because of the thornyness, I’ve read it’s one of the prickliest among thorny. That said, from what I’ve heard about Kiowa, it may be worth it for the we-pick side.
Unfortunately all they could tell me was that they’re thorny prime ark. Traveler and freedom are thornless right? I believe Jim, Jan, and 45 are the only thorny ones. Might be wrong. I figured I’d pick them up since the other places I had looked at before had high minimums per variety. I may try to pick up freedom though.
@Nutbush-VA … here in my southern middle TN location… thornless blackberries are deer food. They wear them out… leaves blossoms shoots devoured on a regular basis.
Birds also make it hard on fruit on thornless varieties… but dont bother my thorned varieties.
I have Kiowa and Illini Hardy… both have some awesome thorns.
Right… not ideal for upick… but very necessary for me.
