FREE Blackberries...You Pick and Haul

[Bailey Guns]

There's an invasive species of blackberry, the Himalayan Blackberry, that literally grows EVERYWHERE throughout this area of Idaho and the entire Pacific NW. When I was a kid regular blackberries grew wild in the area where we lived near Houston. But I don't remember the huge, razor-sharp thorns on them like these. On the upside, the berries on this variety are said to be bigger.

Our entire house/yard is ringed with these berry bushes. They make an impenetrable barrier to almost everything except little rabbits. Removing them usually requires a small bulldozer according to most folks I've talked to. I guess I'll just try to keep them in check with a trimmer...cause I do love me some blackberries. Wife's gonna be busy making stuff outta blackberries.

I'm actually thinking of getting a few goats. In some cities on the west coast there are actually places that rent goats to eat the berry bushes in order to control their growth or remove them from property. Apparently they love to eat the blackberry canes.

The main bushes:








Each of the flowers in the above photo will produce this:


Getting to the berries requires avoiding these:

[TheGrey]

Wow!
And the goats aren't bothered by those gigantic thorns?

[Great-Kazoo]

Wow!
And the goats aren't bothered by those gigantic thorns?

Goats will plow through anything they can get their jaws on.
From spring - fall our daughter , 15 at the time. Worked for a woman who rented her goat herd out. The kid was all over Colorado, from Larimer county to the 4 corners.
http://www.goatseatweeds.com/the-herders.html

She called me one time saying Dad, guess what I'm doing! Give me a hint.

I'm driving a dually through Vail, pulling a trailer of goats! Great learning experience that year for her.

[Bailey Guns]

Apparently not.

[Gman]

Good luck getting rid of them! When I lived in Oregon, you couldn't kill 'em with poison. I learned how to cover myself in denim when I would go trout fishing. The worst was getting the low canes wrapped around your ankle and the thorns working like a saw blade as you took a step. I also learned how to fish with ultralight spinning gear to get around the overgrowth since there was no room to back cast and working a long fly rod through the brush was nearly impossible.

We would primarily pick the berries along the railroad tracks where you could get to the edges of the bushes and just work down the line. The berries are quite large.

You'll have plenty for blackberry cobbler, jams, etc. even though you'll be competing with the raccoons and other wildlife.

[Irving]

Sounds like you'll be getting bears through there soon.

[Bailey Guns]

Sounds like you'll be getting bears through there soon.

I guess the bears don't wander down to where we are too often. Though there was a wolf that was shot not far from here that had attacked some livestock.

There are far too many of these berries for the birds and other wildlife to eat. Even in winter you see the dried berries on the plants by the millions. Everywhere.

[ben4372]

Yep, as a kid in Oregon I got stuck a few times. Like Gman said, Almost impossible to kill.

[Gman]

Yep, as a kid in Oregon I got stuck a few times. Like Gman said, Almost impossible to kill.

...and then there were the nettles....

[asmo]

I am beyond jealous.. I love me some blackberries. Marion berries are my favorite (not the mayor), but blackberries are a damn close second.