Market Farming

[Willie McKemie <mf AT austinfarm.org>]

On Fri, Jan 28, 2005 at 01:09:01PM -0600, TxBeeFarmer wrote:
> Well, now I'm really confused, which happens more as I get older.  I called
> Womack Nursery in Texas to see if they had any thornless blackberries left.
> While on the phone, I asked what plant spacing they'd recommend.  They said
> one every 4 feet.  I was under the impression they should be planted every
> 18 inches or so.  Willie, what spacing do you recommend.  I'll be getting
> two varieties of thornless, Arapaho and Apache.  Womack only carries 1 year
> old bare root stock for both of them.

Well,,,,, of course you CAN plant them at any spacing you wish.  I 
haven't ever seen any 4' berries.  "Standard" spacing is about 18" for 
roots and 2' (or maybe up to 3') for plants.  Since roots are only 
$.10-$.30 each, I just walk down a furrow dropping them; no 
measurement.  The rationale for tighter spacing on roots is that you 
will not get 100% survival; at 18", a few skips will not be 
significant.  At 4', you would likely never develop a hedge.  A hedge 
is desirable because the plants tend to support each other.

The Womacks have been growing and selling berries for a long time.  Did 
you talk to Larry Don?  Did you ask why he was recommending such wide 
spacing?  Maybe because the cost per plant is high?  The people in 
Arkansas developed those varieties and are the higher authority.  Let 
me see if I can google up the UArk site....
Well, I didn't find cultural practices, but here is the UArk site:
http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/fruits_nuts/Blackberries/default.asp

Someone earlier was asking about Fall fruiting blackberries.  The above 
site tells us that UArk has just released two primocane fruiting 
varieties.  A quick reading indicates that they will not likely produce 
well in the South.

AHAH!  This tells you to plant them 2'-3' apart:
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/HTML/FSA-6105.asp

-- 
Willie, ONWARD!  Through the fog!
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