I'm making some big changes to my container blackberry process. After 4 years of successfully raising blackberries in containers, I'm considering changing out my Wicking Tubs for EarthBoxes. I think the EarthBox would be just as good of an environment as the Wicking Tubs have been. So, what do you think... would I be crazy to make the swap? Let me know your pros and cons in the comments below. Stay safe! alan Check out my Website. I've written dozens of articles pertaining to all areas of homesteading and self sufficiency. Here's the link: homesteadadvisor.com/ If you enjoyed this video and would like to see more videos like this. please give this video a thumbs up and leave me a comment! Please subscribe, it would really help my channel! Thank you for watching! ❤
Must of my tubs are the red ones like you have. They've been fine for 5 seasons 😮😅but are beginning to show their age. I'm not sure how many more years they have. I found some new, heavier ones this year from a Dallas company. I'm happy to get you their name if you'd like.
Next spring I’m planning to plant 100 new Prime Ark Freedoms and 50 Joan J raspberry plants in 55 gallon wicking buckets for a future u-pick in SW Virginia. I have been using the cattle wicking buckets for the past year to great success, but they are hard to find. 55-gallon buckets are easier to find. Good luck to transfer into earth boxes.
Thanks for sharing. Those 55 gallon barrels will last a lot longer than these cattle tubs. Earth boxes should last a long time too. I hope they do as well in them as they have in the wicking tubs.
I’m on year three with the Sweetie Pie blackberries. I have six plants. This year it was incredible. I put up 30 quarts in the freezer and made 16 pints of jam and 8 half pints jelly. I’m so impressed with these berries. I’m up by the Oklahoma border. I had more blooms than I can tell you and they developed beautiful berries. We were picking every day. They are about 3 foot wide by 4 foot long and seven foot tall. They are the sweetest blackberry I have ever tasted. You should give them a try. I planing on starting more from cuttings. You can never have enough blackberries in my opinion. 😉
Take some time and read the comments below this video. Several people have been using earth boxes for their berries for a few years with great success.
Well, I’m glad I thought about looking up your videos about the blackberries in the tubs! I moved to a new location and ended up dumping out all the soil and everything from my “Leon” tubs that I had going and left behind the blackberries because it was too much to move. I have finally got around to getting my new garden area planned out. Yesterday morning I thought oh my goodness I can start new blackberries at some point using these tubs. Nope, not after watching your video and realizing how old these tubs are.😅
Understood… These tubs do have a life span. But, that’s one reason I think I’m going to plant blackberries and earthboxes. Earth boxes will last for decades. You may want to give that a try.
Understood… These tubs do have a life span. But, that’s one reason I think I’m going to plant blackberries and earthboxes. Earth boxes will last for decades. You may want to give that a try.
My ponkas are in food grade 55 gal drums cut to about two thirds height . They are very productive. You may want to consider a larger wicking tub for a few of your best poncas. For reproduction consider laying few of this years canes sideways on top of a separate wicking tub next to your blackberry tub.Cover with a few inches of soil and weight down with bricks till next spring growth. Each node has potential for rooting a new plant hence several plants from each stem .
@@BIGALTX When I first started hydro some 12 years back, I purchased some 150 or so white sucralose containers, $2 a piece. I removed the tops which made them about 5-gallon containers, only they were durable plastic unlike the 5-gallon buckets everyone uses today. About 4 years after that, or 8 years or so ago, I figured they needed to be painted to keep sun/algae issue I saw (light penetration) from growing and to provide a barrier to help with UV deterioration, long term. I already had a leftover 5-gallon container of beige exterior pain I'd used to paint the vinyl siding on the back of my house. It was fading so I repainted it as suggested by my research at the time. That paint job still looks good after 8 years. Anyway, with the leftover paint, I decided to give it a go with the buckets. I did maybe 10 or 15 before I decided the beige was ugly and I decided to wrap them in silver bubble wrap. Mistake, but the point is that the beige ones still are there, looking good. No cracking or peeling of paint. I'm surprised with the paint. I mean, I don't use the buckets anymore, and even the white ones still are strong, but, like said, so are the beige painted ones. Moral of the story is that you might consider a can of exterior latex that can be used to paint plastic/vinyl. Do a bit of research on which one from Lowes/HD, and wash prep the containers before painting. I used a roller (yep), and a hand brush for quick work. I believe your issue is related to the durability of your bucket's processing method and deteriorate possibly due to UV exposure or simply heat. Might be worth a shot before buying all the earth boxes. What I would do based on your video is get rid of Ponca, paint their, as you put it, more durable containers a cool color of your choice, and plop the Freedoms in them UNLESS you just have the money for earthboxes. I do that too. Spent some $2000 on raised beds for this year and am loving 'em. Food for thought.
A tub inside a tub might work better, or even three together. I don't use tubs but I do use plastic kids pools for my dogs. When I put two together they last a lot longer.
I have a couple where I suspect that I have the same issue. I suspect it's the East Texas heat. I'm beginning to prepare space for a new row. If you weren't so invested in wicking tubs, would you still go that route, or would you put them in the ground?
I have Poncas in long narrow raised beds. They handle the colder winters in NE Oklahoma just fine. They have been heavy producers but of larger fruit than you describe. Their output of new canes is approximately three per plant. Pruning the tops as you suggest, is the key to heavy fruit production. I use rainwater in my drip system and firmly believe that contributes to their success.
Man i need to be your neighbor, he gets all the good stuff you throw at him over the years, you could do one long row of raised bed with galvanized metal roof 2 ft tall, 3 ft wide pressure treaded top sides and corners plus joints. Just a thought, either way earthbox be good.
I think they would do well in raised beds too. However, might be hard to keep them from getting outside the box. The corrugated metal would have to be buried in the ground a few inches I’m sure.
They just had a sale back in July I think. Also, they typically go on sale around Black Friday until the end of the year. Sometimes you can catch them with free shipping… That makes a big difference. In fact, if it were me, I would call them talk to a sales rep and you can probably get an even better deal over the phone than they advertise on the Internet. My brother did that a couple years ago and it was substantially cheaper.
Earthboxes! I'm on my second year of Prime Ark in Earthboxes. Getting 3-4 crops per year, seems almost continuous. I need a machete to keep them hacked back!
i'm trying a Home Depot HDX container filled up with dirt, growing some Brison blackberries in it. You could do HDX containers and dripper emitters instead of wicking
Alan, my Poncas are in slightly raised beds and they did OK this year. Three canes gave my about 2/3 of a gallon zip-top bag. You're right though; they aren't huge! My Navajos and Natchez are in a rebuilding mode this season. The cold hit them hard.
also, the "new hotness" after Ponca is supposed to be Immaculate. I got one recently from Berries Unlimited and am looking forward to trying it next summer
Very interested in the Earth Box idea, (no ideal what an earth box is). I have read that to get really sweet and big blackberries though you need more than one variety....so you might be shooting yourself in the foot if you get rid of the second row. Just a thought...Jim
I've got mine in the V-raised beds as the 1st year the tub busted, may have already had cracks... we are planting more this way as ours have just gone nuts and are doing so well... Do let us know how they do in the Earthboxes... while i dont see us using those for Blackberries, we do have some Blueberries in a couple, not exactly thrilled with how theyve done in those, the tubs have worked great, however for the Blueberries. Blessings ❤
I just took out my Prime Arc 45 thorn bushes this morning ,tired of getting stuck by the thorns especially when you take blood thinner ,bleed like a stuck hog. The berries were not that impressive. I have potted a bunch of Freedom and Poncas .Hope to get them in the ground later in the fall.
If you can get some empty PVM tubs made by Positive Feed in Sealy Texas, they are excellent heavy duty tubs that will last many years. I have some that are 20 years old. Also, Crystalyx mineral tubs are my second choice. I think you should go ahead and prune out your dead canes on your Poncas and hit them with some fertilizer. Not sure what you mean when you say they don't reproduce well. If they are healthy they will send up new canes.
True, but some of them are just not sending up the new canes like they should. I’ve been treating them just like I treat the ones in the blue tubs. All have been fertilized exactly the same.
True, but some of them are just not sending up the new canes like they should. I’ve been treating them just like I treat the ones in the blue tubs. All have been fertilized exactly the same.
❓ Hi. I live in Texas. It's my first year with a blackberry bush. I planted it in spring. I have one branch that's about 5 feet tall and there are no berries on it this year (it had some at first). It was a small bush in spring. A question ❓ Should I pinch the top to encourage the lateral growth this year or is it not allowed the first year. Thank you. I am subscribed to your channel.
Yes, I would pinch the top off. I usually do it at about 4 feet, but 5 feet is not bad. It will absolutely encourage lateral growth. Most of your berries will come on lateral growth, not the cane. If the laterals get more than a foot and a half long, pinch them off too. That will encourage them to grow more laterals. I have a lot of pruning videos on my channel. Look for my playlist that is all about blackberries.
I have 6 starkbros Black gems from last yr this year made great berries some are huge, plant still small only a yr old, but it growing bigger with quarter size canes, now produces new growth from bottom for fall berries.
You may want to resurch this, but an old guy who worked on supply boats told me that the color makes a difference with poly rope. He said that the black will last longer in the sun. Something to do with uv rays. Could this be the reason why earth boxes are black.
Good to know, but Earthboxes come in about five or six different colors, anywhere from white to dark green like I have. I don’t think I’ve seen any black ones, but there may be some that I’ve missed.
ua-cam.com/video/hsu-312HNj0/v-deo.htmlsi=Z_azg-1-1wSa5CWM The link to “Mosquito Bits“ is under the video linked above. You should try it. It works pretty well.
Been there, done that. I had 700 feet of blackberries in the ground at one time. Had a small U-Pick operation. Having them in containers is just so much easier. Don’t have to deal with weeds, gopher, canes, coming up, where you don’t want them… Etc.
I'm making some big changes to my container blackberry process.
After 4 years of successfully raising blackberries in containers, I'm considering changing out my Wicking Tubs for EarthBoxes.
I think the EarthBox would be just as good of an environment as the Wicking Tubs have been.
So, what do you think... would I be crazy to make the swap?
Let me know your pros and cons in the comments below.
Stay safe!
alan
Check out my Website.
I've written dozens of articles pertaining to all areas of homesteading and self sufficiency.
Here's the link: homesteadadvisor.com/
If you enjoyed this video and would like to see more videos like this. please give this video a thumbs up and leave me a comment!
Please subscribe, it would really help my channel!
Thank you for watching! ❤
Must of my tubs are the red ones like you have. They've been fine for 5 seasons 😮😅but are beginning to show their age. I'm not sure how many more years they have. I found some new, heavier ones this year from a Dallas company. I'm happy to get you their name if you'd like.
Next spring I’m planning to plant 100 new Prime Ark Freedoms and 50 Joan J raspberry plants in 55 gallon wicking buckets for a future u-pick in SW Virginia. I have been using the cattle wicking buckets for the past year to great success, but they are hard to find. 55-gallon buckets are easier to find. Good luck to transfer into earth boxes.
Thanks for sharing. Those 55 gallon barrels will last a lot longer than these cattle tubs. Earth boxes should last a long time too.
I hope they do as well in them as they have in the wicking tubs.
@@BIGALTX I am also trying this with 55 gallon barrels cut in half to see how well they work as wicking tubs
@@adamsimpson5573 They should work very well !
I’m on year three with the Sweetie Pie blackberries. I have six plants. This year it was incredible. I put up 30 quarts in the freezer and made 16 pints of jam and 8 half pints jelly. I’m so impressed with these berries. I’m up by the Oklahoma border. I had more blooms than I can tell you and they developed beautiful berries. We were picking every day. They are about 3 foot wide by 4 foot long and seven foot tall. They are the sweetest blackberry I have ever tasted. You should give them a try. I planing on starting more from cuttings. You can never have enough blackberries in my opinion. 😉
I have never tried them, but I have heard good things about them. Thanks for sharing.
I ordered the Sweetie Pie and will put in a big container this fall
@@beverlyboyce1041 Nice!
Happy Growing!
Much love❤❤Love this
used 55 gal blue poly barrels last forever in the fla sun. Cut them in 1/2. Usually $20 max used
I have thought about that. Supposedly, they last a long, long time. Still undecided, but thanks for the input.
@@BIGALTX I have had those blue 55 gal poly barrels outside for well over 7 years and there has been no degradation at all
@@adamsimpson5573 Good to know, thanks!
I kind of like the idea of the earthbox. Be interesting to find out.
Take some time and read the comments below this video. Several people have been using earth boxes for their berries for a few years with great success.
Earthboxes are great, I believe they will do well.
Thanks for your input.
Well, I’m glad I thought about looking up your videos about the blackberries in the tubs! I moved to a new location and ended up dumping out all the soil and everything from my “Leon” tubs that I had going and left behind the blackberries because it was too much to move.
I have finally got around to getting my new garden area planned out. Yesterday morning I thought oh my goodness I can start new blackberries at some point using these tubs.
Nope, not after watching your video and realizing how old these tubs are.😅
Understood… These tubs do have a life span. But, that’s one reason I think I’m going to plant blackberries and earthboxes. Earth boxes will last for decades. You may want to give that a try.
Understood… These tubs do have a life span. But, that’s one reason I think I’m going to plant blackberries and earthboxes. Earth boxes will last for decades. You may want to give that a try.
I'm with you on them clobbers the bigger the better
Amen! 👍🏻😊
My ponkas are in food grade 55 gal drums cut to about two thirds height . They are very productive. You may want to consider a larger wicking tub for a few of your best poncas. For reproduction consider laying few of this years canes sideways on top of a separate wicking tub next to your blackberry tub.Cover with a few inches of soil and weight down with bricks till next spring growth. Each node has potential for rooting a new plant hence several plants from each stem .
Yes, I did that last year. They rooted very well and I have a nice plant to show for it now.
👍🏻😎
Try the earth box! Would like to see that. Been wanting to try it myself.
That’s the way I’m thinking right now unless something changes.
You can paint the containers and give much better sun protection. I used latex outdoor paint once upon a time and they still look great.
Wow. Good to know!
Just regular exterior latex paint?
@@BIGALTX When I first started hydro some 12 years back, I purchased some 150 or so white sucralose containers, $2 a piece. I removed the tops which made them about 5-gallon containers, only they were durable plastic unlike the 5-gallon buckets everyone uses today. About 4 years after that, or 8 years or so ago, I figured they needed to be painted to keep sun/algae issue I saw (light penetration) from growing and to provide a barrier to help with UV deterioration, long term. I already had a leftover 5-gallon container of beige exterior pain I'd used to paint the vinyl siding on the back of my house. It was fading so I repainted it as suggested by my research at the time. That paint job still looks good after 8 years. Anyway, with the leftover paint, I decided to give it a go with the buckets. I did maybe 10 or 15 before I decided the beige was ugly and I decided to wrap them in silver bubble wrap. Mistake, but the point is that the beige ones still are there, looking good. No cracking or peeling of paint. I'm surprised with the paint. I mean, I don't use the buckets anymore, and even the white ones still are strong, but, like said, so are the beige painted ones. Moral of the story is that you might consider a can of exterior latex that can be used to paint plastic/vinyl. Do a bit of research on which one from Lowes/HD, and wash prep the containers before painting. I used a roller (yep), and a hand brush for quick work. I believe your issue is related to the durability of your bucket's processing method and deteriorate possibly due to UV exposure or simply heat. Might be worth a shot before buying all the earth boxes. What I would do based on your video is get rid of Ponca, paint their, as you put it, more durable containers a cool color of your choice, and plop the Freedoms in them UNLESS you just have the money for earthboxes. I do that too. Spent some $2000 on raised beds for this year and am loving 'em. Food for thought.
@@BIGALTX By the way, I've been watching your vids for a very long time.
@@C3Voyage Thanks for sharing. I'm going to try to find some of the paint you mentioned. :)
@@alansreviews Cool.
Hon, you look like you have been in the sun all day! Take it easy.
Hahaha… yep, been busy! 👍🏻😎
A tub inside a tub might work better, or even three together. I don't use tubs but I do use plastic kids pools for my dogs. When I put two together they last a lot longer.
Probably would last longer, but eventually they would fail. This type of plastic is just not meant for long-term sun exposure.
I have a couple where I suspect that I have the same issue. I suspect it's the East Texas heat. I'm beginning to prepare space for a new row. If you weren't so invested in wicking tubs, would you still go that route, or would you put them in the ground?
I’ve raised blackberries in the ground before (700 feet), and I hope I never have to do that again. I really like raising them in containers.
I have Poncas in long narrow raised beds. They handle the colder winters in NE Oklahoma just fine. They have been heavy producers but of larger fruit than you describe. Their output of new canes is approximately three per plant. Pruning the tops as you suggest, is the key to heavy fruit production. I use rainwater in my drip system and firmly believe that contributes to their success.
Good to know!
Thanks for sharing 😊
Got to do what works for you I have picked 105 pounds of tomato's 15 plants the best year we have ever had.
Wowza!
Great haul !!
Man i need to be your neighbor, he gets all the good stuff you throw at him over the years, you could do one long row of raised bed with galvanized metal roof 2 ft tall, 3 ft wide pressure treaded top sides and corners plus joints. Just a thought, either way earthbox be good.
I think they would do well in raised beds too. However, might be hard to keep them from getting outside the box. The corrugated metal would have to be buried in the ground a few inches I’m sure.
Earth box
👍🏻👍🏻
Ditto with my 5 gallon wicking tubs from the box store getting brittle. A pain to replace. I may wait for earth box to go on sale...
They just had a sale back in July I think. Also, they typically go on sale around Black Friday until the end of the year. Sometimes you can catch them with free shipping… That makes a big difference.
In fact, if it were me, I would call them talk to a sales rep and you can probably get an even better deal over the phone than they advertise on the Internet. My brother did that a couple years ago and it was substantially cheaper.
Do you think the earth boxes will be big enough
I think so, but that’s part of the experiment… to see if there’s enough room for them to flourish
Earthboxes! I'm on my second year of Prime Ark in Earthboxes. Getting 3-4 crops per year, seems almost continuous. I need a machete to keep them hacked back!
Wow… Good to hear of your success. I’m pretty sure I’m going to use earth boxes. You’re success may have convinced me… 😊
i'm trying a Home Depot HDX container filled up with dirt, growing some Brison blackberries in it. You could do HDX containers and dripper emitters instead of wicking
I’m in Tucson, Az and those containers only lasted two years. They were NOT in direct sun. Didn’t work long at all!
@@mike1968442 darn, thanks for the heads up! I'm in Dallas and they are in direct sun so I'll start planning alternatives very soon!
Good to know 👍🏻😊
Thanks for the tip!
Alan, my Poncas are in slightly raised beds and they did OK this year. Three canes gave my about 2/3 of a gallon zip-top bag. You're right though; they aren't huge! My Navajos and Natchez are in a rebuilding mode this season. The cold hit them hard.
I like the way the Poncas taste, just disappointed with the size and vigor of them.
also, the "new hotness" after Ponca is supposed to be Immaculate. I got one recently from Berries Unlimited and am looking forward to trying it next summer
Thanks, I’ll have to check it out.
Very interested in the Earth Box idea, (no ideal what an earth box is).
I have read that to get really sweet and big blackberries though you need more than one variety....so you might be shooting yourself in the foot if you get rid of the second row.
Just a thought...Jim
One of the plants in the blue tubs is a different variety, so I think I’m OK.
I've got mine in the V-raised beds as the 1st year the tub busted, may have already had cracks... we are planting more this way as ours have just gone nuts and are doing so well...
Do let us know how they do in the Earthboxes... while i dont see us using those for Blackberries, we do have some Blueberries in a couple, not exactly thrilled with how theyve done in those, the tubs have worked great, however for the Blueberries.
Blessings ❤
Thanks for your input.👍🏻🤗
I just took out my Prime Arc 45 thorn bushes this morning ,tired of getting stuck by the thorns especially when you take blood thinner ,bleed like a stuck hog. The berries were not that impressive. I have potted a bunch of Freedom and Poncas .Hope to get them in the ground later in the fall.
You will love not having thorns! I will never go back to thorned blackberries
Deer, and other animals don't bother my blackberries with thorns. I am going to try thornless next year to see what happens.
If you can get some empty PVM tubs made by Positive Feed in Sealy Texas, they are excellent heavy duty tubs that will last many years. I have some that are 20 years old. Also, Crystalyx mineral tubs are my second choice. I think you should go ahead and prune out your dead canes on your Poncas and hit them with some fertilizer. Not sure what you mean when you say they don't reproduce well. If they are healthy they will send up new canes.
True, but some of them are just not sending up the new canes like they should. I’ve been treating them just like I treat the ones in the blue tubs. All
have been fertilized exactly the same.
True, but some of them are just not sending up the new canes like they should. I’ve been treating them just like I treat the ones in the blue tubs. All
have been fertilized exactly the same.
❓ Hi. I live in Texas. It's my first year with a blackberry bush. I planted it in spring. I have one branch that's about 5 feet tall and there are no berries on it this year (it had some at first). It was a small bush in spring.
A question ❓ Should I pinch the top to encourage the lateral growth this year or is it not allowed the first year. Thank you.
I am subscribed to your channel.
Yes, I would pinch the top off. I usually do it at about 4 feet, but 5 feet is not bad. It will absolutely encourage lateral growth.
Most of your berries will come on lateral growth, not the cane.
If the laterals get more than a foot and a half long, pinch them off too. That will encourage them to grow more laterals.
I have a lot of pruning videos on my channel. Look for my playlist that is all about blackberries.
I think is I'm glad of Minnesota Temps. 🔵⚪🔵 SISUPOWER!
Summers are definitely tough around here.
@@BIGALTX yeah -19 or -4, regular feel wind chill -38f. HA!
Orange tubs look shorter and wider. Could be and issue transplanting if they are that much shorter.
Hmmmm… I haven’t measured them, but I think they’re about the same. But now you got me curious and I will have to go find out for sure 😊
I have a test row of 4 stark ark black gems going. I am hoping they perform like freedoms with a little more sweetness.
I have 6 starkbros Black gems from last yr this year made great berries some are huge, plant still small only a yr old, but it growing bigger with quarter size canes, now produces new growth from bottom for fall berries.
Nice!👍🏻😎
That’s great. Let me know how they do for you.
@@hardstylzz5024 Have you also grown freedoms by chance? if so how does the sweetness compare?
You may want to resurch this, but an old guy who worked on supply boats told me that the color makes a difference with poly rope. He said that the black will last longer in the sun. Something to do with uv rays.
Could this be the reason why earth boxes are black.
Good to know, but Earthboxes come in about five or six different colors, anywhere from white to dark green like I have. I don’t think I’ve seen any black ones, but there may be some that I’ve missed.
do you have a way to control mosquitoes with the Earthboxes/CityPickers containers?
ua-cam.com/video/hsu-312HNj0/v-deo.htmlsi=Z_azg-1-1wSa5CWM
The link to
“Mosquito Bits“ is under the video linked above.
You should try it.
It works pretty well.
My Poncas are popping up all over the place. May be the containers. Them and the Prime Ark Freedoms are my heavy spreader.
i have heard from @gardening with ziggy that Poncas do spread via underground runners over 6 feet!
Good to know, thanx
I’m glad they are working well for you! 👍🏻 😊
@@MikeDawson1 I have several to put back in a row late this winter coming. Most are 3-6' away from mother plants.
@@BIGALTX Me too. My Prime Ark Freedoms are fading away and spindly. As are my Natchez and Ouachitas.
Have you ever grown sweetie pie blackberries?
No, but I have heard they’re very good. You ought to give them a try. 😊
Why not just plant them in the ground and heavily mulch them and keep up on the spreading.
Been there, done that.
I had 700 feet of blackberries in the ground at one time. Had a small U-Pick operation.
Having them in containers is just so much easier. Don’t have to deal with weeds, gopher, canes, coming up, where you don’t want them… Etc.
Are totally against putting them straight in the ground again
Yes, I don’t think I will ever plant in the ground again.