Brambles

Raspberries and blackberries have long been a staple of backyard gardens in North Carolina but with recent moves toward a diverse agriculture there has been an increased interest in growing them commercially. Commercial blackberry production holds the greatest promise for NC farmers due to the greater availability of adapted cultivars. Commercial raspberry production is currently concentrated in the mountains and foothill areas but breeding work continues to obtain raspberry cultivars with greater heat tolerance which can be grown in a wider range of the piedmont and coastal plain.

Some additional web sites:

• Fruit Disease Information Notes
• IPM Center profile of apples in NC
• Growing Blackberries in North Carolina
• Growing Raspberries in North Carolina

More information about disease in brambles is availble from the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic or Tom Creswell.