Blackberries

My daughter said I ought to start reposting on The Garden Doc blog.  Sorry for the hiatus but major changes have occurred in my life.  Now things have settled down.

Three years ago I purchased one plant of Doyle's thornless blackberry plants.  Two of my brothers both made purchases earlier and raved about them.  So I bought a plant, planted it along a garden fence that is supposed to keep out deer and watched.  It sprouted a small cane the first year and I thought great, next year a larger cane will emerge.  The second year, nothing.  I searched and couldn't find it.  I racked it up to another idea plant that couldn't make it through the Wisconsin winter.

Last winter was a mild winter.  It only went below zero a couple of times and never got below -10 degrees F.  This spring another shoot emerged through the raspberries I have allowed in the area and continued to grow up, then curved over along the fence with a final length of about 10 feet.  This is a healthy cane.

After not seeing anything for a year, what happened?  Maybe the roots were just taking their sweet time getting established.  Maybe the colder winter two years ago killed off the cane and the plant struggled to maintain a root system.  Maybe there was a cane last year and I didn't notice it.  My eye sight is good but not like it used to be.  Anyway, I now have one very nice vine that if it overwinters will flower and provide some nice berries.

My thoughts now are, will it winter kill.  The only way to know is wait until next spring.  I could try to help it overwinter by laying it on the ground and covering it to try and keep it warm.  I won't do that.  I am of the opinion that if it is going to grow in WI it will have to be tough.

Happy Gardening,

The Garden Doc