Fresh, juicy raspberries are both tangy and delicious, perfect for eating fresh or using in jams or desserts. Since they are happy to grow in large containers, they can be accommodated in almost any garden. There are two main types of raspberry: summer-fruiting and fall-fruiting, and for pruning purposes it is important to keep the two types separate—summer types fruit on the previous year’s canes, and fall types on new growth.
SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER PLANT
HARVEST
PLANTING
Raspberry plants are supplied as canes and, although they look very small and neat at this early stage, it won’t be long before they become large and trailing, so ensure that you allocate them enough space in your plot or container. Raspberries need a good support system, so prepare this before planting in the ground (see tip box, p.129)—use sturdy posts and horizontal wires, since plants can become quite heavy. Raspberries need a sheltered location to protect the upright plants from the wind, and full sun. They prefer a pH of between 6 and 6.5, and well-drained, fertile soil, so dig in some well-rotted manure or compost before planting. Plant raspberry
canes at a depth of about 2–3 in (5–8 cm), and then cut the cane down to a height of approximately 12 in (30 cm). Leave 16 in (40 cm) between each cane and 6 ft (2 m) between rows.
It may be easier to provide the required acidic conditions if you grow the canes in containers, although they will not produce
as large a crop. Container-grown canes will also need support— consider growing them against a trellis or intersperse them with bamboo canes and secure plants with string or garden twine. Plant two or three canes per 12 in (30 cm) container.
CROP CARE
Keep canes well-watered, especially during fruiting, bearing in mind that container- grown plants will dry out more quickly than those planted directly in the ground. Feed with a general, balanced fertilizer in early spring and then mulch with well-rotted manure or compost. Mulch again with straw in early summer. When plants reach
about 30 in (75 cm) in height, thin them out. Remove any weak or diseased looking canes first. You may need to construct netting to protect the fruits from birds, which can strip a bush in no time. Prune summer-fruiting types in late summer, as for blackberries (see p.132), after harvesting. Tie in the new growth, and lightly
Tie developing stems in to bamboo canes
The virus raspberry cane spot creates purple, white-centered spots on leaves.
Although cane spot and fungal leaf spots are a potential problem for raspberries, resistant cultivars are available. Other problems include:
■ Birds—use netting to deter them.
■ Raspberry beetle and raspberry leaf and bud mite—hoe around the soil to bring them to the soil surface, and cut down stems after fruiting.
■ Raspberry viruses—remove and destroy infected canes. Rotate crops.
PESTS AND DISEASES
129
RASPBERRIES
prune. Leave the fruited canes of fall-fruiting varieties in the ground over winter. They should be cut right back in late winter– early spring. New canes will appear in spring. Do not prune container-grown raspberries.
HARVESTING
Raspberries will either be a summer- or fall-fruiting variety, and will be ready to harvest accordingly. When berries are plump and juicy, pull them off the plant, leaving the core attached to the bush. Eat them as soon as possible. Once stems have fruited, cut them off to ground level and cover with compost to help them decompose—this helps to prevent infection from entering the plant. If growth has been particularly good, you may need to thin out the remaining stems to leave one approximately every 4 in (10 cm). New plants can be propagated from healthy, disease- free suckers or new canes, which should be carefully removed from the rootball with their roots intact and then replanted.
STORING
Raspberries will not keep long after they ripen. Freeze them to prevent them from spoiling.
TIP TRAINING
When raspberries reach full height, arch them over and tie in. Plants are kept neat, are less prone to damage, and fruits are easier to harvest.
There are two good reasons for training raspberries: first, it is important that they receive adequate space and ventilation and are not allowed to trail on the ground, where they become easy prey for pests and diseases. Second, it is much easier—and much less painful—to harvest berries from a well-trained plant.
There are many different ways to train your canes—insert one or two lines of posts and fix horizontal wires between them. Canes can be planted along the bottom of each line of posts and trained upward (known as the hedgerow system), or planted down the middle of a set of two, then drawn upward and diagonally out from the center (the Scandinavian system).
‘Tulameen’
Long canes bear large, red, glossy, conical-shaped fruit with an excellent flavor over a very long season. The highest yields are produced in midsummer. This variety has good winter hardiness and its fruits are resistant to wet weather.
0
suitable for containers5
fall to early spring1
good resistanceq
hardy6
self-fertile2
mid- to late summer‘Prelude’
This earliest of the summer- bearing red raspberries bears a moderate crop in fall, too. The medium, round fruits are sweet and mild; the vigorous canes have sparse spines. ‘Prelude’ is resistant to Phytophthora root rot.
‘Heritage’
This “everbearing” raspberry produces sweet, medium-sized, red berries on second and first year canes. ‘Heritage’ is extremely popular due to its vigor, long fruiting season, and resistance to most diseases.