How to grow Blackberry in Australia
Grow blackberries in full sun in well-drained soil enriched with compost, and train the canes along a wire fence or trellis. Water deeply while fruit forms.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Sun: Full sun
- Water: 8 litres a week, watered every 3 days
- Spacing: 150 cm
- Time to harvest: 365 days (about 1 year)
- Time to germinate: 1 days
- Soil pH: 5.5 to 6.5
- Frost tolerance: Frost hardy
When to sow by region
| Region | When to sow | Regional note |
|---|---|---|
| South East Queensland | June to August | |
| Northern Rivers NSW | June to August | In NSW blackberry cannot be sold or swapped, apart from the exempt cultivars: Black Satin, Chehalem, Chester Thornless, Dirksen Thornless, Loch Ness, Murrindindi, Silvan, Smooth Stem and Thornfree. Plant one of those as a bare rooted cane Jun to Aug and keep it on a trellis so cane tips cannot root. |
| Sydney & Coastal NSW | June to August | In NSW blackberry cannot be sold or swapped, apart from the exempt cultivars: Black Satin, Chehalem, Chester Thornless, Dirksen Thornless, Loch Ness, Murrindindi, Silvan, Smooth Stem and Thornfree. Plant one of those as a bare rooted cane Jun to Aug and keep it on a trellis so cane tips cannot root. |
| Melbourne & Victoria | June to August | Wild blackberry is a declared noxious weed around Melbourne and landowners must control it, so never transplant wild canes. Plant a named thornless cultivar such as Chester or Loch Ness as a bare rooted cane Jun to Aug and keep it on a trellis so cane tips cannot root. |
| Adelaide & SA | June to August | Blackberry is a declared weed in SA and cannot be sold or moved. The only exceptions are six named thornless cultivars: Black Satin, Dirksen Thornless, Smoothstem, Thornfree, Loch Ness and Chester Thornless. Plant one of those as a bare rooted cane Jun to Aug, keep it on a trellis and never let cane tips root. |
| Perth & WA | June to August | |
| Tasmania | June to August | Plant named thornless varieties Jun to Aug. Wild blackberry is a declared weed in Tasmania and cannot be imported, sold or spread; commercial thornless varieties are not covered. It grows almost too well here, so keep it on a trellis and stop cane tips rooting. |
| Canberra & ACT | June to August | In the ACT blackberry is a prohibited pest plant: it cannot be supplied or propagated. The permitted cultivars are Black Satin, Chester Thornless, Dirksen Thornless, Loch Ness, Smoothstem, Thornfree, Chehalem, Murrindindi and Silvan. Plant one of those as a bare rooted cane Jun to Aug and keep it on a trellis. |
| North Queensland | Not suited | Not suited. Cane berries need winter dormancy. Grow native raspberry instead. |
| Darwin & Top End | Not suited | Not viable. Cane berries need winter dormancy. No chill in Darwin. |
Varieties
- Waldo
- Chester
Companion planting
Good companions
Harvest and storage
Harvest tip
Berries are ready when fully black, plump and dull, and they release with a light tug. Pick by hand every few days as more ripen along the canes.
Storage
Fridge for 2 to 3 days. Freeze in a single layer for months.