Gardeners who scavenged for wild blackberries in their youth will be happy to hear that many modern domestic cultivars lack the wildings’ wicked thorns. You can pick from your own patch scot-free—i.e. scratch-free! Remember that most blackberry bushes for sale produce only nonfruiting primocanes their first year, which become berry-bearing floricanes during their second summer. Those floricanes will die after production (and need to be pruned away), but the new primocanes that have grown that season will fruit the following year. When planting blackberries, choose a site that offers rich, well-drained, mildly acidic soil where no other berries or solanums have gone—er—grown before. For the best results, that location should receive full sunlight and access to water - rainfall or from the hose.
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