New to Blackberries

[Ashdoes]

I have three blackberry bushes on the way, and I'm trying to prepare the area, but I'm not sure how the bushes grow. Will they be a bush? Or a vine? Because something I just read said you can train them up a trellis? I wanted them as big bushes, for the main wall of our chicken run, is that a mistake? Any tips would be great. I'm pretty new to major gardening, as this is our first house, but I want to get moving on beautifying this big dry yard.

 

[Ashdoes]

I would like the bushes along the outside of the run. It's perfectly in the sun, and the bushes would make great shade for the chickens. Will that work? I don't really want them becoming a vine.

 

[kcjones]

depends alot on which varietys you ordered.some kinds are vines some are more like bushes. and there is thorns and thornless.

 

[JesseK]

I don't know about blackberries, but your run looks fantastic

 

[Ashdoes]

I don't know about blackberries, but your run looks fantastic

Thank you!
I've been reading as much as I can. My first three bushes are semi-erect, and the second set (that I forgot about) are erect. So they don't need a trellis, but can attach to an existing support structure. Luckily the posts of the run wall are cemented and sturdy. And the two outer walls are our 3-rail fence, so that'll hold up as well. I'm super excited, and my MIL is already talking about canning and pies. Yay!

 

[Daisy8s]

I have one thornless blackberry bush. So, I'm not an expert but I can tell you what I experienced. The first two years it grew well but produced no berries. I learned that I had it in a wet spot. So, I transplanted it to a much drier spot...and then totally neglected it. So, it has grown very slowly and produced only a handful of berries, but actually it's quite hardy considering that I always forget to water the darn thing and it has survived even a dry summer like this. It's green and growing amidst brown, dry grass.

The branches are very woody and much stronger than the raspberries I have. There are much fewer branches and fewer berries, but the berries are big and very tasty.

I think it'll grow very well on your fence with a bit of work to either thread the branches in and out of the fence or tie them to the fence. I don't know how much shade they'll actually produce, though. I wouldn't call my bush a shade bush at all. I have it trellised along my fence and it produces far less shade than my grapes, raspberries or apple tree, for example.

If you really want shade you might consider some grapes. Those trellis well, grow rapidly, and produce very big leaves.

Good luck!

 

[Ashdoes]

We have six support posts inside the run, and have planted grapes to climb those.
I'm hoping the blackberry bushes thread into the goat wire, that'll be the shade I'm looking for. the other two sides will have vines as well. I'm really hoping to cover the entire run with natural shade.

 

[Sally8]

Just a comment, really. Anything that I ever planted near the run disappeared in no time. I think my chickens have extensions on their necks. I like the comment that " The Coop and Run are never Done". Amen to that!
I have black berry that are bushes. I have them kind of in the middle of the lawn and they arch over. If I tied them up they could be 6 - 8 ft tall. I bought them at a yard sale several yrs. ago. Yummy

 

[Daisy8s]

We have six support posts inside the run, and have planted grapes to climb those.
I'm hoping the blackberry bushes thread into the goat wire, that'll be the shade I'm looking for. the other two sides will have vines as well. I'm really hoping to cover the entire run with natural shade.

Sounds very nice! You may need to protect the bottom of the grape vines. If the chickens aren't actually eating the leaves of a plant then they can destroy the roots when digging near the base either in search of bugs or for dust baths.

This year I turned over plastic milk crates and planted my squash under the crates. The vines grew up and through the holes in the crates--at which point they were big enough to withstand some chicken abuse, but they were protected by the crates when first sprouting from either foraging or digging.

I also put up simple cages of chicken wire around two stakes to protect young fruit trees and that worked perfectly.

 

[Nancygardens]

I love your idea of putting 'em by the pen for shade. Black berries produce every other year it seems and the new canes that come up will produce next year. I like to put ashes by the plants they like the acidic soil.