Does walking out to the garden for a handful of just-picked raspberries or blackberries for your breakfast cereal appeal to you? Or perhaps filling your freezer with berries you can eat all year long? Bramble fruit (also called caneberries) take little space and start to bear fruit the second year after planting. And home gardeners have the advantage of being able to choose some of the cultivars that are extremely flavorful but don’t hold up in commercial marketing.
Be sure find out what types, varieties, and growing methods do best in your area — many are suited to specific climates and regions. We suggest that you start by checking with Extension in your county or state to see if they have recommendations. Expand your search to other nearby states if you don’t have good information more locally.
Below are links to selected on-line home-garden Extension resources from various states. Most of these are applicable to a wider area than the state where they were published. Note that some publications may be a bit out of date and may not include the most current cultivar recommendations.
Some nurseries also provide detailed planting and care information on their websites. An online search will also turn up lots of other information, including YouTube videos, but be aware that the quality and reliability of information is variable and information may not be applicable to your area.
Resources from NARBA
- Directory of Research and Extension Caneberry Expertise (searchable list to find experts in your area)
- Caneberry Nursery List (sources of plants)
- NARBA’s Resources for Commercial Growers (home gardeners can find good information here also)
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic
- Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home (New York)
- Growing Brambles in the Home Garden (New York)
- Brambles in the Home Fruit Planting (Pennsylvania)
- Growing Raspberries and Blackberries (Maine)
- Small Fruit in the Home Garden (Virginia)
- Home Garden Blackberries and Raspberries (Maryland)
Southeast
- Blackberries for the Home Garden (North Carolina)
- Raspberries in the Home Garden (North Carolina)
- Home Garden Raspberries and Blackberries (Georgia)
- Growing Blackberries and Raspberries in Kentucky
- Blackberries in Florida
Midwest
- Home Garden Berries in Arkansas
- Raspberries for the Home Fruit Planting (Ohio)
- Growing Raspberries in Wisconsin
- Raspberries (Indiana)
- Raspberries & More (Illinois)
West
- Growing Blackberries in Your Home Garden / pdf publication (Oregon)
- Growing Raspberries in Your Home Garden (Oregon)
- Raspberries for the Home Garden (Colorado)
- Growing Blackberries in Colorado Gardens
- Blackberry and Raspberry Culture for the Home Garden (Oklahoma)
- Growing Berries in Your Backyard (California)
General
Consider joining NARBA’s Growing Raspberries & Blackberries Facebook Group, which is an open group for anyone interested in raising caneberries, whether home gardener or commercial grower.
The“Resources for Growers” page of this website offers links to many additional information sources, and our Suppliers and Services page lists berry nurseries and other suppliers to caneberry growers.
