Blackberries
Types & Varieties of Blackberries
Blackberries span a wide range of growth habits and fruiting types, from thornless erect canes suited to home gardens to trailing varieties prized for exceptional flavor. Understanding the differences between floricane-fruiting (second-year canes) and primocane-fruiting (first-year canes) blackberries is essential for planning pruning, trellising, and harvest timing.
Variety choice also determines labor and infrastructure needs. Trailing and semi-erect blackberries benefit from robust trellis systems, while upright thornless cultivars can be managed with simpler supports. Climate fit—especially winter chill, summer heat, and disease pressure—plays a major role in berry size, sweetness, and yield consistency.
This guide breaks down blackberry varieties by thorn presence, growth habit, and fruiting behavior, helping gardeners and growers select cultivars that match their space, climate, and production goals—from backyard patches to high-yield Crop Circle layouts.
Use this quick checklist to narrow options fast—then use the tables below to choose a type that matches your climate, trellis capacity, and harvest goals.
| Type | Best for | Tradeoffs |
|---|---|---|
| Thornless | Backyards, u-pick, labor efficiency | Choose climate-appropriate cultivars |
| Thorny | Rugged vigor, some warm-region classics | Higher labor and harvest handling |
| Trailing | Premium flavor, processing markets | Requires robust trellis + space |
| Primocane | Extended season; simple “mow-down” pruning option | Heat can reduce fall set in very hot climates |
Thornless blackberries are a group of blackberry cultivars that have been bred to lack the sharp, prickly thorns traditionally found on blackberry canes, making them easier to manage and harvest. They come in a variety of species, each offering unique flavor profiles and berry sizes, and are known for their sweet, juicy fruits and high yields, making them a popular choice for both commercial growing and home gardens.
Apache: This variety is known for its large, sweet berries and high yield. It's also resistant to diseases.
Arapaho: An early ripening variety, Arapaho produces sweet and tart berries. It's also known for its cold tolerance and resistance to diseases.
Navaho: This variety produces high yields of sweet, firm berries. It's known for its cold hardiness and resistance to diseases.
Ouachita: This variety is noted for large, sweet, high-quality berries with good storage and handling qualities.
Triple Crown: This variety is highly productive and disease resistant. The berries are very large, sweet, and juicy.
Chester: Chester blackberries are very heavy producers and have excellent resistance to disease and pests. The fruit is medium-sized, very sweet, and great for fresh eating and preserves.
Natchez: Natchez blackberries offer large, sweet-tart berries and are noted for their high productivity and disease resistance. They are also early ripening.
Loch Ness: This high-yielding, thornless variety produces large, glossy, flavorful berries.
Hull: This variety is a hardy, high-yielding blackberry bush that produces medium-sized, sweet berries.
Prime-Ark Freedom: The world's first primocane-fruiting thornless blackberry, this variety is known for high yields of large, sweet berries that can be harvested twice in a growing season.
Prime-Ark Traveler: Another primocane-fruiting thornless variety, the Traveler produces large and very sweet berries suitable for commercial and home use.
Use these tools to estimate yield per plant, scale a berry patch, and model harvest totals over time.
Estimate yield per crop or planting unit.
Plan rows, spacing and total harvest.
Tip:Open pruning and mildew-resistant varieties improve fruit quality and usable yield.
Thorny blackberries are traditional varieties of blackberries that have sharp, prickly thorns on their canes, requiring careful handling during maintenance and harvesting. While these varieties may require a bit more caution to grow, they are often valued for their high productivity, large berry size, and the robust, sweet-tart flavor of their fruits, making them a favorite among many growers and consumers.
Brazos: An older, very hardy variety known for its large, tart berries. It is very productive and does well in warmer climates.
Rosborough: This is a variety released by Texas A&M University. It is a highly productive variety known for its large, sweet-tart berries.
Chickasaw: This variety produces large, sweet berries and has a high yield. The plant is vigorous and has good disease resistance.
Kiowa: It produces some of the largest blackberries of any variety and has a long harvesting period. The berries are sweet and excellent for fresh eating, but the plant does have thorny canes.
Shawnee: This variety has a long harvest season and is known for its large, sweet fruit. It is very productive and has good disease resistance.
Choctaw: The Choctaw blackberry produces sweet berries that are medium in size. The berries ripen earlier than many other varieties.
Trailing blackberries, also known as vine blackberries, have long, flexible canes that arch and trail along the ground or can be trained up onto trellises or fencing, contrasting with the stiff, upright canes of erect blackberries. Their trailing habit can lead to a more expansive growth pattern, which can require a bit more space and maintenance, but these varieties are often praised for their sweet, flavorful berries that are excellent for a variety of culinary uses.
Boysenberry: A large, dark purple, juicy, and sweet berry. It's a cross between a raspberry, a blackberry, and a loganberry..
Marionberry: Known for its intense, tart flavor, the Marionberry is the classic blackberry of the Pacific Northwest. It is a type of trailing blackberry developed by cooperative extension service researchers at Oregon State University.
Loganberry: This raspberry-blackberry hybrid is large, dark red, and slightly longer than a typical blackberry. It is juicy with a sharp flavor.
Youngberry: A cross between a blackberry and a dewberry, Youngberries are large, sweet, and juicy with a wine-like flavor.
Kotata Blackberry: A trailing blackberry variety that has firm, sweet, high-quality fruit. It is resistant to several common diseases.
Columbia Star: This variety is a thornless, trailing blackberry with firm, sweet, high-quality fruit. It's also resistant to several common diseases.
Primocane blackberries are unique in that they can produce fruit on the current year's growth (primocanes), which allows for a potential double harvest in a growing season. Here are some primocane blackberry varieties:
Prime-Ark 45: This variety produces large, sweet, and tart berries on thorny canes. It's known for its high productivity.
Prime-Ark Freedom: The world's first thornless primocane-fruiting blackberry, this variety is known for high yields of large, sweet berries that can be harvested twice in a growing season.
Prime-Ark Traveler: Another thornless primocane variety, the Traveler produces large and very sweet berries suitable for commercial and home use.
Prime-Ark Horizon: A newer variety, the Horizon is known for its large, sweet, and firm berries.
Prime-Jan and Prime-Jim: These are earlier varieties of primocane blackberries with thorny canes. They produce medium-sized, sweet, and flavorful berries.
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Compare berry varieties, plan spacing, and estimate harvest totals using the guides and calculators below. These links help you move from “which variety?” to “how many plants?” and “how much harvest?” Start here: Berry Varieties Hub.
June-bearing vs everbearing vs day-neutral + selection tips.
Primocane vs floricane + red/black/purple types.
Highbush vs rabbiteye + soil pH and pollination.
American vs European vs hybrids + climate fit.
Red/white/black/pink currants + selection guide.
Estimate yield per plant and scale up.
Plan rows/beds and forecast total harvest.
Tip: Harvest estimates improve when you track spacing, plant age, and variety type (early/mid/late).
Floricane blackberry varieties fruit on second-year canes. New canes (primocanes) grow the first year, then those same canes flower and fruit the following summer before being removed after harvest. Primocane blackberries, such as Prime-Ark Freedom, Prime-Ark Traveler, and Prime-Ark 45, can fruit on the current year’s growth. In many climates you can mow primocane types back to the crown each winter and still get a late-summer or fall crop, greatly simplifying pruning and cane management.
Modern thornless blackberries like Apache, Arapaho, Navaho, Ouachita, Triple Crown, Chester, and Natchez can match or exceed many thorny cultivars for yield and berry quality. Thornless canes are far easier to prune, tie, and harvest, which reduces labor and makes them ideal for home gardens and u-pick farms. Traditional thorny types such as Brazos, Rosborough, Kiowa, and Shawnee are still valued for their robust, sweet–tart flavor and vigor, but require more careful handling.
Trailing blackberries (vine blackberries) grow long, flexible canes that arch and sprawl rather than standing upright. Classics like Boysenberry, Marionberry, Loganberry, Youngberry, Kotata, and Columbia Star are typically trained along a fence or trellis. They need more support and space than erect types but reward you with intensely flavored berries that are excellent for fresh eating, jams, syrups, and pies.
For most home growers, thornless upright or semi-erect cultivars are the easiest starting point. Ouachita, Triple Crown, Chester, and Natchez offer high yields, good disease resistance, and large, sweet berries with fewer thorns to fight. For more advanced growers wanting extended seasons, primocane types like Prime-Ark Freedom or Prime-Ark Traveler allow potential double cropping and simplified winter pruning.
Blackberries prefer mild winters and warm summers, but there are cultivars for a wide range of climates. Many thornless varieties perform well in temperate regions with moderate winter chill, while trailing types like Marionberry thrive in the cool, maritime Pacific Northwest. In hotter regions, choose heat-tolerant, low-chill types and provide mulch and afternoon shade to protect canes and fruit quality.
For erect and semi-erect varieties, let primocanes grow to about 3–4 feet, then tip (cut off) the growing point to encourage lateral branches. In late winter, shorten laterals to 12–18 inches and remove any damaged or weak wood. Floricane varieties fruit on second-year canes, so cut out spent fruiting canes at the crown after harvest. Primocane types can be mowed to the ground each winter in “single-crop” systems, simplifying maintenance.
Erect and semi-erect blackberries do well on simple T-trellises or V-trellises with two or three catch wires to support canes along the row. Trailing types are often grown on two-wire trellises or more advanced shift/rotating trellises that help manage canopy position for harvest and disease control. Whatever the system, keep rows narrow enough that you can reach berries easily from both sides.
Common disease issues include cane blight, anthracnose, orange rust, and rosette (double blossom). Start with clean, disease-free plants, prune for airflow, and remove infected canes promptly. Soft, thin-skinned blackberries can also attract spotted wing drosophila in many regions, so harvest frequently, chill fruit quickly, and manage nearby wild bramble hosts. For a deeper look at pest and disease management across your farm or garden, see the farm and garden pests and plant diseases guides.
Many modern blackberry varieties are self-fertile, so a single cultivar can set fruit on its own. However, planting more than one compatible variety can improve pollination, berry size, and total yield. Regardless of cultivar, abundant bee activity around your patch will always improve crop performance.
Yes. Choose compact, semi-erect, or primocane varieties and plant them in large, well-drained containers with rich potting mix and consistent drip irrigation. In high tunnels or hoop houses, blackberries can ripen earlier, suffer less rain damage, and be easier to net against birds and insects. Good pruning and ventilation are essential to avoid excessive humidity and disease.
In a Crop Circle or spiral layout, trellised arcs of blackberries can be placed along outer ring paths so pickers have easy access while inner rings host vegetables, herbs, and insectaries. Drip lines can be run along the trellis base with heavy mulch to conserve water and suppress weeds. Integrating blackberries with companion plants and pollinator strips builds a resilient, high-yield system that fits beautifully into the broader Crop Circle Gardens concept.
