Thornless Blackberry Plants

Anyone who has picked wild blackberries understands why thornless varieties exist. Modern thornless cultivars give you the same fruit without the bloodshed — you can reach into the middle of the plant, prune without gloves, and let children pick without supervision.

We grow two thornless blackberries, and they are genuinely different plants. Sweetie Pie is the sweeter of the two, low in acid with a honeyed flavor that makes it a real fresh-eating berry, and it was bred in the South so it handles heat and humidity well. Triple Crown is the yield champion — a vigorous, semi-erect grower that can produce twenty pounds or more from a mature plant, with larger, firmer berries that freeze and store better. Growers who want both fresh eating and a full freezer often plant both.

Both varieties are self-fertile, grow in USDA Zones 5 through 9, and ship as tissue culture starter plants in four-packs. Blackberries fruit on second-year canes, so expect a light crop your second summer and full production by year three.