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-draining 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 ratio is about 3½ 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 1-year-old raspberry canes from a reputable nursery. Plant in 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 4 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 the canes, as many grow to head height. A trellis or a fence are good options. If you have a row, drive in two 6-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 1 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 2-year-old canes while 1-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 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.
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 5 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!
Types
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; 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!
Comments
It's doubtful your plants are dying, as raspberries are very vigorous and can thrive in pretty tough conditions. If you have just recently planted them, they may be experiencing transplant shock. It could be the heat that is causing leaf curl. Try watering a bit more than usual. New growth is a good sign. If a single cane dies, prune it out. Chances are good another will take its place in no time!
Kevin, we're thinking you should than your lucky stars: Yellow (aka gold) raspberries are rare and desirable. There are several varieties, and it's difficult to impossible for us to know what you've got. (Fallgold is one.) But taste them! They are used like red raspberries, usually in sweet dishes—or out of hand. That they are "wild" on your property should not deter you from keeping them. And 30 years is a pretty good run!. Consider that something right there is working for them—the soil, the sun, the water that may fall (and, we're thinking, pool a bit, keeping the roots moist—is this a lot spot?? Thinking this because you're considering a pond there...). So you might not have the same success elsewhere. Just a thought. And, per chance we misunderstand: You know that to transplant them you should dig up/lift the root, right??
This web site has a lot on raspberries, including the yellow/gold ones. (It's from Michigan Coop Ext; Ohio's services were not as indepth): http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/fruit/raspberries-for-the-home-garden/
Hope this helps. And, ah, send over any extras, pullease!
Plant the raspberry now. It will have time to grow new roots before winter. Keep the plant watered and add mulch around it. This will keep the soil moist and will also protect the plant during the winter months.
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Hi Kathryn,
If I understand you correctly, you have small hard berries and are wondering if removing them will enable the plant to produce bigger fruit. (Bramble is a term for the entire group of plants in the Rhus genus, which is why I am a bit unclear.) If it is small fruit you are dealing with, the best thing to do is wait to prune your canes at the right time. Two-year-old canes produce fruit, then die off to be replaced with new canes, which will fruit in two years. So, after a fruiting cane starts to die back, cut it to the ground. Taking the fruit that you have off now will not result in new fruit. Hope that helps!