Can I cultivate a wild blackberry bush?

[Kraggle]

We have a wild blackberry bush at the bottom of our garden but it is across a very deep ditch and surrounded by nettles. Is there a way of encouraging it closer to make it easier to pick them, or could I take a cutting and grow my own bush from it? I know they spread like wildfire, they're all over the bottoms of my estates gardens but most are unreachable!

Kraggle - great name, I love that film!!

The problem with blackberries, aka brambles is that they are rampant, thorny and therefore horrible to work with. They will root all over the place in your garden, creating an unholy knot of thorns that are as shar as razor wire. You can, however, get cultivars that are more well-mannered and some of these don't even have thorns. You can get them to scramble where you want, too.

Aldi had a thornless one of an unspecified variety for £1.79 about a week ago - they might have some left.

Alternatively, you could grow something like raspberries instead (which will like the same kind of conditions) and then go out blackberry picking in the countryside!

Thanks Shovetheholly!

I thought as much re the thorniness and rampantness of them. I risked life and limb trying to reach them earlier! Maybe if I leave them for this year by next they will be close enough to pick!

if you want the wild one, get over there with a pot of soil and like get the plant to touch it and it will soon seen out roots,

the nettles are great for things like butterflies and edible, so dont put them down to much for their bad habits