Can I get some Blackberries?

The first spring I was in this house, I used an app to check out was I had growing. It started with these interesting plants growing along the ground on the north side of the property. I had never seen it before and was curious, I liked them, thought they looked pretty. Boy, was I ever glad I did because it turned out to be poison ivy. I then checked everything and found blackberries at the back of the property. They might be wild, but they also might be cultivated, given what else I have found on the property.

Blackberries, wouldn't that be great to have. As I watched them through out the spring, there were lots of flowers. My mouth watered in anticipation, fresh fruit right off the plant, still kissed by the sun. What a treat! And so good for you.

They are pretty high in vitamin C. I get a lot of my iron from plant based foods and vitamin C is needed to help absorb that iron. They are also an anti-inflammatory, which is another important component of my diet to help with the inflammation associated with arthritis and bursitis. The vitamin C and anti-inflammatory properties are a big step toward meeting some of my crucial nutritional needs and add an important element in my goal of self sufficiency.

I'll individually freeze them to keep as much of the nutritional value and keep a supply on hand as long as I can into winter. Thawed, they can be added to breakfast in granola, a multi-grain cereal or steel cut oats, or throw them in yogurt.

Granola and Blackberry Breakfast

And then reality set in. These plants were growing in an area of dense grass, more grass than blackberries, and it took a toll on the blackberries. The fruit just didn't form. There was nothing worth eating on the bushes. It was disappointing. There was just too much competition for resources and the blackberries suffered.

This year I decided to see if I could isolate the blackberries, remove the grass and get some berries. Probably the easiest thing to do would be to dig up the blackberries and clear the grass. Unfortunately the canes have buds. I should have done this weeks ago. Digging out the grass might damage the roots and plants which would make my effort a waste, so instead I decided to put down landscape fabric.

I really don't like that stuff. It's plastic and we really don't need any more plastic on the ground. However, I knew that cardboard wouldn't do the job. As one of my viewers said, grass just eats it up. Landscape fabric it is.

The darker canes are the dormant blackberries.

What an awful job that was. My hands were so scratched by the time i was done, they stung when I washed them. I had to patch the landscape fabric around the canes. Ideally I would have liked to just make holes for the canes and lay the fabric but blackberries are so thorny that they would catch the fabric as I was trying to get it to the ground. The patching meant that I was using a lot of staples to hold it down. Thankfully, the ground was pretty rocky and I could use those to help. It wasn't going to be any good if the fabric was flapping around or lifting up.

The thorns made laying the landscape fabric messy

In the end, it was so difficult I decided to make it an experiment. Was it going to be worth the effort. I only covered the densest patch with the fabric and hoped for the best. I also tried some mulch, covering a small patch around the base of a few canes. This was some wood chips I took off my garlic. I don't have a lot of faith in this. I don't think it's thick enough to stop the grass, but hey, I can only try.

I think that next spring, when the ground thaws while the plants are still dormant, I'll dig the whole area up and clear it.

In the meantime, I hope I get some berries from this experiment.