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How to Plant a Blackberry Seed

Most backyard gardening enthusiasts interested in planting blackberry bushes purchase their starts at the local gardening center. But for purists, planting blackberry from seed represents a true challenge worth pursuing. Blackberry bushes thrive in just about any kind of soil, tolerate drought and prefer locations on the edge of woodlands. While planting a blackberry seed takes more time and effort than the conventional planting approach, the payoff is the same: years of tasty harvests.

Things You'll Need

  • Blackberry seeds
  • Cold weather
  • Garden trowel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Stratify blackberry seeds by sewing them in cold weather during early autumn in climates where the average winter temperatures range between 33 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Space them approximately an inch apart. Cover the seeds with a half-inch layer of moist peat moss, and cover that with newspaper to keep the seeds moist during the winter.

    • 2

      Allow the seeds to germinate and winter in the cold. Select a well-drained location with full sun and protection from wind in which to transplant the seedlings in the late spring. Wait to move your blackberry seedlings until after the threat of frost has passed.

    • 3

      Dig a hole two inches deep and place the seedling in the hole, ensuring that the seedling's developing root system is covered with soil. Apply an inch-thick layer of mulch. Water at a rate of one inch per week until the plant has established itself.