Description and characteristics of the 40 best blackberry varieties, yield indicators

Blackberries are becoming increasingly common in gardens. This crop has attracted attention for its flavor, ease of care, and striking appearance. Each blackberry variety has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, which gardeners should consider when choosing a crop for their plot.

The best varieties of blackberries

There are different varieties of blackberries, but the best commercial varieties of the crop, which take root well and delight with a harvest of high quality and quantity, include the following.

Auchita

A bush that produces upright, thornless stems. The plant is adorned with deep black fruits, weighing up to 7 grams. The berries delight with their juiciness, density, and amazing flavor, with a cherry aftertaste and hints of currant.

The variety is resistant to diseases, and the harvest is stored for a long time without losing its marketable appearance.

Sorceress

The bush has semi-creeping shoots up to 3 m long, covered with small spines. The fruits are black with a purple tint, weighing 7 g. The flavor is sweet with a slight tartness.

A plant with average yields that tolerates the vagaries of the weather well.

Doyle

The upright bush produces thornless stems up to 6 m long. The berries have a delicate sweetness and tartness. Each fruit weighs between 7 and 9 g.

Doyle claims to be one of the most productive varieties; it is not afraid of drought and heat.

Texas

The plant grows as a vigorous, creeping shrub with flexible stems covered in large spines. The fruits are dark crimson in color and weigh up to 10 g. The flavor is sweet with a pleasant berry tartness.

Growing this variety may be difficult, as the shoots have many thorns.

Cherokee

The upright bush produces thornless shoots up to 1.5 m tall. The fruits weigh up to 5 g and have a sweet, yet mildly tart flavor.

Winter hardiness is average, transportability is excellent.

Colombian

Blackberries are vigorous varieties, as the bush can grow up to 5-7 meters in height. Their shoots are thornless, and the fruit has a pleasant flavor, characterized by sweetness and a slight tartness.

Gazda

The bush grows vigorously, with shoots covered in sparse thorns. The fruits are medium-sized with a sweet, slightly spicy flavor.

The plant demonstrates resistance to cold and various infections.

Summer varieties

This group of varieties ripens in the last ten days of June. Their distinctive feature is their sour fruits, but they make an excellent choice for winter storage. These varieties include both thorny and thornless varieties, upright and creeping. Their disadvantage is their reduced frost resistance.

El Dorado

The plant produces upright shoots with soft spines. Its medium-sized, black fruits are prized for their excellent flavor and aroma.

The variety is not affected by rust, but is not winter-hardy enough.

Chačanska Bestrna

The semi-creeping bushes form thornless stems that are robust and capable of reaching 3.5 m in height. The fruits, weighing up to 14 g, have a balanced flavor, harmoniously combining sweetness and tartness.

The early ripening crop is unpretentious, resistant to infections and is characterized by good yield, but poor transportability.

Ouachita

Upright bushes, distinguished by their vigor and height of up to 3 m. Fruits weighing 7 g have an unforgettable flavor. The harvest retains its commercial quality for a long time.

The plant has low frost resistance, so it needs to be covered during the winter season.

Osage

A plant with upright, thornless stems capable of growing up to 2 m. The fruits weigh 7 g and have a balanced, rich flavor that will satisfy even the most discerning connoisseur.

Osage is among the leaders in the ranking of the most delicious varieties due to its taste characteristics.

Natchez

A tall, vigorous berry crop, reaching up to 6 m in height. Initially, the bushes grow vertically, but as the thornless shoots lengthen, they take on a semi-erect form. The fruits are firm, juicy, and cylindrical, weighing up to 7 g, or up to 12 g with proper cultivation. Their bright, refreshing flavor with a subtle hint of acidity, distinctive aroma, and slight bitterness in the aftertaste make them particularly sought after.

The variety is not susceptible to fungal and viral infections.

Karaka Black

A creeping variety with healthy, thorny stems growing up to 3.5 m. The fruits are elongated, black, shiny, and heavy, weighing up to 8 g. Their delicate, balanced flavor will pleasantly surprise you with its naturalness.

The plant cannot boast of cold resistance, so without covering it for the winter it can suffer seriously.

Columbia Star

The prostrate shrub produces thornless shoots up to 5 m long. The berries are uniform in size, elongated, and weigh up to 15 g.

The harvest retains its marketable appearance for a long time. Its advantage is its ease of care, as the shoots are soft and thornless, making them easy to press into the ground for winter protection.

Autumn varieties

These berry bushes delight with their harvest in the last days of summer. The flavor of berries depends largely on weather conditions. During the rainy season, they become sour, and in the heat, they lose moisture.

There

The bush is upright with smooth, thornless shoots. The fruits weigh up to 7 g and have a sweet, pleasant flavor with low acidity.

The variety is resistant to diseases and is winter-hardy.

Sweet Pie

A bush with semi-erect, thornless shoots. The fruits are large, black, and sweet with an enticing aroma.

The variety is not afraid of diseases and winters well under snow cover.

Columbia Star

The bush is prostrate, with healthy, thornless shoots growing up to 5 m in length. The fruits are black, weighing up to 15 g, and have a firm consistency. It is popular for its balanced flavor and blackberry aroma.

Loch Tay

The bush has vigorous, resilient shoots up to 5 m long. Impressive fruits weigh up to 5 g and have a sweet, tart flavor.

Loch Tay is the best blackberry variety, as it has a good yield, amazing berry flavor, is easy to transport and is thornless.

Loch Ness

The plant is semi-creeping, with stems up to 4 m long. The shoots are thornless. The fruits weigh up to 8 g, are sweet and sour, and taste similar to wild blackberries.

Productivity, ease of care, versatility and the ability to grow fruits for commercial use make this variety popular.

Kiev

An upright bush with shoots growing up to 2 m in height. The enormous fruits, weighing up to 25 g, are surprising, with an incredible flavor and berry aroma.

The variety is productive and transportable, but has sharp thorns.

Waldo

The creeping bushes are compact. Thornless shoots grow to no more than 2 m in length. Fruits weigh 8 g and have excellent flavor.

The culture requires little care and is suitable for small areas.

Late-ripening varieties

Late-ripening blackberry varieties generally require little effort from gardeners. Harvesting occurs in late summer or early fall.

Lawton

An upright shrub with strong stems adorned with numerous thick spines. The fruits are large, black with a purple tint. The pulp has a dessert flavor.

Yield indicators are top-notch. The variety is not winter-hardy, so it should be covered for the winter.

Thornless Logan

A medium-sized bush with vigorous, thornless, gray-green shoots that do not produce offshoots. The fruits are medium-sized, up to 3.5 g, with a sweet and sour taste and a pleasant aroma.

Average yield and requires covering the bushes for the winter.

Chester

This variety boasts high yields, vibrant berry flavor, and frost resistance. The shoots are 2-3 meters long, with strong branching beginning from the lower buds. Thorns are absent. Large fruits, weighing up to 8 grams, withstand long-distance transportation without problems and store well due to their density, making Chester a top commercial variety.

Triple Crown

The bush has thornless stems growing up to 3 meters and bears black, shiny-skinned fruits weighing up to 9 grams. The flesh is firm, juicy, and sweet with a slightly tart flavor and piquant cherry notes.

Due to its high yield and specific taste, this variety is in special demand.

Thornfree

A bush with thick, thornless shoots reaching up to 5 m in height. The fruits are slightly elongated, dark purple, almost black, weighing up to 7 g. The pulp has a sweet taste with a sour aftertaste and a berry aroma.

Productivity, resistance to infections and parasites.

Navajo

The bushes form erect shoots up to 2 m tall. The stems are smooth and free of thorns and spines. The fruits, weighing 5-7 g, are cone-shaped and dark blue in color, turning black when fully ripe. The berries have a glossy surface, and the flesh is dense, firm, and has an exquisite dessert flavor without astringency.

High yield, allowing up to 400 fruits to be harvested from a single shoot. The variety is disease-resistant.

Shade-tolerant crops

Blackberries are unpretentious in terms of soil and adaptability to both weather conditions and climate. However, the flavor of most varieties depends on the growing location. Insufficient light makes the fruit more tart. However, there are varieties that ripen well in both sun and shade.

The Black Prince

A bushy, compact shrub whose shoots can be either thornless or weakly thorned. The fruit of this garden blackberry is cone-shaped, black, weighing up to 10 g, and has a dessert-like flavor.

The variety is unpretentious, easy to transport, and capable of producing high yields even in the shade.

Agawam

A thorny shrub with straight stems up to 2 m tall. The thorns are long and dense, making harvesting difficult. The fruits are medium-sized, weighing 4 g, cone-shaped, and glossy black. The sweet and sour flesh is impressive, with an unrivaled flavor.

The variety is drought-resistant and not afraid of low temperatures.

Thornless Evergreen

A vigorous bush with creeping, thornless shoots growing up to 6 m. The berries weigh 3 to 5 g and are black. They have a sweet, slightly tart flavor and a subtle, pleasant aroma.

The popularity of the variety is due to its productivity, transportability and stable frost resistance.

Frost-resistant

Upright blackberry varieties tolerate colder temperatures better than trailing varieties. The following varieties boast this characteristic.

Guy

A productive variety with thornless bushes, making harvesting easy. The medium-sized fruits are prized for their sweet flavor and attractive barrel shape. The plant bears fruit until the end of September, and with proper care, yields reach 15 kg per bush.

Guy is resistant to infections and can withstand low temperatures in winter without damage.

Abundant

A creeping variety with strong, spiny, green shoots, 3.5 m long. Large black berries weighing 7 g. The flesh is sweet, juicy, dense, and has an excellent flavor.

The variety is not afraid of frost or drought, and its harvest is easily transported.

Darrow

The vigorous bush forms vines up to 3 m long. The fruits are large, oblong, glossy black, and weigh up to 4 g. This variety has earned its popularity due to its juicy, dense flesh, which has a sweet and sour taste.

The plant is distinguished by good yield and the ability to survive temperatures down to -34 degrees without loss.

Apache

Upright bushes with thornless shoots. The fruits are shiny, blue-black, and weigh up to 11 g. The flavor is balanced, with a sweet and slightly tart note.

At the highest level, productivity, transportability and the ability to survive frosts down to -20 degrees without losses.

Arapaho

The bush grows up to 3 m tall with strong, straight, thornless shoots. The fruits are cone-shaped, shiny, black, and large. They weigh 7-10 g. The flesh is dense and has a sweet, delicate flavor.

Low yield, unpretentious.

German uncovered

A shrub with thornless shoots and berries up to 7 cm in size with good taste.

The only variety that does not need to be covered for the winter.

Everbearing blackberry

Varieties in this group allow for two harvests per season. The first harvest occurs alongside regular varieties, and the second time occurs in July in southern latitudes and in August in temperate climates. According to their characteristics, the frost resistance of these crops makes them popular for cultivation in regions with harsh climates.

Ruben

The bush grows up to 2 m tall, with thick shoots growing straight and upright. The thorns are medium-sized, not very dense, and pose no difficulty in harvesting. The fruits are round, black, and have a characteristic shine. Each berry weighs 10 g. The flavor is balanced, without excessive acidity.

Prime Jim

A plant with straight, strong, thorny shoots. The berries, up to 10 grams in weight, are cone-shaped and have a balanced sweet and sour taste.

It attracts attention with its decorative qualities, as it blooms with beautiful large white flowers with a pink tint.

Prime Arc

The bush, up to 2 m tall, forms straight, thorny shoots. The fruits are large, weighing up to 10 g, and elongated. The flesh is dense, juicy, and sweet.

Black Magic

Gardeners are thrilled with this variety, as it is the most productive everbearing plant. The bushes are upright and moderately tall, reaching up to 1.5 m. The shoots are slightly spiny and vigorous. The plant produces large fruits weighing up to 15 g with a unique flavor.

The variety is frost-resistant, so no shelter is required. The harvest is easily transported.

Sweet-fruited and large-fruited species

Thanks to selective breeding to improve their flavor, these sweet berries delight even the most discerning sweet tooth, delighting their taste buds. These include:

• Guy;
• Jumbo;
• Loch Mary;
• Polar.

Among the productive varieties, distinguished by large fruits, are Chester, Columbia Star, and Kiowa.

Newly bred varieties

New promising varieties of blackberries include:

• Gazda;
• Polar;
• Chester;
• Rushay;
• Orkan.

These plants decorate the garden not only with white, but also pink flowers, and can boast both erect, thornless stems and creeping ones.

Selecting zoned varieties

Among the wide variety of blackberries, there are those suitable for cultivation in various regions of Russia. These varieties adapt quickly and deliver increased yields.

For the central zone and the Moscow region

In these regions, it's important to grow specially bred blackberry varieties suited to the harsh climate. Despite their frost resistance, it's recommended to not only bend the stems to the ground but also cover them when preparing them for winter. These varieties include:

• Navajo;
• Ruben;
• Apache;
• Agawam.

For the Urals and Siberia

To obtain a high yield blackberries in the Urals and Siberia You should pay attention to the following winter-hardy and frost-resistant varieties:

• Kiev;
• El Dorado;
• Black Satin;
• Polar;
• Thornfree.

For the Leningrad region

The climate prevailing in the Leningrad Region is characterized by relatively warm winters and cool summers. Therefore, winter-hardy blackberry varieties with a mid-season ripening period are suitable for these conditions. For example:

• Helen;
• Agawam;
• Doyle;
• Arapaho.

These crops are afraid of frost, so it will be necessary to build a shelter for them for the winter.

For the Southern regions

Almost all blackberry varieties will grow well in the south, including everbearing varieties with upright and trailing shoots, as well as those with both black and yellow berries. However, when choosing seedlings, it's important to consider the plants' drought and heat tolerance:

• Columbia Star;
• Triple Crown;
• Jumbo;
• Kiowa.

Knowing the characteristics of each blackberry variety allows you to make the right choice and enjoy the exquisite taste of sweet, juicy, and also healthy berries.