New Blackberry Bed

A few weeks ago my grandparents gave me two new blackberry plants to put in my backyard garden. The plants were purchased via mail order and I believe they were bare root. My grandfather put them into pots with potting soil and let them grow. He gave them to me about a month later after they started growing leaves and canes. I have some pictures of the new plants in a previous post.

So far, to me blackberries are really easy to grow. They seem to be well adapted to the mid-Atlantic climate and are actually considered to be a native species. Wild blackberries can be found on the sides of country roads, railroad tracks, and edges of fields. I planted a store bought blackberry last year as well, and this year it is thriving. In fact, it has already started to form small berries...which seems early.



So now, I have two more plants and had to find a place to plant them. I decided to build a 2 ft by 6ft raised bed made out of 2x6 lumber and place the bed behind my current raised bed. The spot I placed it in gets good sun, especially in the afternoon. I also built a trellis out of T-posts and galvanized wire since the varieties I received are semi-erect. I filled the bed with garden soil, planted the berries, and covered everything with a good layer of shredded mulch. I fabricated some small cages to place around the small plants to keep the rabbits away. I'm not sure if rabbits eat blackberry canes and leaves, but would rather be safe than sorry. The cages will also keep the dog and kids from trampling the new plants.