THE PROCESS
∙ INTRODUCTION
Our place is a small cattle ranch 25 miles southeast of San Antonio or 5 miles northeast of Floresville. We are in an area known as the sand hills due to the deep sand. The land is poor but with adequate moisture and fertilizer, we have some beautiful coastal fields. About 30 years ago we planted some Brazos blackberries and have enjoyed the jelly and fresh fruit ever since. We give jelly away to friends at Christmas and some pick them fresh for cobblers. Well, after retiring we decided to put in a small plot and see if a “pick-your-own” operation would work, and naturally we decided to do it without pesticides. That's how it started. Let me also say we are not certified, but we meet all of the criteria to use the word organic.
∙ WHAT WE HAVE
We have approximately ˝ acre of berries. Varieties include Brazos, Kiowa, Ouachita, and Rosborough. The Ouachita are thornless and we do not know what their production will be. We are also testing Natchez which is also a thornless variety. The planting is trellised and heavily mulched to keep down weeds.
∙ HOW WE WENT ABOUT IT
We started with a coastal field. After killing the coastal, and that was a chore, we put down the equivalent of 2500 pounds of lime and 30,000 pounds of composted manure. We then worked in alfalfa. We then hipped the rows where we would plant the berries and planted clover in the middles. We then laid out our drip system. We added an 8 inch layer of coastal hay on top of the drip system where the berries would be planted. We waited, got washed out and replanted the clover. It came up and was lush. Later we mowed it and tilled it in the soil.
∙ THE PLANTING
We planted our berries in January and placed them about 3 feet apart in rows 12 feet apart. About 2 inches of stem stuck out of the ground. The first year we used a variety of amendments including Medina Soil Activator, Seaweed, and compost tea. We noticed a significant difference with the soil activator. We believe it activated the composted manure. However, in the end all of the berries looked the same.
∙ MAINTENANCE
After growth began we put in a two wire V-trellis system. The tying began. By the end of the first year the vines were over 5 feet tall and pruning had to be done. As the second year began, we put in an eight inch layer of coastal hay in the middles to reduce weeds. Then we added a layer of composted manure down the rows. Just as the berries began to break dormancy, we applied a lime sulfur spray to reduce fungus such as anthracnose.
∙ PICKING
Most people would prefer to avoid the thorns, but if you want to fill your basket quicker, you will go for the thorny varieties. The correct method is to grasp a berry and give it a light twist. You want to pick the black ones that no longer have any red in them. Of course, you will notice that some berries are over-ripe, but they are fine for jams and jellies. Labor is an issue. In East Texas, it is not a problem. The “illegal” population is high and the women love to pick each morning for a few hours. Growers there tell me that they turn pickers away each morning and in fact select the better pickers. Unfortunately, there are many able bodied people who would rather take a handout from the taxpayer, so we harvest them ourselves. Berries have a short shelf life so they should be refrigerated as soon as possible. They keep best just above freezing. Berries you buy in the store are at the end of their shelf life. Consider this. They are picked, shipped from where ever, put in a warehouse, and then distributed. Produce managers tell me they are frequently a week old. What we sell, we try to pick one day, put in cold storage and sell the following day.
∙ POST HARVEST
Now the fun begins. Ever bush must be cut down. They are called floricanes. While they were putting on berries, primocanes were growing. They will be left for next year's harvest. And the process begins anew. So, bottom line, it is a labor intensive effort. Just a few steps, cut down old canes, tie new canes, weed, fertilize, water, spray for fungus, monitor insect population, weed some more, prune some more, pick up canes, burn old canes to reduce disease, pick'm and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
∙ FERTILIZATION
Need 50/60# N/acre per year. 50% of N is released from manure the first year. Manure has about 1% N. So, 2000# would have about 20#. So should side dress with about 3 tons to get a 50% release of 30# on ˝ acre of berries. As an alternative, could spread a sack of 21%N if not doing in organically.
∙ WATER
Need about 2” of water/week during growing season. Start cutting back water in late September. Cut back again in December. Start back up in late February. To put out 2”/week, each row needs to be watered 28 hours/week (4 hours/night) with a drip system every 12 inches.
∙ DISEASE/INSECTS
Late dormant spray of lime/sulfer to control anthracnose and other fungus. Can not use when it is growing. Will burn leaves. Will control leaf spot. Should spray in late Oct/November and again before bud out.
Fungus in general can be partially controlled with Potassium Bicarbonate. Controls black spot, powdery mildew, brown patch
Aphids can be controlled by soap sprays , rotenone, pyrethium
Brigade will kill stink bugs and harlequin bugs. I do not use this pesticide. Spinosad and DE will not kill them. Have tried this over and over. I just tolerate them.