Totally new to Blackberries and Raspberries

So on an impusle buy I got blackberries and raspberries (2 of each) at the local nursery. When I got home I realized I know nothing about growing them (always just picked blackberries wild). I was planning on putting them on the fence in my back yard.

How do I need to plant them, I currently have acidic slightly sandy soil (regular N FL soil), do I need to amend the soil or leave it as is (like I would with blueberries)?

Should/Can I mulch around them and what kind is best?

They are in pots right now and have some growth, should I cut off what is there after planting?

Is two enough or do I need more for them to produce?

Do I fertilize them and with what?

The only thing I do know is that I should cut them back every year--but that just brings more questions--is it to the ground or how far up?

mini,
ANY mulch will be appreciated by your berries. I just use oak/maple leaves I haul home from town when the city-dwellers rake & bag their yards in the fall. Some horse/cow manure would probably boost production.

You don't cut everything back every year; just the canes that bore fruit in the previous season.

Here's a UofFL publication on blackberries & raspberries.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HS104

The only thing I know is that raspberries need to be planted at least 100 feet from blackberries. It has something to do with disease as one affects the other worse than each alone.

Darius...that is really surprising, thanks so much. I had initially planned on planting them together but now I guess not. I'm going to have to look up some more info on that, maybe all the way down here in 8b I wouldn't have to worry about it but I doubt it. Anyone else know more about that?

If you're buying virus-free plants from a reputable nursery, there should be no problem planting blackberries & raspberries together. The 100 ft thingy is primarily concerning planting close to wild/native or known virus-infected plants.

Check your dmail. I sent you the info I researched today. I just love berries!

Thank you so much Grammy! I would love to see your place, since you have somewhere to put that many berries, I'm sure jealous! (I hope you have help planting all those!) To bad I have so much shade on my little yard or I'd have gotten more!

I've heard various figures for how far to plant raspberries from blackberries, or (from other people) that one shouldn't plant any cultivated brambles (rasp- or blackberries or relatives) near wild blackberries. 100 feet, 100 yards, I don't know. I do know that I have wild blackberries everywhere on this property except in the deepest shade or where I have worked very hard to extirpate them, and that my experiments a few years ago in planting cultivated raspberries and blackberries alike have all failed. I'm near Gainesville, not that far away and not in that different a climate. The wild bushes bear fruit of varying quality over a short season, send roots out for what seems like miles, don't seem to mind wet feet (cultivated ones prefer raised beds where the soil is wet and heavy), and are a huge nuisance. Raspberries are my favorite fruit and I might never be able to grow them here...

I was told by the nursery and by some others that as long as there were no wild berries and what I had was healthy they would be fine close together. I'm gonna try them and see how it goes hopefully i'll get a few and they won't get sick, but I'll keep a close watch on them.

I found a "wild" blackberry patch on my way home from work last summer and picked enough to make a nice pie. the wild ones here did not get enough water I think I will mulch them this year and see what happens.