Do you have wires or trellis on the fence? Blackberries won't support themselves. You should prune out any canes which fruited last year and tie in the other canes to the supports on the fence. You can take cuttings or if you bend a stem down to the ground and pin or weight it to the earth it will root. This is layering.

Thank you. I did some layering in late fall. Let's see if those rooted in the spring. I have some Shepard hooks to support some tall canes. I guess I will take cuttings in the spring as well. I am just eager to fill the patch. Last year, the plants were not producing much for me. And whatever got ripen from red to black berries got eaten by birds.

A friend said whatever I do, don't use netting. Birds will just get caught in there. I guess I will try hanging some CD to scare the birds away. Any ideas?

I'm afraid the birds in my garden take absolutely no notice of CDs. Only netting works for me.

I can't really see shepherds hooks being sufficient to support blackberries once they take off. You might want to take this query over to the Fruit and Orchards Forum which is much livelier than this one and where there will be US based gardeners who can offer advice.

When those long, 12 foot canes were growing, it would have been best if you cut them off at about 6 feet. That keeps them under control to the point you hardly even need a trellis. As well, a lot more side shoots sprout out the sides, making for a lot more berries. I wouldn't worry about trying to make more plants from cuttings - I don't think it will work anyway - because you will find new plants will start to sprout out from underground roots. Often I am getting new plants a foot or more away from the original plant that I just dig up and replant where I want it. Actually, I get so many that I cut out a good number of them just to keep the plants growing and not too crowded within the rows where I want them.