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[Campo Girl]

All blackberries and relatives are self fertile so only one plant is needed to obtain fruit. When buying plants choose from bare root or container grown specimens.

Thornless varities make picking less hazardous but their canes require a little more guidance than they thorny friends.

Use a wall or fence with horizontal wires spaced 45cm (18in) apart, with the lowest wire 23cm (9in) from the ground; or run the wires between two strong vertical posts.

If needed, improve the ground with organic matter well before planting. When planting cut all canes down to a healthy bud. This may seem drastic but it will ensure your plant throws up lots of vigorous healthy suckers in spring.

They are very easy to maintiain provided you can keep on top of their growth! Regularly tie in the shoots of newly planted canes, then, once these reach their first winter, cut back all sideshoots produced on these main canes to 5cm (2in). It is mainly from these fruiting spurs that flowers are formed.