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Making its mark from July — and without thorns 🍇
Family: Rosaceae · Pot diameter: 13cm · organically grown · Height: approximately 40–45cm
Rubus NAVAHO® ‘Bigandearly’ brings large glossy blackberries early, without forcing you to fight thorns or unruly trailing canes. Strong upright growth organises neatly within a narrow space, fruit ripens in a concentrated July period and sweet juicy flesh is excellent straight from the plant. It is a striking choice for anyone wanting impressive berry size, an earlier blackberry season and safe easy picking beside a path or terrace.
Spread fruiting canes as an open fan and train new ones separately so annual replacement becomes obvious.
‘Bigandearly’ combines early timing with very large fruit and the practical upright thornless habit of the NAVAHO® line.
Glossy fruit ripens in a concentrated period during July.
Tying, pruning and picking remain comfortable even near a daily path.
Strong canes stand more vertically than a classic trailing blackberry.
Why you will love it: It combines the spectacle of very large black fruit with safe picking and early enjoyment.
Plant in full sun at 1–1.5m spacing with firm support to about 2m. In hot regions keep roots deeply mulched.
Aromatic, flowering and drought-tolerant low plants brighten the crown without obstructing new canes.
Full sun for sweetness and cane ripening; light afternoon shade only during heatwaves.
Even moisture from flowering until the end of harvest.
Good winter hardiness to about −20°C, with protection from cold drying wind.
Wash fully ripe fruit before eating.
Plant in deep fertile soil that drains well yet stays cool. Add organic mulch around the roots without covering the cane bases.
Water deeply when the top few centimetres dry. Even moisture from flowering to harvest helps fruit fill uniformly.
Fan 4–6 fruiting canes over three wires and train new canes vertically in the centre.
In early spring add mature compost and a balanced fruit-plant feed according to its label. Avoid excess nitrogen.
Mulch the roots, remove weeds by hand and pick frequently. During prolonged heat, provide light afternoon shade.
Remove fruited canes immediately after harvest, keep gaps and do not let large fruit become overripe.
It is self-fertile and crops alone. Abundant insect activity helps large berries develop evenly.
It ripens early and in a concentrated July period, often ahead of other upright blackberries.
Pick when fruit is fully black, glossy, slightly soft and releases without a hard pull.
Stretch netting over a tall separate frame before the first fruit turns black and leave a side door.
After planting: tie the main cane vertically and do not shorten its tip before it reaches the final support height.
Immediately after harvest, with winter tidying of laterals
‘Bigandearly’ fruits on last year’s canes. After July remove entire fruited canes at the base and spread strong new canes into their place.
Action: Train 4–6 new canes vertically in the centre.
Retain: Retain their full length to the top wire.
Action: Spread last year’s canes left and right and shorten only overlong laterals in winter.
Retain: Retain short laterals with visible fruit buds.
Action: Cut brown fruited canes low as soon as picking ends.
Retain: Spread green new canes over the vacant wires.
Use sharp, clean tools suited to the diameter of the wood.
Retie the fan and shorten laterals only enough to keep the passage clear.
Do not do this: Do not cut new green canes with the brown ones after harvest; they are next year’s crop.
Strong green canes rise in the centre of the support.
Brown canes open across wires and fill with short fruiting laterals.
Very large blackberries ripen in a concentrated July period.
Mature ‘Bigandearly’ has new canes in the centre and last year’s canes fanned out with very large black fruit.
Thornlessness comes from a stable genetic change that restricts the formation of hard prickles in the cane epidermis.
What to expect after planting: Strong green canes rise in the centre of the support.
The story of ‘Bigandearly’ builds on the NAVAHO® revolution in upright thornless blackberries, showing that a blackberry could grow vertically and be picked without scratches. Lubera used this material as a starting point for cultivars better suited to home gardens.
In repeated trials breeders selected a line ripening unusually early and carrying much larger fruit than older upright selections. Harvest was relatively concentrated, while strong canes maintained a clean vertical habit.
The selection was released as NAVAHO® ‘Bigandearly’, a name directly describing its two advantages: large size and early timing. Its upright thornless architecture retained the garden-friendly NAVAHO® character and moved harvest into early July.
Rubus prickles are epidermal outgrowths rather than true woody thorns. Their genetic absence changes the cane surface without altering its internal framework.
A narrow flowering period creates a more uniform ripening window. This distinguishes ‘Bigandearly’ from cultivars producing smaller amounts over many weeks.
Six practical answers for choosing, growing, harvesting and pruning this exact cultivar.
It is self-fertile and crops alone. Abundant insect activity helps large berries develop evenly.
2–3m high and approximately 0.8–1.2m wide, with the habit described above.
Yes, in a very large container of 60 litres or more, with a heavy stable frame to 2m.
During July, when fruit is fully black, slightly soft and releases without a hard pull.
The canes are classed as thornless, making tying and picking much more comfortable.
Immediately after harvest remove brown fruited canes and spread new ones over the wires.
