I showed you the first of the Navaho blackberries about three weeks ago. We'd been harvesting the Araphos for several weeks before and now after 6-7 weeks of harvesting a pint or so a day, we're at the end of it. This is today's harvest! We'll do this two more time at the most and then we're done for the season - but this has been a very satisfying crop. We've had blackberries in cold cereal, blackberries in hot cereal, blackberry pie, blackberry cobbler, and - just blackberries as snacks by themselves. The rate of harvest and the rate of consumption has stayed in sync pretty well - we've got a quart or so in the frig now.
Both of these types of blackberries are thornless and are classified as "erect" in their growth habit. The canes that we've been harvesting from are called "floricanes". They are the second year growth and they will die now that production is over and I'll prune them off. Already growing, and of very large size, are this years' "primocanes". They will bear the fruit next year and I'll be taking care of them now to shape them and encourage more lateral growth to give us even more blackberries next year. We've had a few volunteer plants come up and they'll give us a few blackberries next year but most will come the year after.
In any event - we're going to miss our berries! You ought to consider growing some. You get a lot for what you put into it.
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