Can Blackberries and Raspberries Be Planted Together?

Blackberries and raspberries can be planted together, but doing so may increase the risk of shared diseases like verticillium wilt.

You’ve picked a sunny corner of the yard, bought two types of berry canes from the nursery, and you’re wondering if they can share a row. It’s a tempting shortcut — one trellis, one weeding session, two fruits.

The short answer is yes, they can go in the same garden. But horticultural guides tend to recommend keeping them separated enough to reduce disease transmission. The trade-off between convenience and plant health is worth understanding before you dig.

What The Guides Recommend About Planting Together

Most master gardener programs and extension services advise against planting blackberries and raspberries in the same row or even near each other. The main concern is disease spread — both are bramble fruits (Rubus species), and they share several fungal and viral pathogens.

Verticillium wilt is the one that comes up most often. It can live in the soil for years and is nearly impossible to remove once established. When two susceptible crops grow close, the pathogen moves between them more easily.

That said, the risk is not absolute. Some home gardeners report growing red raspberries, gold raspberries, and blackberries together without major problems. The outcome depends heavily on your local soil history, climate, and whether wild brambles grow nearby.

Why The Convenience Tempts Gardeners

Growing both types in one bed feels efficient. A single trellis system, one irrigation line, and uniform mulching simplify the workload. Since both berries require similar soil conditions — full sun, well-drained soil, and a pH around 5.5 to 6.5 — they are technically compatible.

• Shared soil preferences: Both canes thrive in acidic, organically rich soil. You won’t need separate amendments or pH adjustments.
• Similar sun needs: Full sun (at least 6 hours daily) is ideal for both. Partial shade reduces fruit yield equally for each.
• Same pruning season: Summer-bearing and fall-bearing varieties of both types are pruned in late winter or early spring, so maintenance timing lines up.
• No cross-pollination needed: Raspberry cultivars are self-fruitful — they don’t require another variety to set fruit. Blackberries are similarly self-fertile. You only need one cultivar of each.

The catch is that shared vulnerabilities cancel out some of that convenience. Pests like raspberry cane borers and aphids move freely between the two, and a disease in one bed can become a problem for both.

Spacing Guidelines For Blackberries And Raspberries

If you do decide to plant them together, spacing is your main tool for reducing disease pressure. The specific spacing depends on which guide you follow, but a reasonable compromise is to give each plant room for air circulation and future growth.

Raspberries are typically spaced 3 to 4 feet apart within a row, with rows 6 to 8 feet apart, per the raspberry spacing guide from Oregon State Extension. Blackberries usually need more room — about 4 to 5 feet between plants and 10 feet between rows.

One expert recommendation that’s worth noting: keep your cultivated raspberries at least 75 to 100 feet away from any wild blackberries or wild raspberries. That distance dramatically reduces the chance of virus transmission from wild brambles, which are common carriers.

These ranges come from extension guides and major nursery resources. If space is tight, aim for the wider end of the range to maximize airflow and disease resistance.

Steps To Plant Them Together Safely

If you’ve weighed the risks and still want to try growing both types in the same garden, a few extra steps can tilt the odds in your favor.

1. Check your soil history: Don’t plant either bramble in ground that previously hosted tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, or eggplants. Those crops can harbor verticillium wilt in the soil.
2. Start with clean stock: Buy disease-free, certified nursery plants. Avoid accepting cuttings from a neighbor’s patch unless you know its health history.
3. Space generously: Use the wider end of the spacing ranges. Crowded canes trap moisture, which invites fungal infections.
4. Prune for airflow: Remove old, weak, or crossing canes each year. Good air movement through the canopy is one of the best defenses against disease.
5. Monitor for symptoms: Watch for wilting leaves, stunted growth, or spotted fruit. If one cane shows signs, remove it promptly — don’t wait to see if it recovers.

Some gardeners also choose to alternate the two berries in separate rows rather than mix them in a single row. That gives easier access for pruning and harvesting, and it creates a visual separation that helps you track each patch’s health.

Disease Risks And Realistic Expectations

The conversation about blackberries and raspberries planted together mostly revolves around disease risk. Verticillium wilt, anthracnose, and various viruses can spread between them, but the severity depends on your region and local bramble population.

One disease spread risk discussion on a gardening forum includes reports from growers who found that increasing row spacing to 10 feet or more kept both patches healthy for years. The key variable seems to be airflow and soil drainage rather than a fixed distance.

It’s also worth noting that blackberries tend to be hardier and more vigorous than many raspberry varieties. If a disease takes hold, raspberries are often the first to show symptoms. That gives you a warning sign — if your raspberries start declining, the blackberries may follow.

The Bottom Line

Blackberries and raspberries can be planted together, but the practice comes with a real — though manageable — increase in disease risk. Adequate spacing, clean planting stock, and vigilant pruning go a long way. For most home gardeners, keeping them in separate rows with at least 8 to 10 feet between beds is a sensible middle ground that still saves space while hedging against problems.

If you’re working with very limited yard space, a container-friendly berry patch might be the safer approach — one large pot per variety gives each plant its own soil environment, and you can move pots to follow the sun or avoid overgrown wild brambles a few streets over.