Hi all I planted new thornless blackberries last year, and harvested quite a few this year. (Wow, I had no idea they would grow so vigorously and wildly.. I planted 5 plants..) I also have an established raspberry that has reliably produced sweet fruit. Unfortunately, both plants came up sour more often than not this year. The blackberries were sour even when falling off the black satin plant. The raspberries came up a little better, but still largely sour until the very last of the harvest. Can I correct for this somehow, or is this due to weather? The early and mild weather seemed to be a boon for growth, but not so much for my fruit. thanks for any tips
From my observation, organically grown fruit quality and quantity changes from year to year. So far it was impossible for me to pinpoint what weather related factors affect the fruit in what way. So, the sour raspberries in your garden may be just one more example of that natural phenomena. As for blackberries I believe they are naturally on the tart side. I have two kinds, one plant of each, both have tart berries. One of them is Triple Crown, extremely vigorous, very productive, with very large berries, but they become sweeter only when already overripe. They are too tart for me to eat raw, but are perfect for making all kinds jams, pure or in combination with other fruits, and pies.
