Dreaming of picking fresh, plump blackberries right from your backyard? You can easily grow these sweet, antioxidant-rich fruits in pots with this comprehensive container gardening guide.
Choosing the Best Blackberry Variety for Pots
While blackberry shrubs can tower 10 feet tall in garden beds, compact bush varieties are ideal for container cultivation. Consider these prolific, container-friendly blackberry cultivars:
Baby Cakes
This petite, dwarf blackberry grows just 3-4 feet tall, making it perfect for pots. The glossy black fruits offer a sweet flavor with a hint of tartness. Baby Cakes thrives with full sun exposure.
Apache
The thornless Apache blackberry produces an abundance of sweet, medium-sized berries on bushes reaching 3-6 feet tall. It’s an excellent choice for container culture.
You can find them here Apache blackberry
Kiowa
Kiowa yields large, juicy blackberries on upright canes growing to about 5 feet. This variety can handle partial shade but produces the heaviest harvests with full sunlight.
You can find them here Kiowa yields
Prime-Ark®
Expect plump, flavorful blackberries on 4-5 foot bushes with Prime-Ark. The tart berries ripen in midsummer on this semi-erect, compact cultivar.
You can find them here Prime-Ark
Providing the Ideal Pot for Blackberries
Aim for the largest container possible, at least 24 inches wide and deep. This gives blackberry roots ample room to spread out. Whiskey barrels, wooden crates, and cement planters also make stylish, functional homes for container blackberries.
Just be sure the pot has drainage holes to prevent soggy soil. Place a tray underneath to catch overflow.
Best Pots Offers Check out Here
Propagating Blackberries from Cuttings
Growing blackberries from stem cuttings is a simple, low-cost way to multiply your fruiting shrubs:
- Snip a 5-6 inch stem cutting from healthy canes in late summer, keeping a few leaves at the top.
- Trim off the lower leaves and lightly scratch the cut end.
- Tuck into moist potting mix, water well and place in filtered light.
- New roots and shoots should emerge in several weeks! Transplant into a larger pot the following spring.
Caring for Container Blackberries
With the right growing conditions, your potted blackberries will reward you with abundant fruit:
Sun and Temperature
Situate containers in full sun, with at least 6 hours of direct light daily. Shelter pots from temperature extremes outside the ideal range of 50-90°F (10-32°C).
Moisture
Water whenever the top inch of soil becomes dry. Avoid waterlogged conditions that can lead to root rot. Adding organic matter like compost improves drainage.
Fertilizer and Mulch
Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer every 2-4 weeks during spring and summer. Renew acidic mulch yearly to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
Support and Pruning
Install trellises, cages or stakes to support vigorous blackberry canes. Prune out old floricanes after harvest to promote the emergence of new, fruitful canes.
Harvesting Perfectly Ripe Blackberries
Patiently wait to pick blackberries until they fully mature to a plump, jet black color. Gently pull berries when they release easily from the stem. Enjoy fresh or store refrigerated for up to 10 days post-harvest.
With this complete container growing guide, you’ll be reaping the antioxidant-rich rewards of homegrown blackberries in no time!
