Growing Blackberries in containers

General Fruit Growing
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Has anyone had success growing Blackberries in containers? I have 2 15 gallon pots that I’m thinking of trying. I’ve looked online and some suggest it can work, but I trust the members on this site much more. I’m in SF Bay Area. Looking to plant Arapaho and Ouachita. Thanks in advance.

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I was very unsuccessful with 30 gallon containers. They need a lot of care.

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I have Baby Cakes, Arapaho, Triple Crown and Chester in 3 gallon pots. Going to move all but Baby Cakes into mounds this year. Baby Cakes likes potted life. Would love to add Kiowa or one of the Ark’s this year.

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Thanks for the response. I may give it a shot as I’m out of room that receives good sun.

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I do not usually push big commercial brands. But Star Nurseries “Bushel and Berries” makes a nice collection of dwarf fruit plants for containers and hanging basket use. What is cool is some have unusual foliage to liven up your yard. Or for example blueberries that have a pineapple or vanilla taste. Many are fairly low chill too.

Currently Babycakes is the only Blackberry. They have a Raspberry. A number of blueberry types. And are adding 3 new everbearing Strawberry plants this season.

If I owned a nursery; I’d carry them as great edible landscapes choices. Come on! 2 types of blueberry like a boxwood? Make your sidewalk an tasty trip?..lol

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Hi @letsski, I have been growing blackberries in containers for 3 years in zone 6b Northwest Ohio with mixed results but part of that is because I’m fairly new to gardening this way. For a standard size variety, you’ll want to use a whiskey barrel size container to allow for growth. It’s important to find the happy medium of slightly damp but not soaking wet or completely dry soil. In summer the containers dry out faster than the ground and when fruiting the blackberries need more water than usual. Use a few inches of mulch to help retain moisture. In my area the weather can be a bit unpredictable. Last year I had an early summer heat wave followed by a month-long drought which dried up all my blackberry blossoms. From the limited knowledge I have about the SF Bay Area, your temperatures are steadier year-round which helps when growing plants. Another thing to think about is chill hours, which is the number of hours between the temperatures of 32F and 45F your plants need in order to fruit the next year. I would think you have very low chill hours in SF Bay Area, so I would select varieties with a low chill hour requirement.

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Blackberries do very well in pots although I think a 30 gallon pot would be much better. Check out texasprepper2 on YouTube, he has a bunch of videos about growing blackberries in containers. You don’t have to make the fancy wicking tubs that he uses to be successful though. My container grown blackberries seem to do better than the ones I have in the ground. A thick layer of mulch on top of the potting soil helps them from drying out too quickly. In the warmer months I’m having to water about every third day.

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yes absolutely

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yes I have

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Thanks for the link.

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Thanks for the info. We do fine with chilling hours - grow Cherries, apples, stone fruit - all very prolific.

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I’m going to try the Superlicious Dwarf Blackberry plant this year. It’s expensive for a blackberry plant but I really want to try a new dwarf variety that is an improvement upon Baby Cakes.

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