The blackberries we planted a couple of years ago are going a bit nuts this year. And, since I discovered they are now trying to climb up our neighbor's tree and across our back patio, it was time to give them a little attention this weekend. They are LOADED with berries that are starting to turn red and ripen.
But first...gloves (watch out for poison ivy!), machete, and safari hat. A spotted leopard darted from the thick jungle as we dove in to cut back all the overgrowth on the far end of the bed. Okay, maybe it was really just the neighbor's cat and MAYBE it was just weeds and overgrown neighbor trees that all needed to be cleared.
We got most of the brush out of the way, but we still need to pull out an old trellis that we put up when we first bought the house 16 years ago. It's in the way of our pulling out some old weed trees that have grown up between it and the fence.
Once we have everything cleaned up, we'll be able to move the blackberry plants that have rooted where they shouldn't have.
Did you know blackberries are insanely easy to grow? I had no idea that it was so easy to root them off an existing plant...just stick the end of one of the shoots into the ground and weight it down. It will grow roots and a new plant. So find a friend who has some and ask if they'll root some for you. I will never pay for blackberry plants again!
Our neighbors have a huge blackberry patch, but you have to cover up to go in it! We had a huge patch in the bottom of the pasture at the old place... but they are a mess to manage in an open pasture, those little whips will get your ankles every time!
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