Fruits and Nuts: Winter kill on blackberries , 0 by Uncgdc

Uncgdc wrote:
Hi all,
I’m in northern Virginia zone 7b. I’ve been growing triple crown blackberries for about 5 years and had varying levels of winter cane damage each year. Even not terribly cold years seem to result in some cane die-back. This year was especially cold and all of the canes died (seems the crowns are ok so I expect to get new growth this year). I’m just wondering 1) if others have this issue and 2) if anyone has recommendations on how to protect them during the winter. My understanding is that blackberries should be a bit more cold hardy than this but perhaps triple crowns don’t have a high cold tolerance. They’re in a raised bed and I did mulch them heavily this year trying to provide some protection. Any ideas you have are welcome. Thanks!