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Step 1
Select a site for your blackberry bushes before purchasing them. Blackberry bushes require a site that receives full sun (although they will tolerate partial shade) and a well-drained area.
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Step 2
Decide what type of blackberry bushes you are going to purchase. There are two types of bushes with different cane growing habits. One is erect with stiff, arching canes and the other is trailing, with canes that are not self-supporting.
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Step 3
Determine what cultivar you are going to purchase by its plant and fruit characteristics. You will want to know whether the plant is erect or trailing, what time of the year it produces fruit, if it is susceptible to disease, and if the canes have thorns.
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Step 4
Consider the following erect cultivars: Cherokee, which fruits in midseason, has thorny canes and large, firm berries. The Cheyenne cultivar fruits early and also has thorny canes and large firm berries. Trailing cultivars to consider are Black Satin, which fruits in midseason, is thornless, and has large berries that lose their glossiness at maturity. The Boysen cultivar fruits midseason and has thorny canes, while the fruit is large and rather soft.
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Step 5
Inspect the plants before you purchase them. Make sure that they appear hardy. Make sure that there are no insect infestations by looking on the tops and undersides of the leaves; make sure that the plant is not losing its leaves prematurely, and look for any broken canes. If the plant is container grown, make sure that the roots are not growing out of the bottom of the container, as this is a sign that it has been in the pot for an extended length of time and that the plant has become root-bound.
