for another great podcast.

This is the second year for our blackberries and they have fruit on them now. They are not ripe yet. Should I pick them this year or not? I have read that the first year they fruit, you shouldn't pick.

Trish, I've never grown strawberries but I think I should try. I love strawberries too. We have gazillions of wild strawberries. I did pick them once but no amount of sugar helped. They were very bland and not good at all.

I don't know why one would be told not to pick the fruit during the first year. I've heard this before, too, and that doesn't make sense to me. If the fruit is there and ripens on the cane, why wouldn't you pick it and eat it?

Yes, we pick all our blackberries, whether they appear on new plants or old ones.

Blackberries are my favorite, and I am fortunate (?) to have the highly invasive Himalayans growing wild all around me. A tasty nuisance.

If one must endure a weed, at least it is polite enough to be a tasty weed

Nice podcast, Dave and Trish. Ya'll covered two of my favorite berries!

There are more than enough wild blackberries here for me to enjoy so I don't cultivate any but if I did I'd go with the thornless Doyle blackberry, something others might like to try not only due to being thornless but also because one plant will produce about 10 times the amount of berries as a typical blackberry plant. I think the family that now sells them lives in Texas somewhere.

And yes, Vic, I'd pick those berries as soon as they ripen, too. And if you can walk up the road with 35 cents and an empty quart Mason jar and return home with some fresh milk with an inch of cream floating on top you'll have the perfect breakfast...blackberries in a bowl covered with cream. Oh the memories of growing up in those mountains over your way.

Happy Day, All!
Thanks again, Trish and Dave!

Well, you'll just have to come and have blackberries and milk with us Shoeman

Thanks Shoe. I've heard of the Doyle blackberries and I'll keep an eye out to add a couple of them to my orchard!

Well, I'm late getting around to listening to this podcast but I must say I loved it!!! So much great information for a newbie like me! I have been very interested in blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries. I knew blackberries and blueberries grew well in our area because of the soil acidity apparently being just perfect for them but I have been puzzled as to why no one seems to grow strawberries here much. I had also noticed there are no U-pick strawberry farms anywhere around here. Anyway, thanks for filling in so many gaps in my knowledge in this area! BTW, I would love to hear a podcast sometime on orchards, establishing one, timeframe expectations for harvest, care and conditions required, just general info. Just putting a bug in your ear for future podcast ideas! Thanks again for all the awesomely helpful info!!!

Thanks for the feedback, Lisa, I really appreciate it. I like the idea of an "Establishing an orchard" podcast and I'll add it to our list of topic ideas for the future.