Blackberry and raspberry care

We discovered our property has hundreds of wild red raspberries. I'm wondering about best care for them. I've read about pruning the canes - but this does not seem realistic given the number of bushes. I've also read about mowing bushes down entirely every few years. This seems doable but not sure if it is advisable. Interested in making it slightly easier to harvest and encouraging berry production. Also want to grow blackberries. Any suggestions on when to plant? Best varieties? Best source for bushes? I hope to contain them with some wire supports to again make picking a little easier. We're very new to the area and will be gardening organically. We're also working on a forest maintenance plan for our acreage - whatever we do with garden and brambles needs to fit within that scheme. Thanks for any thoughts.

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Permalink Reply by Polly McDaniel on August 30, 2009 at 8:35pm

I am very sorry no one has answered this for you. Let me try to hunt up an expert.
Polly

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Vruwink on August 30, 2009 at 8:48pm

It's ok -- may not be an area of interest to most folks! But any info you find would be great. I've done my own searching and the results are so mixed we may just proceed any way we want. The raspberries will likely thrive anyway

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Permalink Reply by Katherine on August 30, 2009 at 8:58pm

My guess is that they are wineberries, not raspberries. I've never seen raspberries grow wild here but wineberries are everywhere and very yummy, if a bit invasive. ! Here is what I do with my wild blackberries - during the first year a cane grows, I cut it off at about 6 or 7 feet. I cut back the side shoots to a couple of feet. THis keeps them a bit under control and easier to pick ( I do the same with my planted blackberries). They fruit the second year and when they finish the cane dies and should be cut back to the ground. For the wineberries, I don't do much of anything except cut back the dead canes after they produce fruit. They do tend to travel I've noticed. Wineberries don't store well in the fridge but can be frozen.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Vruwink on August 30, 2009 at 9:13pm

Ok -- I think you are right! I googled wineberries and the photos look just like mine. They are delicious and we have many. Since they are invasive, and we are hoping/planning to favor native over invasive plants -- do i really have to take them out (it would take a long time, and my kids would hate it)? I'll do more reading on them and maybe we can compromise on a section where we allow the non-natives to thrive.

They are so pretty. We enjoyed them straight off the bush, on our cereal and yogurt, and in cobblers and turnovers. So good they got my son to hike all the way to the top of our property - no small task in warm weather.

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Permalink Reply by Katherine on August 30, 2009 at 9:23pm

I would not take them out! They are a bit invasive, but definately delicious. Perhaps just try to keep them from spreading into other areas. I have an area I let them grow as much as they want but tend to pull out new shoots when they show up somewhere else. They haven't been that hard to keep from spreading for me.