Thornless Youngberry

Youngberries can be eaten straight from the bush or cooked in jams, tarts and all manner of delicious deserts and sauces. The fruit is a deep purple, almost black and is the fruit is the earliest of the Brambleberries to ripen, around November to January.

Youngberries have excellent disease resistance and vigorous growth. They are a cross between a Dewberry and a Blackberry and are self pollinating. You will get the best harvest after a couple of years growth.

Plant Youngberries to grow on a trellis. A couple of posts with two lines strung between will suffice, but you can be as fancy as you like! Tie the stems loosely the line so they are not damaged by wind, and sit off the ground. In winter, prune out the weak, damaged canes to make way for healthy new growth. Around ten stems per plant is ideal.

Plant Youngberries in full sun, ideally into a humus rich, well drained soil. In warm climates they should be protected from hot afternoon sun.

Space Youngberries 150-180cm apart, plant the cane quite shallow, around 10cm deep. Water in and it is important to keep your plants moist when in flower and fruit. Adding a thick leaf mulch in spring will help with water retention and weed reduction as well as providing nutrients for your plants. Youngberries are quite tolerant of heat, but if your summer rainfall is high then fungus and mould may be issues.

Youngberries grow well and are pretty easy care and the plants produce reliably for many years.