Blackberry growers can profit from blackberries by opening what are commonly called "you-pick-farms." Growers can also sell blackberries from produce stands or sell to small markets during blackberry season. In order to have a successful blackberry crop, it's important to gain a little blackberries education and training.

Blackberry season runs from May to September depending on which area of the country you live in. Greenhouses can extend the growing season for northern states, meaning you can sell fresh crops longer. If selling fresh blackberries isn't ideal for your business, try selling products using recipes with blackberries such as jams, syrups and baked goods. Before planting blackberries, understand the following:

1. Blackberries flourish best in full sun with well-drained soil.

2. Blackberry roots don't flourish in overly wet soil, so working with a sandy loam soil is best.

3. Blackberry seed is one option for growing blackberries, but nurseries sell blackberry seedlings, which take less time to mature and grow fruit.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research the best way to grow blackberries in your area

A blackberry grower in the north must plant differently than a blackberry grower in the south. For this reason, understanding how to plant blackberries in your region is important for a successful crop. College extension offices have packets of information that cover agricultural topics for the state, and they are usually free resources.

I recommend: The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has information on growing blackberries on their website. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension offers tips on growing blackberries in Maine, which is suitable for most northern climates.

Look at other websites for blackberry growers and create your own

If you're using blackberries for a you-pick-farm or a produce stand, take a look at current websites for these types of businesses. Having a business website for your blackberry farming will increase business and give you a web presence. If your blackberry farm becomes popular, you can use the website to fulfill local blackberry orders, too.

I recommend: Eckert's Orchards has a website that advertises their pick-your-own schedules and events. A website put out by Benevia offers a directory of pick-your-own farms. This is a great resource for checking out other websites or listing your own business.

Find out what types of blackberries are available for growing

There are two main types of blackberries--those that stand upright and those that grow in a trailing manner. Whichever type you choose to cultivate, remember that the most important factor is the taste and texture of the berry when customers are buying blackberries. Customers want to buy blackberries that are sweet and hold up well when used for baking or cooking.

I recommend: The LSU AgCenter offers a chart about thorny, erect blackberry types. The West Virginia University Extension Service offers information about thornless blackberries, an option for growers that don't want to deal with thorny bushes during harvest.

Blackberries may have some people thinking of the latest in organizational and informational technology, but if you've ended up here, we're talking about the succulent kind that grow in rich black soil and make your summer delicious. Though blackberries may be delectable in pie, they're not always as easy as pie to grow.

Whether you are taking trowel in hand and you're ready to dig in to grow your own blackberries or you want to benefit from the fruit of someone else's labor, cultivating this knowledge will help you:

1. Pick some of the best, most reliable blackberry plants for sale on the market.

2. Get growing with expert advice on how to grow blackberries to get a good payoff.

3. Find the best agrotourism places close to you to pick brains or blackberries.

4. Put those blackberries to work for you in great recipes.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Grow blackberries with the help of the pros

Whether you are growing blackberries in your own home garden or you are launching a berry farm, trusted blackberry suppliers can help you with high quality blackberry plants for sale. Blackberry plants can take a couple of years before they produce fruit so a wise investment on the front end can save you time. If words like aeration, drainage and the names of dozens of varieties of blackberries have you scratching your head, local blackberry growers from an agricultural extension can help you keep it simple and find out what will grow best in your area.

I recommend: Doyle's Thornless Blackberry, an Indiana blackberry grower, has many thornless varieties of blackberries to buy. Their site is also loaded with additional products and advice about what to do now that you've got your plants at home. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an interactive application that will help you find a university extension office close to you. Most not only have a wide variety of step-by-step printed materials to help with your project, but they also often have master gardeners willing to help.

Let a local blackberry grower do the work for you

In the past you and your family may have just headed out toward the country to pick berries, buy blackberries or find a pumpkin farm. But the recently revamped and renamed 'agrotourism' can be a booming business and they are ready to sell their wares. If you don't want to hit the city limits and buying blackberries at your grocery store is out of the question, turn to a farmer's market.

I recommend: PickYourOwn.org is a site that promotes agrotourism for people who just want to pick their own blackberries, and also provides insight for people who want to start their own berry picking enterprise. Professional chefs started Chef 2 Chef, a website of the best and brightest farmer's markets in the nation.

Get out of a blackberry jam

When it comes to recipes with blackberries you don't have to resort to making jam or just sticking the berries in a dish with ice cream. Let your fingers do the clicking to open up a world of ideas for your blackberries. If you are a chef looking to expand your repertoire, there are dozens of ideas for you.

I recommend: 101 Cookbooks combines a talented photographer's work with her love of all recipes. 101 Cookbooks blackberry Rombauer Jam Cake recipe will take your blackberries to a new level. When life hands you a bag of mixed blackberries, from the ripe to the not-so-ripe, salvage your stash with a blackberry buckle from the Washington Times. Another collection from Oregon Fruit has everything from blackberry mojitos to blackberry and cream cheese empanadas.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Look for Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education (SARE) competitive grants available to farmers and ranchers. This program, funded by the USDA, may be just what you need to get your blackberry growing enterprise started.

Blackberries are a common fruit found in the American diet. Whether they are sprinkled on cereal, added to yogurt or just eaten plain as a snack, Americans consume berries about three to four times a week, according to the New York Times. Because of such large consumption, the production or growth of blackberries is a big business. Here are some key terms you might stumble across when growing blackberries commercially.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Verticillium wilt

Verticillium wilt is a fungus that attacks blackberry plants and kills them before they bear fruit. Avoid planting blackberry plants where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, or eggplant have been planted in the past four years as the verticillium can often be found remaining in the soil.

I recommend: Visit the website for New Mexico State University. There is a comprehensive page on growing blackberries for commercial use. Scroll down the page for "pest control."

Cercosporella rubi, double blossom

Cercosporella rubi, which is sometimes called double blossom, is another fungal pathogen that impedes the production of blackberries in some areas.

I recommend: Visit North Carolina State University for more information on how to combat cercosporella rubi and successfully grow blackberries commercially.

Biennial

Biennial refers to plants that have two life cycles of producing fruit and or flowers. Blackberries, when properly planted, are biennial.

I recommend: Visit University of Arizona for a comprehensive article on growing blackberries, including a discussion of their biennial life cycle during the year. Scroll down to the "pruning and training" section.

Trailing blackberries

Trailing blackberries refer to several cultivars of blackberries that grow along the ground in long, thin branches and are therefore 'trailing.' For commercial production, trailing blackberries are placed on a wire trellis several feet high so that the branches can snake along the trellis as they grow.

I recommend: The University of Georgia has an article that describes trailing blackberries and how they should be planted, pruned and harvested.

Primocane-fruiting blackberry

A primocane-fruiting blackberry refers to a blackberry plant that produces fruit in its first year. Originally, commercial growers would have to wait until the second season to harvest fruit. However, since the advent of the primocane-fruiting blackberry, they can collect fruit in the first year. There are now several different cultivars of primocane-fruiting blackberries.

I recommend: Visit University of Arkansas; the agriculture department developed the original primocane blackberry for use in commercial production.

Bramble

A bramble is defined as any plant in the genus robus. The genus robus can be found in the rose family. These plants are commonly thorny and produce berries or fruit. Commercial growers, magazines and other people associated with the blackberry industry often refer to it as the 'bramble' industry, since many growers grow blackberries and raspberries.

I recommend: Visit Growing Magazine and view an article that discusses the commercial "bramble" market and how it might be expanded and maximized.