Blackberry Rubus fruticosus "Triple Crown"

• Type: fruit bush, thornless semi-erect blackberry
• Botanical name: Rubus fruticosus 'Triple Crown'
• Height and spread: height 1.2–1.5 m, spread 0.9–1.2 m
• Fruit: large, glossy, black, sweet; late variety, ripen August–September
• Light: full sun, warm site
• Soil: fertile, well-drained, pH 6.0–6.8
• Hardiness: USDA zone 5–9; cover canes for winter in Estonia
• Use: fresh eating, baking, jam, freezing; self-fertile
• Size: potted plant

Planting. Plant in a sunny, sheltered spot in fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Space plants 1.5–2 m apart. Put up support at once – a wire trellis or fence to tie the long canes to.

Watering and feeding. Water regularly, especially while the berries swell, and mulch the soil. Give a berry fertiliser in spring; avoid nitrogen after July so the canes ripen before winter.

Care. Blackberries fruit on last year's canes. After harvest cut fruited canes to the ground and keep 4–6 strong new ones. In Estonia it pays to take the canes off the trellis in late autumn, lay them down and cover them with spruce boughs or fleece.

Gardener's tip. A late variety ripens best in Estonia against a south-facing wall or a fence that holds warmth. Pick the berries only when fully black – that is when they are sweetest.