Anyone, please? :0(

Kendra:

It depends on what's below the surface. Do you think there is any good soil down below?

Another possibility is to just build a bed above what's there. In either case 8-12 inches is about the minimum depth of soil in which you might attempt to grow berries.

Good topsoil plus compost would be better than all cow manure. The manure will breakdown and disappear in a few years then your 12 inches becomes 3-4 inches.

The soil starts to look "red" or orange the further down I dig, and there are these rocks that look almost like lava rocks. I only dug maybe four inches down, so far, so I think those are there since the building was built. I don't see anything that looks like something a plant's roots can penetrate. I have to use a hoe to break through what's down there because it's pretty packed. Should I even do this?

Unfortunately a raised bed is not an option. :o(

Throw on some compost/manure and plant. Red soil is usually pretty well drained. That should grow blackberries.

Is there a basement on this building? The rocks might be along the foundation for drainage. If you add dirt and water the area a lot, it might cause moisture problems in the basement.
Northwoodswis

As stated before, I have done it, but you may not be so lucky.

Check the soils pH ahead of time. Next to your building it might be excessively alkaline.

Ok, now I read the post about rocks and drainage. There is a basement. Should I put the soil and rocks back, and if I do that (which I'm going to do, in case they're there for soil) will it ever compact again the way it was before??

I wish I had received that answer days ago, I bagged everything up. Very regretful.

The reason I mentioned about the drainage, was that we had to dig down to the bottom of the foundation wall, replace the drainage tile there and then refill it with rocks to correct a water problem. Then we put a layer of dirt over it for looks. I wondered if that was what you might be encountering. Yes, it will probably settle back to what it had been eventually. I have also found that things don't grow well under a roof overhang with eaves troughs. It is too dry. It is meant to be dry. On the other hand, brambles seem to grow in most anything, though they will usually not produce much fruit in dry conditions. If you move out beyond the dripline of the roof, you might find better soil where you could plant them. Some of the canes could probably sprawl over into the dry area if it is sunny there. Northwoodswis

Hi Kendra,
Another thing to consider is the positioning of the sun for maximum AM exposure and how close to the foundation you plan on planting. Is the proposed planting on a N,S,E, or west facing? Harvestman raised a good point about being close to the foundation. I'd stay 3 feet away, at least, especially with a basement as you want to keep the water away from the concrete or use a plastic barrier to divert any excess away from the foundation.
I have some royal purple raspberries that are facing east, 1foot away from the dripline along the garage and get a little extra water, protection from the intense PM sun, and get early morning sun to keep the fungi in check. It's a nice arrangement.