Winters_Lackey wrote:
"Terry Coombs" wrote in
:

We've got a resident population of wild blackberries here , and
they are
a real pain to harvest - thorns . And not just thorns , but wicked
curved little bas***ds that dig deeper the harder you pull and then
break off deep so you have to dig them out . But my wife likes them
well , so do I ... so I've been trying different things to be able
to harvest them . This year I've "bundled" them by tieing a string
around several plants . Started off by removing dead and diseased
canes , of course , but this seems to solve the "tangled" problem
with these . I also cut them all at about chest height , expecting
the remaining canes to produce better . As this year's new canes
grow , I plan to guide them into the containing string/cord , so
next year I'll only have to prune this year's fruiting canes . This
just might work !

It will work, I'm laughing because of all the hours I've spent
training those canes, and pruning. Blackberries are a labor of love.
They make raspberries seem easy. The question is, is it worth it?
If my wife liked them (and mine does as well), the answer is, yes.
Everyone should have your *problem*.

She's hung with me thru thick and thin for over 40 years . A little blood
and a few scratches is a small price to pay .
--
Snag