Black Satin Thornless Blackberry

1. Planting: Plant your blackberry bush in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Thornless blackberries prefer full sun but can tolerate shade. Make sure that your bushes aren't in a low area that could collect standing water, and plant them about 3 feet apart for a hedge.

2. Watering: Blackberries prefer slightly acidic soil but will adapt to your natural soil even if it's sandy or heavy in clay as long as it's well-draining. Keep your soil moist, not over saturated. They'll need at least one inch of water per week.

3. Fertilizing: Early every spring, fertilize your blackberries with a well-balanced fertilizer like formula 10-10-10. White flowers will emerge on your blackberry bush every Spring. Soon after you'll notice your blackberries growing. They're not ripe until mid-summer when their skin turns from red to a dark purple to black color.

4. Pruning: Canes run on a 2 year cycle. First year canes should be encouraged to take shape along a trellis and only minimally pruned as they will bear fruit in the second year. Thereafter, prune canes that have fruited at the end of the season, being careful not to cut away new ones that have grown in that year (and will bear fruit the subsequent year).

5. Harvesting: Your blackberries are ready to be harvested when they easily pull away from their stem. This is when they're ripe and sweet.