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 !
--
Snag
She makes
great jelly ...

they do have thornless blackberry canes...


songbird

"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*.



--
--Bryan
"The 1960's called. They want their recipe back."
--Steve Wertz in rec.food.cooking 4-20-2009

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

Terry Coombs wrote:
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 .

When I used to go pick wild blackberries, I would wear my old leather motorcycle
jacket, which save lots of pokes.

songbird wrote:
they do have thornless blackberry canes...


songbird

Yeah , "they" do , but I'm "me" , not "they" . These are native to this
area , and in a year with sufficient rainfall they're good producers .
Besides , have you ever tried to kill a largish patch of them ? Ain't gonna
happen , especially since they're all over up here and the birds and other
small animals spread the seeds ...
--
Snag

Bob F wrote:
Terry Coombs wrote:
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 .

When I used to go pick wild blackberries, I would wear my old leather
motorcycle jacket, which save lots of pokes.


Along with a pair of gauntlet welding gloves ... but I'm trying to avoid
having to go to extreme measures to harvest the fruit . And I think the
bunching is going to work . Minimum labor after the initial setup , but easy
access to the plants to harvest .
--
Snag

On 22/04/2014 12:43 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
songbird wrote:
they do have thornless blackberry canes...


songbird

Yeah , "they" do , but I'm "me" , not "they" . These are native to this
area , and in a year with sufficient rainfall they're good producers .
Besides , have you ever tried to kill a largish patch of them ? Ain't gonna
happen , especially since they're all over up here and the birds and other
small animals spread the seeds ...

I was laughing as I read your description of controlling blackberries as
I'm sure David H-S was if he read what you wrote.

In my country it's compulsory for land holders to not only control, but
also to kill infestations of blackberries. That applies to a single
bush or to hillsides or valleys of them. It's a declared noxious weed
which in past decades took over many acres of farmland and made it
unviable.

I have a small illegal patch and every time we spray it some, in the
very centre of the clump, evades the herbicide. I'm just glad the weeds
inspector hasn't noticed it or he'd be back each year and threatening to
impose fines for ineffective control.

Fran Farmer wrote:
On 22/04/2014 12:43 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
songbird wrote:
they do have thornless blackberry canes...


songbird

Yeah , "they" do , but I'm "me" , not "they" . These are native
to this area , and in a year with sufficient rainfall they're good
producers . Besides , have you ever tried to kill a largish patch of
them ? Ain't gonna happen , especially since they're all over up
here and the birds and other small animals spread the seeds ...

I was laughing as I read your description of controlling blackberries
as I'm sure David H-S was if he read what you wrote.

In my country it's compulsory for land holders to not only control,
but also to kill infestations of blackberries. That applies to a
single bush or to hillsides or valleys of them. It's a declared
noxious weed which in past decades took over many acres of farmland
and made it unviable.

I have a small illegal patch and every time we spray it some, in the
very centre of the clump, evades the herbicide. I'm just glad the
weeds inspector hasn't noticed it or he'd be back each year and
threatening to impose fines for ineffective control.

They're not really a problem here except in some clearings our land is
heavily wooded for the most part and in particular the power line easements
.. They come thru with a bushhog every few years and knock them and the small
trees down . I've tilled a lot under for the garden , still had a few shoots
this spring from when I broke that ground last year ... I've cleared a lot
of small trees in order to encourage the berry patch to migrate downhill a
bit to regain the plants I've tilled under .
--
Snag
I never knew farmin' was
so darn much fun !

Terry Coombs wrote:

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 .

Ah the price of love.
..
..
..
..
..
..

..


With a tiger!


D

David Hare-Scott wrote:
Terry Coombs wrote:

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 .

Ah the price of love.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.


With a tiger!


Damn , my secret's out !
--
Snag

On 22/04/2014 2:16 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Fran Farmer wrote:
On 22/04/2014 12:43 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
songbird wrote:
they do have thornless blackberry canes...


songbird

Yeah , "they" do , but I'm "me" , not "they" . These are native
to this area , and in a year with sufficient rainfall they're good
producers . Besides , have you ever tried to kill a largish patch of
them ? Ain't gonna happen , especially since they're all over up
here and the birds and other small animals spread the seeds ...

I was laughing as I read your description of controlling blackberries
as I'm sure David H-S was if he read what you wrote.

In my country it's compulsory for land holders to not only control,
but also to kill infestations of blackberries. That applies to a
single bush or to hillsides or valleys of them. It's a declared
noxious weed which in past decades took over many acres of farmland
and made it unviable.

I have a small illegal patch and every time we spray it some, in the
very centre of the clump, evades the herbicide. I'm just glad the
weeds inspector hasn't noticed it or he'd be back each year and
threatening to impose fines for ineffective control.

They're not really a problem here except in some clearings our land is
heavily wooded for the most part and in particular the power line easements
. They come thru with a bushhog every few years and knock them and the small
trees down . I've tilled a lot under for the garden , still had a few shoots
this spring from when I broke that ground last year ... I've cleared a lot
of small trees in order to encourage the berry patch to migrate downhill a
bit to regain the plants I've tilled under .

That's interesting about being treed and not having big infestations
because where the foresters grow radiata pines here, the blackberry
infestation is amazing.

The one really wonderful thing about backberries (other than the
berries) is how wonderful the soil is under the canopy once a big old
long lived clump is finally killed off. All those years of dropped
leaves and bird poop creates wonderful soil.

Fran Farmer wrote:

The one really wonderful thing about backberries (other than the
berries) is how wonderful the soil is under the canopy once a big old
long lived clump is finally killed off. All those years of dropped
leaves and bird poop creates wonderful soil.

Yes , it does make great soil . That part of last year's garden where I
removed berry bushes was the most productive . I expect this year to be good
too , most all of the garden is now on former blackberry areas .
--
Snag

On 4/21/2014 6:36 PM, songbird wrote:
they do have thornless blackberry canes...


songbird

The Doyle blackberry is touted to be prolific on just one bush and has
no thorns. Just do a search for the Doyle Blackberry.

George

George Shirley wrote in news:53696c17$0$59771$862e30e2
@ngroups.net:

On 4/21/2014 6:36 PM, songbird wrote:
they do have thornless blackberry canes...


songbird

The Doyle blackberry is touted to be prolific on just one bush and has
no thorns. Just do a search for the Doyle Blackberry.

This is going off on a tangent, but I finally finished my
blackberry/raspberry enclosure. It's a 9' x 10' by 6' high structure made
from PVC pipe, and I have been covering it in bird netting every year.
What a pain. This year, I did everything but the top with chicken wire,
and only used the netting for the top.

The birds might get most of my cherries, and the squirrels most of my
peaches and plums, but this year the berries belong to the humans.

George



--
--Bryan