Don’t Forget To Prune Blackberry Bushes

Prep for garden success by pruning during the dormant season. Plus, find out which crop is a good one to plant now.

Blackberries are a sweet summer treat and are delicious in just about everything! They are fun to grow but take some proper prep and pruning to get an abundant harvest in the summer.  

Wintertime, when the plant is dormant and no longer actively growing, is when pruning should occur — but only on plants that have already produced fruit for a season. Blackberries are biennial plants, which means it takes two years for the plant to complete its lifecycle from seed to flower and fruit. Blackberries start off with producing primocanes in their first year, which are long stems that sprout leaves and new growth but no fruit. In the second year, the primocanes become floricanes, which are stems that produce fruit. When the floricanes are done producing fruit, cut them back to the ground since fruit will not grow again. Floricanes only produce one time.  

During the winter, prune all lateral branches (any not growing directly from the ground) back to 12 inches to increase production the following summer. Be sure to prune blackberries before new leaves and growth begin to develop. After winter pruning, the plant will look very stumpy and short, but don’t worry because this will help the plant have healthier growth in the spring and produce better in the summer! 

Once you’ve finished pruning, it’s time to plant something new! For this month, consider mustard greens.

Mustard greens are a great crop to begin outside by seed in February and March, and they can be easily grown in containers. Mustard comes in purple and green varieties, which can be prepared the same way. These leafy greens are ready to be harvested in about six weeks. To harvest, cut the outside leaves at the base of the plant to allow the small, inner leaves to continue growing throughout the season. Once the plant produces flowers, the leaves become bitter and it’s time to remove them.  

Mustard greens provide many nutritious benefits including: 

• High in Vitamin C and Vitamin B-6 to boost immunity. 
• High in Vitamin K for bone health. 
• A good source of fiber to aid digestion.