title: Blackberry Harvest Time: When to Pick Your Berries
Blackberries are a total summer staple, aren’t they? Whether you’re foraging for them in the woods or growing a few bushes in your own backyard, there’s nothing quite like that sun-warmed, sweet-tart flavor. One of the best things about blackberries is that they don’t just ripen all at once; they give us a steady supply of fresh fruit throughout the warmer months.
The Blackberry Harvest Season
The ripening window for blackberries actually lasts quite a while. Usually, you’ll see the first berries ready to pick around July. Since the fruit ripens in stages rather than all at once, you can keep harvesting well into October if the weather stays on your side.
How to Tell When They’re Ripe
The biggest giveaway that a berry is ready is its color. Blackberries start out green, turn red, and finally settle into a deep, dark, almost-inky black. Once they reach that dark hue, they’re usually good to go.
However, don’t rely on color alone! Some specialty hybrid varieties stay red even when ripe. These are often crosses between blackberries and raspberries (like Loganberries or Tayberries), so they’ll look a lot more like their raspberry cousins even when they’re perfectly sweet.
Pro Tip: Extend Your Harvest with the Right Spot
If you want to get the most out of your bushes, it’s all about the location. Blackberries thrive in bright, warm, sunny spots. You can actually “cheat” the season a bit by planting your bushes against a south-facing wall or on a sunny slope. These “microclimates” trap heat, which can help your berries ripen a little earlier in the summer.
What if the Berries Aren’t Ripening?
It’s frustrating when your berries stay hard or sour, but there are usually two main culprits:
- Bad weather (too much rain or a sudden cold snap).
- A pest called the blackberry redberry mite, which prevents the fruit from ripening evenly.
Harvesting Wild Blackberries
If you don’t have a garden and are heading out to the woods to forage, you’ll need to take a few precautions. Unlike the modern thornless varieties many of us grow at home, wild blackberries are famous for their wicked thorns. Do yourself a favor and wear thick gloves and long sleeves—your skin will thank you!
