I'm in south Houston and grow Kiowa and Tupi black berries. Kiowa are a little sour for my taste but some times you get a few good ones. Usually the birds get to mine before they are dead ripe. I'm fruiting Tupi this spring for the first time and hope they are better than Kiowa. Growing mine on a 3 wire trellis. It's the only way I've found to keep the thorny canes manageable. They are a mess if not trained on to a wire.

Thanks for the information. Guess I might have to find some netting for the birds.

Are your soils that nasty black gumbo clay, I am between Beaumont and Galveston, and that stuff is terrible for gardening, Have to raise everything.

Good to hear that Kiowa are growing good, have planted Ouachita (2) and ordered Kiowa, Boysen, and Tayberries, just read about the Tupi yesterday and looking for some of them. Please let me know if the Tupi taste good.

Have plenty of the wild dewberries as well, so should be able to freeze and can jams as much as I want.

I live in a subdivision by clear lake. When it was built they raised all the whole subdivision with fill dirt which is basicly sand and clay. Where I planted mine is along the back fence that boarders a road so at my back fence it starts to slope down a few feet to the road. Knowing drainage wouldnt be a huge problem I dug out a long but narrow bed along the fence and filled it with sand, pinebark mulch and a few different composts and top soils then planted. They have grown great so far. For some reason one part of my bed has a problem with root nematoads. They havent spread and dont under stand why but one section of it I cant seem to get any blackberries established. The only place Ive been able to find Tupi is at the Urban Harvest Fruit Tree Sales and usually the first one of the year has them.

MMMM...blackberries! I bought four of the new Navaho; at least I think that's what they are called. I got the first two at a nursery off IH 10 in Boerne and then the next two at Home Depot. They are a thornless hybrid. In the first year I have already had masses of white blossoms and had one fruit last year when I first got them. They are tart but are doing great in very alkaline clay/sand soil. I'm in Spring Branch south of Canyon Lake. These berries are right in the middle of my yard and I won't have to worry about my toddler getting scratched up when he's stealin' 'em from the plants.

I'm in Pearland, and I grow Kiowa and Ouachita. The clay doesn't seem to be too much of a problem for them. In fact, the one plant I have in the heaviest clay area has grown and performed the best for me. I like Ouachita way better than Kiowa for flavor, and chill hours haven't been a problem for me. My biggest problem has been that for a small scale gardener like me, the birds tend to get to the berries before I do...