A close-up of ripe black Raspberries and red unripe berries growing. on a bramble plant, surrounded by green leaves
Updated: July 20, 2026
By Joseph Fiola, Ph.D.

Commercial Bramble Production

A variety of information on commercial bramble production including organic production, pest and weed management, and more.

Commercial Production Guides

  • The Mid-Atlantic Berry Guide for Commercial Growers
    This guide is produced by Penn State in cooperation with Rutgers University, the University of Delaware, the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University.

    (2013-2014)  provides general information on preplant considerations, soil management and nutrition, and pest management, as well as specific information for planting strawberries, blueberries, brambles, gooseberries, and currants. Appendixes provide information on expanded special topics, diagnostic services, nursery sources of berry plants, and production supplies and services. Additional sources of information are also given.
     
  • Raspberry and Blackberry Production Guide for the Northeast, Midwest, and Eastern Canada- NRAES-35 
    Authors: Bushway, Lori; Pritts, Marvin; Handley, David
    Cornell University Library, eCommons

    Includes 14 chapters, 134 color photos, 36 line drawings, 30 tables of useful information, 70+ cultivar descriptions, sample calculations, and a glossary. Field production is emphasized and high tunnel and greenhouse production are reviewed.

Commercial Storage and Produce Safety

Commercial Storage

  • The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks (Handbook # 66, Revised Feb. 2016)
    Edited by Kenneth C. Gross, Chien Yi Wang, and Mikal Saltveit. Gross and Wang are formerly with the Food Quality Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD. They are now retired. Saltveit is with the Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA.

    Agriculture Handbook 66 (AH-66) represents a complete revision and major expansion of the 1986 edition. It has been reorganized and now includes 17 Chapters and 138 Commodity Summaries written by nearly a hundred experts in plant science and postharvest technology. This version, like the previous editions of AH- 66 in 1954, 1968, 1977, and 1986, presents summaries of current storage requirements of fresh fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, and other horticultural crops. However, this highly expanded version also includes information on quality characteristics, maturity indices, grading, packaging, precooling, retail display, chilling sensitivity, ethylene production and sensitivity, respiration rates, physiological disorders, postharvest pathology, quarantine issues, and suitability as a fresh-cut product. A large number of fruits and vegetables were added, as well as sections on food safety, nutritional quality, texture, and fresh-cut produce. The purpose of storing plant material is to lengthen the time it can be consumed or utilized. In doing so, it is critical to provide an environment that minimizes deterioration, maintains microbial safety, and retains other quality attributes. AH-66 provides guidelines and other important information for storing and handling horticultural commodities to accomplish this.

Produce Safety

Pest, Disease, and Weed Management

Spray Programs or Pest Advisory

  • Spray Program for Multi-Small Fruit Plantings
    R. David Myers, University of Maryland Extension 

    Multi-Small Fruit Spray Program (updated yearly) for the control of major small fruit (Strawberries, Brambles, Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Grapes Pest and Disease.)  
     
  • IPM Net
    IPMnet is an online resource for commercial ornamental plant production and maintenance with an emphasis on using an integrated pest management approach. We primarily work with nursery growers, landscapers, greenhouse growers, cut flower growers, IPM scouts, and arborists.
     
  • Maryland Fruit & Vegetable Blog
    Provides readers with current information on fruits and vegetables, disease and pest updates, and much more.
     
  • Plant & Pest Advisory 
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension

    Provides seasonal updates focusing on insects, diseases, and weeds of importance to NJ Commercial Growers.

Pests

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

  • Stop BMSB
    Collaborators: USDA/NIFA - Specialty Crop Research Initiative, USDA -Ag Research Services, Rutgers, Penn State, Virginia Tech, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, Northeastern IPM Center, Washington State University, Cornell University, Organ State University, and North Carolina State University.

    Stop BMSB Web Site is bringing its latest findings to growers in North America. A group of 50 researchers from 10 institutions across the United States is solving the mysteries of this pest that damages a huge range of fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops. You will find a photo identification guide and recommendations for how to control it.

Spotted Wing Drosophila

Weed

Bramble Production Methods

Organic

  • Brambles: Organic Production
    By George L. Kuepper, Holly Born, and Janet Bachmann, NCAT Agriculture Specialists; Published January 2003; Updated March 2017 By Luke Freeman, NCAT Agriculture Specialist ©NCAT IP022

    This publication focuses on organic practices for blackberry and raspberry production. It discusses cultural considerations including site selection, establishment, pruning, and trellising, and it introduces organic practices for fertility, weed, disease, and insect management. It also provides new information on greenhouse production and season extension and addresses economics and marketing.

Season Extension

Tunnel Production

  • Tunnel Production
    Cornell Fruit Resources: Berries

    This site features information for growers and educators on all types of protected culture for strawberries and brambles.

Preparing and Selecting Cultivars

Websites

  • Bramble Production
    Cornell Fruit Resources: Berries, Cornell University

    Resource pages on general production, pollination, site selection and preparation, cultivar selection, soil nutrient management, plant growth and development, and pruning and trellising.
     
  • Fruit
    Penn State Extension

    Web pages on Production & Harvesting, Cultivars & Rootstocks, Soil Fertility & Management, Pest & Diseases, Weed Management, Organic Production, Sustainable Agriculture, Personal Safety, and Business Management.

Educational Articles

Useful Links

University of Maryland Research Laboratories

  • Hamby Lab
    Dr. Kelly Hamby
    Associate Professor/Extension Specialist

Organizations

 

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