Last Updated on April 12, 2024 by Real Men Sow

5 Best Blackberry Canes To Grow Bursting With Vitamin C (Review) 2021

Brilliant Blackberry Canes

Vitamin C, vitamin C – it’s absolutely crucial to our health, and there are tons of berries and fruits that bear it. Did you know, however, that blackberries – eaten fresh or otherwise – are some of the richest fruit in vitamin C?

Vitamin C aside, blackberries are also supposedly good for heart health, helping to combat heart disease, and also contain stacks of dietary fiber and vitamin K. They are really easy to grow, and you might even find they help to boost your immune system, too.

They’re available in plenty of different varieties, meaning you can really fine tune the taste and size of the fruits you prefer. In fact, we’ve hunted down five of our favourite varieties of berries available for you to grow and get healthier with right now.

However, enough with the nutrition tips and all this talk of vitamin C – let’s focus on actually growing some delicious fruit that’s super easy to grow in the garden and on the allotment. They can taste tart when eaten fresh, but that’s part of the appeal!

Here are five brilliant blackberry plant varieties available as seeds for you to purchase and enjoy right now.

In This Review?

Loch Ness

Loch Ness varieties of these berries are fantastic starter fruits, thriving well in pots as well as in raised beds and deep in the soil.

On the whole, you can expect some pretty firm vitamin C boosters from this crop of plants, though they are still amazingly tasty, and don’t come with any thorns attached.

Features

Plant Size: 200cm max
Flowers: Between May and July
Harvests: Between August and September

Black Butte

These tasty fruit picks with a bit of a cheeky name are truly massive. They are some of the chunkiest blackberries we’ve ever had the pleasure of growing! They are seriously double the – anyway, moving on!

These are really hardy fruit crops, meaning that they are going to do really well on their own during the colder months. They don’t need much attention as their fertility keeps rolling over again.

Features

Plant Size: 200cm max
Flowers: Between May and June
Harvests: Between July and August

Reuben

The Reuben fruit variety is, yes, still crammed full of that wonderful vitamin C, but did you know that these particular blackberries are seriously easy to grow? Blackberries in general are very easy going fruit to propagate, but Reubens really do kick this up a notch.

The Reuben, in fact, is a very special breed of blackberry. It’s actually pretty likely to give you lots of lovely berries the first year it grows! It’s also very, very sweet – so take that as you will!

Features

Plant Size: 200cm max
Flowers: Between May and July
Harvests: Between August and
September

Karaka Black

The Karaka Black fruit bears nice and firm berries over an impressively long amount of time. Again, like the Black Butte, this superfruit tends to do well on its own, hardy against the elements and unlikely to give you much unrest.

In fact, what’s really interesting about the Karaka Black is that it grows really well in containers and pots. You’re actually likely to get a hardier plant, on the whole, if you go some ways to plop them in a pot. There are other great ways to grow a cup or two of fruits, of course, but it’s worth knowing!

Features

Plant Size: 200xm max
Flowers: Between May and July
Harvests: Between July and September

Apache

The Apache is another really sizeable berry pick that does very well on its own from seeds upwards. Just as rich in free radicals and vitamin C as every other growth on this list, this berry tends to be a good pick if you are looking for glossy fruit without any of the thorns.

Apache seeds are easy to come by and, like the other growers in our list, can be left to their own devices a fair amount.

Features

Plant Size: 200cm
Flowers: Between May and July
Harvests: Between July and September

How Do You Plant Blackberry Canes?

Growing a few blackberry bushes is relatively easy. If you are used to growing gooseberries, mulberries or otherwise, you might find it pleasantly surprising just how easy it is to get this type of berry to propagate.

You should ideally tie your blackberry canes to a fixed point, like a fence, and bury them in compost.

Some experts state you should take pre-soaking into account. Our advice when it comes to growing these fruits is to follow instructions from your fruit provider – or go trawling a few social media websites for a few more tips and tricks here and there!

Where Should I Plant Blackberry Bushes?

Ideally, you should look to plant blackberry bushes somewhere they are likely to get plenty of light.

On the whole, blackberries are fruits which can do well in shady conditions, but few do as well as they might without full sun.

Make sure to give your fruit bushes a nice balance. You should look to five your berry crops a nice bit of shade with sun peeling through.

You should also be careful when it comes to drainage and your blackberry bushes. What might be worth doing is setting up a raised bed or two so that your berry bushes can easily drain out.

However, providing they do have room to drain clear, there is absolutely nothing stopping you from letting them drain in the soil. Ideally, they like a soil pH that’s a little alkaline, if we are being specific!

Do Blackberries Need Trellis?

Ideally, yes – it’s worth planting all types of blackberries and their plants via trellis in your garden.

Most other berries you’ll grow are the same, but do make sure you give your blackberry canes plenty of support. Tie them up to support them as the plants grow – they are going to need to balance while propagating in your garden.

What is the best time to plant blackberries?

The great news is that you can largely plant blackberry bushes across the year and they will thrive.

However, believe it or not, you may do best planting some towards the winter. This means that they can persist during the colder months while there is still moisture in the soil.

Some people prefer planting these berry wonders in the warmer months, others wait until the end of the year. Take into account both sides – experiment with planting the fruit and see how you get on!

What Time Of Year Do You Plant Blackberries?

You can plant blackberries any time of year, but many people choose to place them in their gardens around the autumn or winter time so they can be left to persist.

Raspberry and gooseberry bushes may be a bit different in this regard, so don’t assume it applies to all fruits with a tart taste!

How Many Blackberry Bushes Should I Plant?

Generally, you’ll get a really good pick of blackberries from the soil if you introduce around 5 plants.

This will normally give you plenty of fruit from your garden for a few people to enjoy over a few days after harvesting.

What Can You Not Plant With Blackberries?

If you’re serious about growing these vitamin C boosting berries, be careful about what you’ve had in the soil beforehand.

Try to avoid planting these bushes where you may have previously had other types of berries! Believe it or not, blackberries prefer to thrive without other competing fruits of this kind.

You should also really avoid growing brambles with peppers or tomato. Aubergine, too, is not recommended growing alongside the vitamin C boosters.

Can You Grow Strawberries And Blackberries Together?

No – strawberries, we’re afraid, aren’t exempt from the rule above! Be careful growing these fruits close together.

How Long Does It Take For A Blackberry Bush To Grow?

Blackberry bushes are easy to grow, and their canes will normally take a year to shoot up.

They will then produce fruit anew, again, the year after.

Crammed full of vitamin C and plenty of health benefits, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to grow these fruits time and time again.

How Long Does It Take For A Blackberry Plant To Produce Fruit?

The jury appears to be out on this, so it may well depend on the seeds and types of plants you buy. However, most experts suggest that your blackberry bushes will take a year to grow to fruition in the soil, and most plants will then bear fruits the year after that.

Will I Get Berries The First Year?

It’s very unlikely – as mentioned, you are going to need to spend one year at least to let these plants grow up and get used to the soil!

Conclusion

Blackberry bushes are amazingly simple to cultivate. The canes we’ve reviewed here should give you more than a leg up to start putting delicious new jams and fruit pies on your menu and meal planning – maybe even start building your own trail mixes, too!

Do also take the time to look into all the wonderful health information and benefits of blackberries and their varieties – they could help with blood pressure, blood sugar levels and more. There’s lots of daily value in these crops.

Tasty and full of vitamin B6, antioxidants and many other compounds, it’s safe to say that these fruits, along with the odd gooseberry bush and plenty of raspberries, should turn your garden into a health centre giving you more than your daily needs.

Start growing yourself some antioxidants today!