Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Raspberries
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Planting
Raspberries grow best in a sunny location, but unlike many fruits, they will also grow successfully in a partially shaded spot. However, the more sun, the more fruit!
The planting site should have rich and well-drained soil, great air circulation, and shelter from the wind. Avoid a wet and windy area, as raspberries do not like to stand in water or totally dry out.
Every year, feed your raspberry plants with a couple of inches of compost or aged manure; dig it into the soil a couple of weeks before planting (A good rate is about 3 1/2 cubic feet of compost per 100 square feet).
Plant your berries far from wild-growing berries. Otherwise, you risk spreading wild pests and diseases to your cultivated berry plants.
When to Plant Raspberries
- Start with one-year-old raspberry canes from a reputable nursery. Plant the early spring once the ground thaws out and can be worked (See your local frost dates).
- In mild areas, you could also plant in late autumn to give the plants a head start.
- Plant potted transplants in the spring after the threat of frost has passed.
How to Plant Raspberries
- Before planting, soak the roots for an hour or two.
- Dig a hole that is roomy enough for the roots to spread. If you’re planting multiple bushes, it’s easiest to dig a trench.
- Whether you’re planting bare-root or potted plants, keep the crown of the plant 1 or 2 inches above the ground.
- Canes should be spaced 18 inches apart, with about four feet between rows.
- Fill the soil back in, and tamp it down with your foot.
- Once the canes are planted, cut them down to 9 inches tall to encourage new growth. (Yes, it will look like a broken branch sticking out of the ground!)
- Depending on your plant variety, you may need to fashion a support to hold up canes. Many grow to head height.
- A trellis or a fence are good options. If you have a row, drive in two six-foot posts at the end of the row and stretch galvanized wire between the posts. Summer-fruiting raspberries need three horizontal wires, and the fall types could do with two wires.
Check out this video to learn how to plant raspberries.
Growing
- Mulching is important throughout the season to conserve moisture and suffocate weeds. Keep a thick layer of mulch surrounding plants at all times.
- Water one inch per week from spring until after harvest. Regular watering is better than infrequent deep soaking.
- Keep your raspberry bushes tidy by digging up any “suckers” or canes that grow well away from the rows; if you don’t dig them up, they’ll draw nutrients away, and you’ll have fewer berries next year.
- If you wish, you can replant the suckers, and you’ll have new plants! Dig them up, set them in a fresh area of prepared ground, and water them after planting.
How to Prune Raspberries
Prune summer-fruiting raspberries immediately after you’re done picking! Cut only the canes that produced berries back down to the ground.
(Remember, this plant produces berries on two-year-old canes while one-year-old canes grow right beside them. You shouldn’t have trouble telling which is which: the older canes have brown stems, and the young ones are still green. Prune only the older ones, the ones that have finished their fruitful year.)
Tie the remaining canes to the supporting wires with garden string. There should not be any more than one cane every four inches of wire, so cut down additional canes.
Ever-bearing or fall-bearing raspberries
- This is easy. Just cut all canes back to the ground in late winter before growth begins in the spring. They give fruit on canes that are in their first year of growth, after which there is no reason to keep them. Mow them to the ground or use pruning shears for a small patch.
- Clean up all debris—diseases and pests overwinter.
- Pruning is only required during the growing season if you want to keep a uniform order. Dig or pull up new canes that grow well away from the rows. If your raspberry canes are disease-free you can transplant them to raise more plants.
Note: The above assumes you are harvesting a fall crop. To get both fall and following summer crop, do not remove the primocanes that produced the fall crop. Prune them back in spring to about 12 inches above the support, or to the last visible node that had fruit, cutting off the dead tips.
There are many, many raspberry varieties available today—and each one is unique! Ask your local garden center or cooperative extension service which raspberry varieties are best suited for your area. Here are a few to get you started:
- ‘Canby’: red berries; summer-bearing; nearly thornless; recommended for New England, Upper Great Lakes, and Northwest
- ‘Heritage’: red berries; ever-bearing; recommended for the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley
- ‘Plainsman’: red berries; ever-bearing; does well in higher altitudes (the Rockies and High Plains)
- ‘Fallgold’: yellow berries; ever-bearing; recommended for the Upper Midwest and Canada
- ‘Double Gold’: yellow berries tinged with peach; ever-bearing; better for warmer areas, as the fall crop can be quite late
- ‘Royalty’: purple berries; summer-bearing; better for warmer areas
- ‘Jewel’: black berries; summer-bearing; disease-resistant, and great for warmer areas
- ‘Black Hawk’: black berries; summer-bearing; heat and drought tolerant
Tired of raspberries? Try your hand at growing blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries instead!
Harvesting
- All varieties will begin to produce fruit in their second season. In some cases, ever-bearers may bear small berries in their first autumn.
- In early summer, berries will ripen over about 2 weeks. You will need to pick berries every couple of days!
- Try to harvest berries on a sunny day when they are dry.
- Gently pull raspberries away from their central plug once they’re richly colored all over. They should come away easily. Don’t tug too hard on your raspberries when picking. A ripe raspberry will leave the vine willingly.
How to Store Raspberries
- Raspberries won’t keep for long, so enjoy them soon after picking them!
- They can be kept refrigerated for about five days. Don’t wash the berries after picking unless you’re going to eat them straight away. They will grow moldy and mushy if not kept dry in storage. If you do need to wash them, let them air dry completely before storing them.
- Raspberries can be frozen! As with freezing blueberries, make a single layer of berries on a cookie sheet. When frozen, place into airtight bags. Use on waffles, in cereal, or whenever you need a refreshing, healthy snack!
Cooking Notes
Fresh raspberries are wonderful in cereals or paired with a dollop of Greek-style yogurt or cream and an indulgent drizzle of maple syrup.
Freeze excess berries to use in smoothies and desserts, or make them into raspberry jam.
If the fruit is to be made into preserves, it should be done with fruit that’s as fresh as possible.
Catherine Boeckmann
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My raspberries look very healthy with lots of bees and flowers. But the fruit is very poor, misshapen, and not worth picking. Only 1 or 2 little seed pockets. I have used lots of compost as well as water. What is cause and what is cure, this is third year this has happened!
Hi, Anna, We understand your disappointment. There is no easy solution; we found a few trusted cooperative extension services that offer several reasons why your canes may not be fruiting. If none of this applies to your circumstances, you might consult your local cooperative extension or a good plant nursery. Best wishes!
Short plants that fail to thrive and produce poorly can be from several causes [edit note: do not know what is meant by “short plants]:.
· Raspberries perform poorly in heavy soils with poor drainage. They produce best when grown in raised beds in soil you amend before you plant.
Raspberries perform poorly in a xeric environment. When you water them irregularly or inadequately, you might get short plants. Water raspberries an inch of water per week for good production.
· Raspberries will not thrive under crowded conditions. Thin canes to 8 inches apart in spring as early growth starts.
· Raspberries require fertile soil to thrive. Apply a general nitrogen fertilizer.
· Raspberries produce poorly with inadequate light. Plant raspberries in an area with at least 6 hours of direct sun daily if part of the day is shaded, it’s best in late afternoon.
· Spider mite infestation causes yellow spots that turn into bronzed foliage. Mites are more of a problem in hot locations and during hot summers. To control spider mites, provide adequate water and spray the undersides of leaves as needed.
· The raspberry cane borer causes wilted and drooping tops of canes. To prevent the white larvae from tunneling down further into the cane, prune off the cane tops at the earliest sign of the insect. Destroy pruned branches containing the insect. Insecticides such as carbaryl (Sevin®) are registered for this pest.
· Sunscald and heat are the cause for white druplet disorder on the fruit. A few of the druplets or perhaps an entire sun-exposed side of a berry turns white. The rest of the fruit colors normally. This does not harm the edibility of the fruit, just the appearance. It is an environmental disorder and not one caused by a fungus or bacteria so no sprays are needed. Good leaf cover will be helpful so put efforts into adequate watering and fertilizing.
When did you cut back the canes? Only everbearing raspberries are cut back completely in early spring before new growth begins. See following pruning information for early summer bearing raspberries; just in case:
Red or Yellow Raspberries (Summer Fruiting)
Pruning During the Growing Season
Do not pinch back (reduce the height) the current season’s growth. If the canes are too tall to support themselves, it is better to construct a trellis than to reduce the height. Remove floricanes after harvesting the fruit. This is usually in late June through early July, depending on the cultivar and weather. Removing canes allows better light penetration into the hedgerow for the newly developing shoots (primocanes) and will significantly reduce disease problems.
Dormant Season Pruning
Prune in late winter or early spring after the danger of severe weather has passed and before bud swell. Pinch back (remove) the winter-killed portion of the canes. Usually, this will be 1 to 3 inches of the cane tip. However, after severe winters or if you have attempted to grow non-hardy cultivars, 3 to 4 feet of the cane may have been killed. If the plants are grown in hedgerows, keep the width of the rows to 18 inches or less and remove all plants outside the row areas. Remove small spindly canes, leaving those that are one-half inch or more in diameter. Summer red raspberries should be pruned twice a year, first in the spring and immediately after harvest. The spring
pruning, in late March or early April, consists of removing all weak canes. The second pruning, right after harvest removes canes that produced fruits. The new shoots or suckers should be reduced in number (thinned) immediately after fruit harvest. Leave four or five strong canes, one-half inch in diameter or greater, per foot of hedgerow. If no such canes are present, leave the two largest canes per foot of row.
I live in Colorado and the plants are not flowering. It is almost half way through July.
Any suggestions?
Is there away to “sweeten” raspberries? I have heard wood ash, but it doesn’t seem to work. Any ideas? Thanks love the stories and articles about gardening
I planted new canes last summer but didn't prune them down in the fall. It is now spring here and I have new plants coming up. Should I cut back the canes?
I have summer fruiting variety. The new canes (next years berry producers) get extraordinarily huge/tall/leafy making it difficult to see and reach the berries on the other canes to pick them. Is it ok to prune these back? once? twice? to what height? before they get too long? (they can get over 7 feet tall and then bend down) Thanks
Only prune dead canes. You can remove some of the leaves from the new shoots to aid in seeing the berries. I've done this for years & doesn't harm the new plants. Use 6-7 ft. tall plant stakes & twine to tie up your tall plants. This will give you control of them & keep them from breaking. Tie several canes together to each stake. This works really well. Keep the rabbits out during the winter or they will prune everything to the ground or chew the cane off near the ground. Good luck!!!
I've been trying to make new raspberry plants by putting cane cuttings into
soil/vermiculite mix in one gallon pots. Grown in zone 9, with a couple of dozens
of frost November-March. Some take, maybe 50 percent success rate. Is this
a good percentage, and is this an appropriate method of propagation?
Is it possible to take a cutting of my neighbor's raspberries to start my own plants? How would I do that & when is best? We are in western SD, Zone 4. Thanks!
Raspberries can be propagated from “root cuttings” taken when the plant is dormant (winter). You can try your neighbor’s plant but it’s normally advised to aquire a cutting from a nursery which will come as one-year-old dormant plant because it will mature easlier, grow faster, and tolerate drier soil.
Basically, suckers come up from the roots. You’ll need some of the parents’ roots to foster the most vigorous new plant. The root divisions can be cut through with a sharp spade and separated. The root cuttings should be 2 to 6 inches long. Tie the cuttings in bundles with all the same type ends together. It is important to maintain the correct polarity of the cuttings. Store for 3 weeks in moist sawdust, peat moss, or sand at 40°F. Remove from storage after frost in the spring. Space the cuttings about 2 to 3 inches apart in well-prepared garden soil. The tops of the cuttings (proximal ends) should be 2 to 3 inches below the soil surface. Keep the new raspberry propagation moist.
