Mark Cox of Baytree Nurseries in Weston shares tips of getting the most from your blackberries

Out in the Garden columnist Mark Cox shares how the secret of getting the most from your blackberry crop

We’ve all been there haven’t we? The wine is flowing, the food is fantastic the company is great and you know you shouldn’t but your “no-valve” is not working so you agree to another bottle or wine and the more you consume the more you believe who needs a “no-valve”.

Well, it’s not actually until you climb into bed that you realise that you wish you’d checked your “no-valve” was in full working order earlier as now the room is spinning and you wonder why it was a good idea to buy a water bed, then you realise that you don’t own a water bed.

That last cheeky glass of Rioja wants to show you in great detail what it feels like to be on-board the deck of a North Sea fishing trawler as it battles it’s way home through a perfect storm.

By 2am, I think I would have sold a kidney to anyone who could stop the room moving, in fact I was quite prepared sell both.

Inevitably just as the sea calms the alarm goes off and that’s when the real regret sets in.

With what felt like the entire massed pipe and drums band rehearsing in my head I hauled my limp almost lifeless body out of bed.

Earlier in the month I’d purchased four blackberry canes and in a drunken stupor I’d promised the present Mrs Cox to get them planted today, not thinking that I would be only seconds from death.

On recommendation from a friend of mine I’d chosen the blackberry variety called Oregon-Thornless, simply because they don’t try to tear your hands and arms to shreds when it comes to harvest time.

The majority of all fruit canes ideally should be grown up a frame or trellis to support the fruiting branches. The key to good fruit is sun, the sun makes sugar. Therefore, it makes sense to carefully consider the best place to plant your fruit canes to get maximum sun, just remember thought that they’ll need well-draining soil, they won’t do well with water logged roots.

I’m quite fortunate as the fence at the bottom of my garden is usually in full sun most days and because there’s a structure already there I can quite simply attach a trellis to it.

As the plant grows I will need to keep tying the new shoots against the wooden trellis grid. It’s best to soak the roots in a bucket of water before planting out. I’ve planted my canes about 1m apart at the base of the fence in front of the trellis. I have fanned the shoots out and tied them against the frame to make a nice open shape.

Planting fruiting canes is not difficult and shouldn’t take long to accomplish though, in my case given my self-inflicted condition, this simple procedure seemed to take all day.

When complete I dragged my body back indoors for a celebratory cup of tea with the current Mrs Cox , it was at this point that she reminded me that it was my turn to take our number one child to her drumming lesson in half an hour.

Should I not survive the next couple of hours it has been a pleasure knowing you all!