Perennial Berry · zones 5–9 · 32 varieties

Blackberry

Name: Blackberry growing data
Creator: GardenTrack

Rubus fruticosus agg.

Rosaceae — the same plant family as apple, peach, cherry, plum and 4 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.) is a perennial berry for USDA zones 5–9. It wants full sun and pH 5.5–6.5 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 1–2 yr. Watch for spotted wing drosophila and anthracnose. Below: its full sourced profile from 14 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 5–9 — USDAest USDA

Sun Full sun

Water Moderate

First harvest 1–2 yr

Mature size 3–5 ft

Spacing 24–96 in

Soil pH 5.5–6.5

Frost Hardy

When to plant blackberrytypical · zone 6b

Your zone

…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Establishing

Growing

Flowering

Fruit set

Ripening

Harvest

Growing

Dormant

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing blackberryevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones: 5–9est
Sun: Full sun
Soil pH: 5.5–6.5
Soil texture: Sandy loam, Clay loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance: Hardy

The plant

Mature height: 3–5 ft
Mature spread: 3–5 ftest
Growth rate: Fastest
Spacing in row: 24–96 in
Between rows: 96–144 in
Planting depth: 0.5–2 in
Container size: 20–30 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is better; Two extension services disagree and we use the larger. Oregon State says 20–30 gallons and at least two feet deep; Maryland says a 16-inch pot, about 10 gallons. Maryland's own page adds that bigger containers protect the roots from winter cold — which is why we take the bigger number.
Container depth: 24 in
Support: Needs staking or a trellis
Grown from: Transplant, Root cutting, Suckers

Water & feeding

Water needs: Moderate
Water per week: 1–2 in/wk
Critical water: Fruit set, Ripeningest
Feeding: Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest: 1–2 yr
Chill hours: 50–800 hrs
Pollination: Self fertile
Harvest cues: Fruit coloring
Winter damage below: 13 °F
Survives winter down to: 10 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first

PestsSpotted wing drosophilaJapanese beetleCane borersAphidsStink bugsThripsMites

DiseasesAnthracnoseOrange rustDouble blossomCrown gallCane blightPhytophthora root rotVerticillium wilt

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

All 32 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked

Variety	Type	Habit	Days	Color	Size	Disease	What it is known for
Apache	Erect	Erect	—		Very Large		Utah State University Extension records this astakes the cold
Arapaho	Erect	Erect	—				LSU AgCenter records this asno thorns
Black Satin	Semi Erect	Semi Erect	—		Large		Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards describes this astakes the cold
Boysenberry Heirloom	Trailing	Trailing	—		Large
Cherokee	Erect	Erect	—		Large
Chester	Semi Erect	Semi Erect	—		Small		Utah State University Extension records this astakes the cold
Cheyenne	Erect	Erect	—		Large
Chickasaw	Erect	Erect	—		Very Large
Choctaw	Erect	Erect	—		Medium
Darrow	Erect	Erect	—		Large		Iowa State University Extension and Outreach records this astakes the cold
Doyle's Thornless	Semi Erect	Semi Erect	—		Small		Doyle Blackberry, Inc. describes this asno thorns
Hull Thornless	Semi Erect	Semi Erect	—		Medium		Utah State University Extension records this astakes the cold
Illini Hardy	Erect	Erect	—		Medium	PHYTOPHTHORA_RESISTANT	Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards describes this astakes the cold
Kiowa	Erect	Erect	—		Very Large
Kotata	Trailing	Trailing	—		Medium
Loganberry Heirloom	Trailing	Trailing	—	Red	Large		Raintree Nursery describes this asno thorns
Marion	Trailing	Trailing	—		Large
Natchez	Erect,Semi Erect,Trailing,Thorny,Thornless		—		Very Large		Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Texas Superstar program) records this asno thorns
Navaho	Erect	Erect	—				LSU AgCenter records this asno thorns
Olallieberry	Trailing	Trailing	—
Osage	Erect	Erect	—		Medium		University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture (Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station) records this asno thorns
Ouachita	Erect	Erect	—		Large	ROSETTE_DISEASE	LSU AgCenter records this asno thorns
Prime-Ark 45	Erect	Erect	—
Prime-Ark Freedom	Erect,Semi Erect,Trailing,Thorny,Thornless		—		Very Large		University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture (Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station) records this asno thorns
Prime-Ark Traveler	Erect	Erect	—		Large		University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture (Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station) records this asno thorns
Prime-Jan	Erect	Erect	—		Medium
Prime-Jim	Erect	Erect	—
Shawnee	Erect	Erect	—		Large
Silvan	Trailing	Trailing	—	Purple	Large
Tayberry	Trailing	Trailing	—	Purple	Large
Triple Crown	Semi Erect	Semi Erect	—		Large		Nourse Farms describes this asno thorns
Von's Thornless	Erect,Semi Erect,Trailing,Thorny,Thornless		—		Large		Ison's Nursery & Vineyard describes this asno thorns

Sources14 cited · 13 organizations

Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
Colorado State University Extension (Colorado Master Gardener)
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Mississippi State University Extension
NC State Extension
Oregon State University Extension Service
Penn State Extension
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service
University of Georgia Extension
University of Illinois Extension
University of Maryland Extension
Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 21 of the 25 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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