Raspberries
Rubus idaeus. ROSACEAE.
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Raspberries
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow raspberries in the accompanying table’s tabs:
-
- How many raspberries to plant
- Growing conditions for raspberries
- When to plant raspberries
- How to plant raspberries
- Watering, fertilizing, and pruning raspberries
- Companion plantings for raspberries
- How to harvest, store, and use raspberries
Growing Raspberries
Raspberries are cool-season perennials. Trailing canes to 8 ft. (2.4 m), with invasive root runners, bear black, red, and yellow, cup-shaped berries in late spring, summer and autumn. Both foliage and clustered fruit grow on canes, which bear fruit in their second and subsequent seasons. Summer-bearing raspberries are red, while autumn-bearing cultivars are black; each type requires specific pruning care.
Raspberry Plant and Care Guide
How Much to Plant
Allow 3–5 plants per household member. For jams or jellies, allow 12–16 plants, yielding 4–5 qts. (4.4–5.5 l).
How to Plant
Cold-Winter Climates: Set out bare-root divisions in partial shade in early spring when soil warms to 35–55°F (2–13°C). Mild-Winter Climates: In early spring or late autumn. Plant root divisions 3 in. (75 mm) deep, 2 ft. (60 cm) apart, in rows 4–6 ft. (1.2–1.8 m) apart, installing edge boards or root-guard barriers at least 18 in. (45 cm) deep to prevent roots from spreading beyond the bed, as well as trellises or support wires, 6–8 ft. (1.8–2.4 m) tall.
Best Conditions for Growth
Growing temperature: 55–80°F (13–27°C). Zones 3–10; best in cool-summer areas of zones 5–8. Best with maximum of 6 hours of direct sun daily.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy soil. Fertility: Rich. 6.0–6.8 pH. Prepare soil at least 2 ft. (60 cm) deep.
Proper Care
Moderate. Keep evenly moist until berries form and begin to ripen; reduce watering thereafter. Fertilize quarterly with acidic 10–10–10 formula supplemented with garden sulfur. Mulch. Cultivate. Tie onto wire supports. Protect ripening berries from birds with netting. Red summer bearing: Prune away old canes after fruiting ends, leaving new canes to produce fruit the following season. Black autumn bearing: Head new canes in spring to force branching; new berries will form on branches in summer. Prune after fruiting ends. Everbearing: Produce berries on top of cane in autumn; remove top after fruiting ends. Berries will develop in summer of following season on lower stem; remove spent canes after summer fruiting ends.
Pairing Recommendations
Other berry, cane, and vine plants.
Maturity, Picking and Gathering
Summer or autumn of second season; depending on cultivar, annually or semi-annually thereafter. Pick berries when full colored, sweet, plump, and easily pulled from cane. Avoid washing; rinse only if necessary, immediately before consumption or use.
How to Store and Preserve
Fresh in vegetable keeper of refrigerator for 2–3 weeks; frozen whole or as pie fillings, 6 months; preserved as jams or jellies, 3 years. Raspberries and strawberries complement each other, making superb pies.