Blackberry Trial 2026 update

Demonstration Background:

The Blackberry Patch at The Learning Fields at Chaffee Crossing was originally planted in December 2020. In June 2026, the Blackberry Patch came under the supervision of the Sebastian County Horticulture Agent. The goal is to compare the yields of three University of Arkansas blackberry varieties while demonstrating how homeowners can successfully grow fresh blackberries on a small scale.

Setup:

The Blackberry Patch consists of a 20’ x 20’ mulched area with three 20’ rows of blackberries running East to West. Each row originally had six plants spaced 3’ apart. Each row has a stake identifying the variety being grown with the three varieties being Ponca (Southernmost row), Ouachita (middle row), and Caddo (Northernmost row). The plants are irrigated regularly depending on weather via a drip irrigation system with an automatic timer. A simple T-shaped trellis system provides support for the canes as they come up.

 2026 Yield Data:

	Ponca		Ouachita		Caddo
Date	Marketable	Unmarketable	Marketable	Unmarketable	Marketable	Unmarketable
6/15/2026	238	36	56	100	86	41
6/18/2026	187	49	18	31	49	28
6/22/2026	175	56	20	41	42	37
6/24/2026	82	26	8	12	6	3
6/30/2026	21	5	0	0	0	0
Total	703	172	102	184	183	109
					Total Marketable	Total Unmarketable
					988	465

*An unmarketable berry is defined as one that does not meet typical supermarket standards such as few to little blemishes, completely formed drupelets, and a generally pleasing aesthetic.

2026 Results:

A bowl of Ponca blackberries, the highest producing variety in the trial

Overall, Ponca was the best producer of the three varieties most likely due to the fact that it was more vigorous in putting up primocanes in the previous year resulting in more second year floricanes that could produce berries.

Ponca blackberries prior to floricane cleanup

Ponca blackberries post floricane cleanup

Ouachita was the lowest producing variety due mostly to low quality berries that did not form properly during pollination. These unmarketable berries were discarded, Ouachita was the only berry of the three varieties tested that had more unmarketable berries than it did marketable.

Caddo blackberries post floricane cleanup. *Note the far fewer primocanes when compared to Ponca

Caddo produced slightly more marketable berries than unmarketable but did not put up very many primocanes in 2026. This lack of primocane production could foreshadow very low production in 2027. Overall, Ponca had 80% marketable berries, Ouachita had 26%, and Caddo had 63%.

The berries were used for educational programming such as the 4-H Charcuterie Creations event, a program where children learned the art of making charcuterie boards.

Blackberries afflicted by white drupelet reversion, rendering them unmarketable. Caddo had high rates of white drupelet reversion

A charcuterie board made by a 4-H member using blackberries from The Learning Fields

Current and Future Work:

The Blackberry Patch will continue to be used to compare yields as it was used in 2026, most likely with the same three varieties that were studied for this report. The 2026 floricanes were removed and discarded on July 31^st and 2026 Primocanes were tipped on August 1^st.

During the Winter 2026-27, a central trellising wire will be installed. The purpose of this wire will be to stabilize the central cane while the lateral canes will be attached to the wires currently on each side of the row. This will help to increase air flow through the plant and ease picking. In addition, The Caddo plants that were not tipped will be tip layered if possible, a process that allows the creation of a new blackberry plant. This is to make up for the lack of primocane production in that variety.