As part of a research project with the University of Kentucky’s Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, the Danville-Boyle Co. Senior Center and the Boyle Co. Extension Office, a blackberry planting was established in 2018. At its start, the project looked at nutritional aspects of increasing blackberry consumption in the elderly. As well as improving physical exercise through plant care and harvesting.  

As the project begins to reach its conclusion, the plants continue to produce and need care and thus, the introduction of new groups to the blackberries. Groups such as Master Gardeners and graduate students with the UK Superfund Research Center. This group of national and international students range in various points in their PhD studies and majority are within the Engineering department at the University of Kentucky. Most of the students have very little to no experience with gardening or plants in general so, the care of a plot of 40 blackberry plants was new to them. 

The Boyle Co. Horticulture agent was able to work with the UK students to teach them how to identify insect damage, diseased berry canes and proper pruning techniques to do early season care on the plot. Students had the following to say about the experience... 

“Pruning the blackberry bushes in March helped me learn what to do with my raspberry bushes at home!” 

“I learned to you look for the main stock and want to trim several inches (about 3) off of the tip of the main branch. Any side “secondary” branches you want to trim to be no longer than a foot. Anything that looks dead should also be removed.”