Blackberry bushes provide a flavorful summer harvest but present a physical challenge due to their thorny canes. Successfully picking blackberries requires a systematic approach combining personal protective gear, strategic interaction with the plant, and specialized tools. The goal is prevention, ensuring the picker maintains a safe distance and avoids contact with the plant’s sharp projections.
Necessary Defensive Wear
Effective protection requires creating an impenetrable barrier between the skin and the canes. High-quality gloves must prioritize puncture resistance. Leather gloves, especially cowhide or goatskin, offer superior protection because their dense fibers resist penetration from thin thorns. Specialized gauntlet-style gloves, often used for rose pruning, extend protection past the wrist and onto the forearm, shielding this vulnerable area.
The rest of the body requires durable coverage, even in warm weather. Long sleeves and full-length pants made from tightly woven, heavy materials like canvas or denim are recommended. Loose-fitting clothing is preferable, as it provides greater material thickness, making it harder for thorns to reach the skin. Closed-toe footwear, such as hiking boots or sturdy sneakers, protects the feet and ankles from low-lying canes.
Strategic Location and Approach
Minimize physical interaction by focusing on easily accessible fruit. Berries on the outer edges and upper parts of the bush are the safest targets, requiring less maneuvering through dense growth. Ripeness indicates picking ease: a perfectly ripe blackberry is deep black and comes away from the stem with only a slight, gentle tug.
Berries that resist a gentle pull are not fully ripe, and forcing them off increases the likelihood of scratches. The proper technique involves reaching for the fruit cluster from an angle that avoids scraping the arm against the cane or adjacent branches. Avoid reaching deep into the center of the bush where thorns are densest and visibility is low.
Picking Aids and Specialized Equipment
External tools significantly improve the harvest by creating distance between the picker and the plants. A simple, long stick or a commercially available grabber tool can gently lift or pull canes closer to the edge of the patch. This technique allows access to fruit hidden deep within the bramble without the picker physically entering the thicket.
For gathering, a handheld berry rake, sometimes called a berry comb, is effective, especially for wild varieties where speed is prioritized. This tool separates berries from the stems as they are raked into an attached basket. While this method may collect a few leaves, it offers a rapid, hands-off way to harvest fruit while shielding hands from thorns.
Containers with long handles or a harness system that hang from the shoulder or neck are also helpful. These systems free both hands for picking and reduce the need to bend or set a container on the ground near thorny growth.