wild blackberries or raspberries?

**QuilterMom** · 04-18-2005, 05:35 PM

Does anyone have these growing on your property? I just noticed some berries growing by our front gate and have no idea what they are. I have searched for a photo online, but what few I've found look nothing like what I have. Anyone have a good description for me or some good links with photos so I can try to identify what I have?

I will try to post later a description of what I see.

**SewCrafty** · 04-18-2005, 05:41 PM

Kim, if they are wild, they will most likely have prickers. (LOL ask me how I know?

)

My raspberry bushes are only about 2½' - 3' high, but the blackcaps and blackberry bushes can grow to be 8' - 10' high, also thier canes (stalks) are much thicker and should be reddish in color, this will be new growth.

HTH

**Jenlee** · 04-18-2005, 07:29 PM

We had wild blackberry bushes in NC and they were just a few inches high and mixed in and amongst our juniper. Honestly, they looked just like the blackberries you would find in a grocery store - nothing more.

**QuilterMom** · 04-18-2005, 07:55 PM

Dee - These stalks are red like you mentioned and have thorns all the way up them.

There are maybe 5 stalks total (I didn't count - duh!) and the tallest one is probably only 7 inches tall at most. I did a lot of cutting where these are last year so it's possible I hacked them down. The leaves are long and narrow - green with a red border/line around the outer edge and the leaves are jagged. Two berries are red, quite a few more are green, and there are some blossoms dying that look like they might have been white.

Maybe I have a hidden treasure! Too bad they're where the water moccasin hangs out!

**SewCrafty** · 04-18-2005, 09:42 PM

Yep, you do have a hidden treasure.

Now call the animal control or snake guy and get rid of your other surprise and you can enjoy your berries.

Also my raspberries are fairly new and seem really delicate compared to my blackberries. If they have been here as long as our lilacs, then it is in 75-100 yr range!

Mine need major cleaning out, and Kim from what I read, your chopping them back is exactly what you were supposed to do.

I have to borrow my dad's loppers (lol) to do mine, the canes are so thick.

I also still have a ton of berries from last year still in the freezer, so I may cut them back this year and thin them out and not pick. I certainly don't need anymore and there is no where to sell them.

**Mommy2five** · 04-19-2005, 02:41 AM

Oh Good luck finding out just what they are and happy harvest!

Search the web for something to repel the snakes!

**QuilterMom** · 04-19-2005, 08:52 AM

No chance in animal control taking care of the snake - it takes them hours and hours to show up when you call. Dh wants to get a shotgun, so that should take care of the snake. LOL I could also just make dh pick the berries. ROFL!

**SewCrafty** · 04-19-2005, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by QuilterMom
I could also just make dh pick the berries. ROFL!

Now THAT sounds like what I would do!

**QuilterMom** · 04-19-2005, 11:09 AM

Guess what?! I took a stroll down the fenceline this morning and there are a bunch of stalks all spread out everywhere! YeeHaaaaaaaaaaaa! I'm wondering if the overgrowth that the previous owners let get out of hand (it was really bad when we moved in and is why I cut so much) had hampered all of these stalks I'm finding now??? Maybe since I did so much trimming last year they have a chance to thrive now that nothing is crowding them out and hiding them???

**SewCrafty** · 04-19-2005, 12:56 PM

Oh yeah Kim!

Mine look like a jungle and so do the neighbors which I pilfered last year, lol He doesn't mind. So I'm going to do major cleaning out this year and hope next year is another bumper crop.

**forestdale** · 04-19-2005, 06:35 PM

Kim, this list might help with idenity. http://www.sharingwood.org/Berries.htm

I hope it's something edible. White raspberries have red stalks.

**QuilterMom** · 04-19-2005, 07:28 PM

Thanks, Rhonda! They look like the trailing blackberry pic on that link.

**forestdale** · 04-19-2005, 11:48 PM

Excellent - looks like blackberry pie at your house.

**SewCrafty** · 04-20-2005, 01:06 AM

Thank you Rhonda, I now know exactly which types of berries I have here. I have the Thimbleberry, Black Cap Raspberry and Trailing Blackberry. The Black Caps are my favs though, they are very sweet compared to Blackberries.