Bring Home The Berries!
In East Texas the best time of the year to plant Blueberries and Blackberries is January to March. Container plants can be planted later but early planting is ideal. Let’s dig into all things Blueberry first.
Rabbiteye Blueberries are the most reliable type for East Texas. Named over 100 years ago for the pink color of the unripe berries since it resembled the color of an albino rabbit’s eye – no I’m not making that up. They love our acidic soil, have a high heat tolerance and handle our humidity far better than northern highbush types. They require cross-pollination for best fruit production. Here are some of the multiple varieties to choose from:
Climax
• Ripening: Early season
• Bush habit: Upright, medium-sized, very productive
• Fruit: Medium berries with excellent flavor; ripens in a tight cluster for easy picking.
• Notes: Pairs well with Tiffblue or Austin for pollination.
Tiffblue
• Ripening: Mid- to late-season
• Bush habit: Strong, vigorous and one of the most dependable rabbiteyes.
• Fruit: Medium-large berries that sweeten fully when deep blue.
• Notes: Known for consistency and long harvest window.
Woodard
• Ripening: Early season
• Bush habit: Compact, spreading, and fast-growing
• Fruit: Large, soft, very sweet berries – excellent for fresh eating.
• Notes: One of the best for flavor; pairs well with Climax or Austin.
Austin
• Ripening: Early to mid-season
• Bush habit: Upright, vigorous, and heavy-bearing
• Fruit: Large, firm beries with a balanced sweetness
• Notes: Excellent pollinator partner for Climax and Tiffblue.
Growing Needs
• Soil – Blueberry plant roots are thin and fragile and need to be in freely draining soil, not soggy or compacted soil. East Texas soil is naturally acidic which is a MUST for growing blueberries. Check your soil pH, it’s quick and easy to do and we have test kits available for this purpose. Ideal pH is 4.5 – 5.5 for Blueberries. Mulch with pine straw to help keep your soil acidic.
• Fertilization – Avoid nitrate-based fertilizers since they raise soil pH and stress the plant. Choose an ammonium form of fertilizer. Ammonium sulfate, or commercial blends formulated for azaleas and camellias which use ammonium-based nitrogen sources and maintain low pH.
• Sun – Full sun is ideal.
Plant these vigorous, long-lived bushes now and enjoy picking sweet berries this year.
Blackberries thrive in East Texas, especially the Arkansas-developed blackberry varieties. They are available as thornless or thorny. Both handle our heat well and produce steadily. The thornless is preferred since they are more “picker friendly”.
Thornless Varieties
Ouachita
• Ripening: Early to mid-season variety
• Bush habit: Upright, thornless, vigorous but does not require a trellis
• Fruit: Sweet, balanced flavor, very consistent
• Notes: Very high yields
Natchez
• Ripening: Very early season
• Bush habit: Semi-erect, thornless, does best with trellising
• Fruit: Large, elongated berries with a sweet-tart flavor
• Notes: Produces some of the largest berries of any thornless type
Apache
• Ripening: Mid-late June (typically after Ouachita)
• Bush habit: Erect, thornless, vigorous
• Fruit: Very large, firm berries with a mild, sweet flavor
• Notes: Good for storage and freezing
Arapaho
• Ripening: Early, mid-June
• Bush habit: Upright, thornless, compact
• Fruit: Mildly sweet, good flavor but smaller berries
• Notes: Great for small gardens.
Prime-Ark Freedom Special
• Ripening: Early, June through July. Often get 2 harvest per season.
• Bush habit:
• Fruit: Sweet flavor, large berries, perfect for fresh eating, jams, or desserts.
• Notes: Will produce berries on first year canes as well as second-year canes.
Growing Needs
• Soil – Well-draining soil rich with organic matter is preferred. They will tolerate clay better than blueberries but it must be amended properly.
• Watering – They like evenly moist soil and deep, infrequent watering is better than frequent light watering. Always check moisture before watering again. Watering the soil and not the foliage is preferred.
• Fertilization – Blackberries are not as picky as blueberries. They respond well to Nitrogen-focused balanced granular fertilizers like 10-10-10 or organic options such as compost or cottonseed meal. Fertilize in early spring.
• Sun – Full sun is best, they can grow in partial shade but it can reduce yields and berry size.
Blackberries thrive in East Texas because they love the region’s heat, humidity, and long growing season. They’re easy to grow, highly productive, tolerant of clay soils when amended and return year after year with abundant, flavorful fruit.