Thornless Trailing
Columbia Star Blackberry is a vigorous cultivar that produces deep purple, glossy berries packed with exceptional sweetness and a remarkable concentration of antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and vitamin C. Growing 5 to 6 feet tall, this blackberry thrives in full sun with moderate watering and well-drained soil, making it both productive and easy to cultivate. The plants are prized for their reliability and generous yields, delivering the kind of fruit quality that makes home gardeners truly appreciate the effort.
4-6 feet apart
Full Sun
Moderate
4-9
72in H x ?in W
Perennial
High
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What sets Columbia Star apart is the combination of superior flavor, berries so sweet and tasty they seem almost surprising in intensity, alongside the plant's impressive vigor and ease of care. Gardeners love not just the fruit itself but the whole experience: the plant's reliability, its straightforward growing requirements, and the abundance it produces. These are the kinds of blackberries that make you want to harvest them fresh and eat them straight from the hand.
Columbia Star blackberries are ideal for fresh eating straight off the cane, their firm yet plump texture and concentrated sweetness making them a pure pleasure when harvested at peak ripeness. They're equally suited to preservation through freezing, cooking down into jams, or incorporating into baked goods where their depth of flavor and natural pectin content shine.
Transplant Columbia Star blackberry into prepared soil after allowing the nursery plant several days to acclimate gradually to full sun conditions. Space plants 3 inches apart in well-drained soil, ensuring the planting area receives full sun exposure throughout the day.
Harvest only berries that are completely black, this is the critical signal that they've reached peak ripeness and flavor. The fruit should feel plump yet firm and pull easily from the cane with minimal resistance; if berries require tugging, they're not quite ready. Pick every few days once ripening begins, as berries mature in succession over several weeks. Harvest in early morning or once afternoon heat subsides, and refrigerate immediately, blackberries are highly perishable and last only a few days even when chilled. Unlike raspberries, keep the center plug intact within the berry during harvest, as it contributes to the fruit's structural integrity.
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