Blackberries

We have a small patch of wild blackberries on the farm.  The last two summers have been very hard on them because we have not been able to water them, nor have we had the time to take care of them properly.  Blackberries are propagated by underground runners.   New canes grow from these runners every year.  These canes do not produce fruit the first year.   So, you can always expect the fruit to grow on last year's canes.  

As a patch of blackberries matures, they tend to develop into a mess of live and dead canes that are full of thorns so that you almost need to wear a suit of armor to pick them.  However, if you clean out the old canes after they fruit each year, it makes the patch much more manageable and allows for easier picking of the fruit.

During the winter months, blackberries are dormant and you'd swear they are dead.  Here is what our blackberries look like today. 

However, I noticed that they are showing signs of life as evidenced by the new leaves on some of the canes.

They have lots of thorns!  I hope to have time in the next few weeks to go in and clean out the old dead canes.  Guess, I'll have to go dig out that old suit of armor.