From Backyard to Berry Bowl: Your Complete Raspberry-Growing Guide
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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.
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, 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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Spring is the best time to transplant raspberries, but transplanting can also be done in the fall to a lesser degree of success, depending on your climate. Know that plants that are transplanted in the fall may take longer to become established and bear fruit. Leave as much dirt on the roots as possible to avoid shocking the plant. After transplanting, cut the canes down to a length of approximately 8 to 10 inches. You may want to put down a layer (1–2 inches) of mulch around the plants to give them some extra winter protection, too.
Your other option is to store them bare-root for the winter, though we can’t say for certain how much success you would see using this method. You will want to dig them up, brush off any dirt from the roots, and place them in a slightly moist, loose material, such as mulch or sawdust. Store them in a cool place, like a cellar, where it won’t get below freezing nor above 50°F. Try not to let them dry out completely during winter. In early spring, they can be planted outside.
If you have a large number of plants, you may wish to try both methods. Let us know how it goes!
I transplanted about 100 plants in mid-October and this spring they appear to have a near 100% survival. I dug them in small groups and kept as much original dirt on the plants as possible. I have about 75 more roots that I washed and put in sawdust, then shipped to the UP. They will go in the ground when it warms up, I am curious to see how they do also.
We just bought a hobby farm, it has a HUGE area of raspberries, I didn't get any fruit from them this summer.
How do I take care of them? Should I mow them all down and start fresh. They are probably 20 feet wide.
Is there any chance you can ask the former owner which type these are?? Read the advice about pruning above. We would not advise cutting/mowing the canes down because if they are summer bearers, they could be abundant with fruit next year (see above), and if they are ever- or fall-bearing, they may have been cut last year. We would wait until spring to see what happens.
Also read the other comments about fruiting/not fruiting below.
When we moved, our friends gave us three raspberry plants in a container, and I would like to plant them on our property. Two canes have gotten leaves; one is just a stick. My questions: should I plant all three, or is the one that didn't grow leaves a lost cause? Is it okay to plant them now (August/September)? Do I prune them when they are so new and haven't had any fruit yet? And, finally, will they survive our Philadelphia snow this winter? Thanks for any insight you can provide! I'd love to make this work.
Just to say I found you by chance and have really enjoyed your articles and letters!!!! When I was young we had an excellent raspberry patch....and am just starting one now!!!!! I will follow all advice and post when I have something useful to say! When I was young the raspberries just took over.........am hoping mine will do the same. Please keep the advice coming ...I NEED IT!!!!!!!!
First time ever since I have had raspberry bushes. Seem like they all dried out for some reason. No insects whatso ever. I prunned them this spring just don't understand why this is happening. We love our raspberries.
Our first best guess, Gladys, is the soil. Is if sufficiently organic, composted, and rich?? See specifics above. And did the canes get sufficient water? (How much? hard to measure—maybe an inch a week.) If the soil is properly prepared it will hold moisture better than poor soil, even it you do not water and it does not rain.
You say you see no bugs o your plants…that’s good but if your canes are dried up and wilting, it could be verticillium wilt, caused by a soilborne fungus. You might have introduced the fungus into the soil with the plants… it’s possible and difficult to confirm. If that’s the case, it might be best—if possible—to start the patch elsewhere, with proper soil and disease-free stock.
Wish we had better news!
My raspberries continue to do well. I believe I have had them for 30 years. Recently I heard that most raspberry patches last only 15 -20 years. Should I be giving starts to friends who would like to start their own backyard raspberries?
What is best way to prep air my soil for raspberries.
