How to Grow Raspberries & Blackberries Side by Side

Growing raspberries is a lot cheaper than buying store-bought brands.

Raspberries are a perennial plant whose canes live for two years. The plant produces a sucker from buds on the crown of the plant. The canes grow vegetation in the first year and fruit in the second year. Blackberries only produce buds from the base of the crown and do not fill out a trellis row, but they are very aggressive and will outgrow raspberries if you don't grow them a good length away from the raspberry plant.

Things You'll Need

• Stakes
• Wires
• Hammer
• Shovel
• Nails
• Mulch
• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Dig a hole that is 2 feet deep. Set a post into the trellis and fill the hole back in.

2. Attach another post to the first post at a height of 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet, using a screw. Add another at the end of your row. This row is for your raspberries.

3. Make another row 8 to 12 feet away from the first row for your blackberries. This gives your plants plenty of room to spread without entangling each other.

4. Attach a wire and anchor to the back of the post using an anchor brace. Screw the anchor brace down with a screw and set the anchor in the ground with a hammer so the wire is taught.

5. Attach two heavy gauge wires to the top of the posts using a wire brace and screws.

6. Plant your raspberry plants at the same depth they were planted at in the pot you receive them in. Space the crowns 2 feet apart.

7. Dig a hole for your blackberry plants and bury them at the same depth they were buried at originally. Spread the plants 4 feet apart.

8. Water the plants with 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Add 1 inch of wood chip mulch to retain water. Guide the plants up onto the trellis as they grow to keep fruit production high.

9. Apply 20 lbs. of 10-10-10 fertilizer for every 1000 feet in the early spring (mid-April).

10. Cut away any canes from the raspberry and blackberry plants that grow out of the 12- to 18-inch row width. Remove dead canes that look gray and are peeling in the late and early spring. These are the canes that fruited the year before. Keep only the healthiest new canes. Pinch off the tips of the blackberry plant when they reach above a height of 4 feet.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove any weeds as they appear.

References

• Mother Earth News; Growing Raspberries and Blackberries
• University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension; Growing Raspberries and Blackberries
• University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service; R.T Jones, J .G. Strang