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| Hello, I just recently returned from a trip to western Washington state where I was surprised to learn that the wild blackberries there are treated almost like a noxious weed. My wife and I harvested about six gallons of them in about half an hour and made some amazing jam from them when we got home. We life just outside of Spokane and there are very few options for blackberries around here. When you can find them, they are VERY expensive, around $3.00 per cup. Since it seems I am now a blackberry addict, instead of paying outrageous prices, I would like to grow my own. I am interested in winter hardy varieties that would work well in Zone 5(ish), I say 'ish' because even though the USDA map lists us as Zone 5, we tend to have weather that seems to vary in between 4 and 5. I would like them to be Primocane type bushes, as I am a low maintenance type of guy :) Thank you for your time and I am looking forward to your response. |
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| The primocane fruiting blackberries ripen pretty late in the year. My Prime Ark 45's primocane crop starts ripening around September 1st in my area and my average freeze date is October 17th, which gives me about 45 days for fruit production on that variety. I usually have about 25% of the crop that freezes. Last year, I had an extended harvest that went to November 1st. On average, I have about 180 freeze-free days in Northern Kentucky. In the Spokane, WA area, you have on average 153 freeze free days, about a month less. That is barely enough time to get 1-2 weeks of blackberry production unless you cover them. Some years you might get more and some years you might not get any. If you are willing to cover blackberry plants, you may find better success with the trailing varieties that Western Washington grows but you would need to cover the plants with straw and probably a tarp or similar cover (e.g. crop row cover). |
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