If you’re ready to have fresh fruit from your yard next year, not in 5-10 years, raspberries are an excellent choice. Raspberry plants can be tucked into almost any available space, begin producing a harvest in their second year, and will continue to produce for 10 years or more with proper care. They’re also very vigorous growers, and look fantastic in autumn as the leaves turn colors. 

Raspberries are perennials, even in cold climates, but their above-ground growth, called canes, only lives for two years. They’ll send up new canes every year. There’s a raspberry variety suitable for most areas of the US, so let’s find a sunny spot and plan a raspberry patch.

Selecting a variety of raspberry

There are two main criteria when selecting a raspberry variety: the fruit (color and taste) and the harvest season, summer bearing or everbearing (also known as fall bearing). Northern growers will also need to pay attention to cold hardiness. Raspberries are self-fertile, meaning you won’t need a second variety to produce fruit. 

Raspberries can be red, black, purple, or yellow. Each has a unique flavor, so if you aren’t sure, grab some from the farmers’ market and try them out. It’s a delicious homework assignment. After picking what color of raspberry you’d like, consider their fruiting pattern.

Summer-bearing raspberries are the old-fashioned raspberries, and very common. These plants fruit on second-year canes called floricanes. Everbearing raspberries will fruit lightly in early summer on floricanes and again in fall on this year’s new growth, called primocanes. All else being equal, summer-bearing varieties usually yield heavier than everbearing raspberries on a per-row basis. If you need the maximum raspberry yield in a limited space, choose summer-bearing types. If you prefer flexibility in harvest, everbearing is an excellent choice. 

The growth habit of red and black raspberries is also different. Most red and yellow raspberry varieties are more upright, while black raspberry varieties frequently have a droopy growth habit. Red and yellow raspberries will spread via rhizomes, popping up new plants all over, which is handy for creating a hedgerow of raspberries, but not so great for keeping them contained in a small space. Black raspberries tend to only push forth new canes from the crown and maintain a clump-type shape. They can spread by tip layering if not pruned, rooting anywhere the arching canes touch the ground.

At Seeds ‘n Such, we are offering five varieties of live raspberry plants to choose from!

• Blackhawk: vigorous plants that produce medium to large black fruit. Resistant to anthracnose disease.

• Caroline: large red berries on very productive plants. A popular cultivar.

• Heritage: medium-sized red fruits with good firmness and freezing quality. A high-yielding variety.

• Anne Golden: large yellow berries, with a longer shelf life than many other golden types. 

• Cumberland: a favorite black raspberry with medium-sized fruits and a long history of cultivation extending over 100 years.

Raspberry plant needs

Raspberries grow wild in many parts of the US, often in ditches, behind garages, or at the shady edge of woodlots, but the cultivars we plant do best, and fruit most heavily when given the proper site.

Choose a site for raspberries that enjoys full sunshine, 6-8 hours per day or more. While they will grow in partial shade, the fruit production will be far lower. Like other bramble fruits, raspberries are susceptible to root rot in heavy soil and need a well-drained site. Avoid areas where water collects in winter. If your soil is slow to drain, raspberries do well planted in berms or raised beds to keep the crowns up and in well drained soil. 

Raspberries grow in many types of soil, and do best with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. A sandy loam soil enhanced with compost is ideal. 

Planting raspberries

Raspberries are planted like other perennial shrubs or ornamentals. Breaking new ground for a raspberry bed takes time, but if planting in an existing bed it’s a quick task. 

Preparing the site

If you are planting raspberries in an area that was previously turf, you will need to kill the existing grass or remove the sod and then loosen the soil as deeply as you can. Lawns are frequently quite compact from years of foot traffic. 

After killing the turf and loosening the soil, or before planting raspberries in established garden beds, add 2 inches of compost and mix it into the soil to provide the organic matter raspberries need.

When to plant raspberries

Raspberries can be planted as soon as the ground is workable in spring. Bare root plants are easy to plant while dormant and establish readily. While fall planting can work, spring is preferred because it gives plants an entire growing season before they go dormant in late autumn.

Spacing and Depth

The trouble with raspberries is maintaining access and airflow. Red and yellow raspberries can be planted 2-3 feet apart, in rows about 8 feet apart. Black raspberries, due to their arching canes, need a bit more space and should be planted 3-4 feet apart with 8-10 feet between rows. If you are only planting one row of raspberries, take care to leave space to get around both sides of the row for easier pruning and harvesting.

Raspberry plant care

Raspberries will thrive with minimal maintenance, but a little care will maximize fruit size and yield. With raspberries, most of the work occurs at just a few points in the year.

Mulching and watering

Raspberries like moist soil, and a row of raspberries with grass and weeds growing up is unattractive and less productive. Mulch can assist with both those issues. Straw, pine straw, or woodchips all work well as raspberry mulch. Refresh the layer yearly in spring to replace what has decomposed, and pull any perennial weeds that creep in. 

Raspberries, once established, are fairly drought tolerant, but during dry spells a deep watering will help keep fruiting on schedule. For young plants, watch the rain gauge, and if you haven’t received an inch of rain in the last week, grab the hose. 

Fertilizing raspberries

Raspberries will grow well in most soils without much fertilizer. To boost yields in low-fertility soils, use a balanced fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 NPK ratio twice per year, once in early spring before new growth begins and again in early summer, following the directions on the label.

Trellising raspberries

A trellis is not absolutely required for growing raspberries. They aren’t trellised when growing in the wild. But a trellis will make your raspberry patch much easier to care for and harvest, and keep the canes from flopping over in the wind, taking up too much space. 

Trellises for raspberries can be as simple as a couple of posts and some wire. Metal T posts or wood posts both work fine. Many designs are available as examples online. The important part is to have two or three levels of wire support, and to periodically train the canes up through the wires. If they aren’t quite ready yet, they can be loosely tied to the wire with twine.

Pruning raspberries

Pruning raspberries depends on the type of raspberry plant, either summer-bearing or everbearing. Summer-bearing raspberries produce fruit only on floricanes (two-year-old canes). Fall-bearing or everbearing plants will produce fruit on the primocanes (this year’s green canes) in fall. 

Summer raspberries are typically pruned twice per year, once in spring to remove weak canes and trim back excessively tall canes, and the second immediately after harvesting to remove the canes that just produced fruit. They won’t fruit again and will die over the winter, so it’s time to get them out of the way.

Everbearing raspberries can be pruned to produce fruit once a year or twice per year since they fruit in spring on floricanes and in fall on primocanes. 

To prune everbearing varieties for twice-per-year production, thin the existing canes in late winter, leaving about 4-6 inches between canes. They’ll produce fruit on these floricanes in early summer. In the fall, the new primocanes will also produce fruit, and you can remove the old floricanes that fruited in spring.

For easier maintenance, some gardeners prune everbearing raspberries to produce only a fall crop. Since the autumn harvest is from primocanes (this year’s growth), you can simply mow all the canes to the ground in late winter or early spring before the new growth begins. They’ll put up new canes in spring, and fruit in fall.

Common Pests and Problems

Other than rabbits and deer, which are seemingly everywhere, raspberry problems vary depending on your location. Common problems include fungal diseases like anthracnose, root rot in poorly drained soils, and insect damage from Japanese beetles and spotted wing drosophila. Proper pruning and spacing will help mitigate these issues. For more information on a specific raspberry pest in your area, visit your state’s Extension service website or contact your local Extension office.

Harvesting Raspberries

Raspberry harvesting windows are typically 3-4 weeks, and can be longer if you plant several varieties. People aren’t the only ones who enjoy a ripe raspberry, so don’t delay. Birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and even the neighbor’s dog will harvest them for you if you aren’t prompt. 

How to know if raspberries are ready to pick

Color is the key indicator. Red raspberries start out white, then turn pink before finally attaining their mature red color. Black raspberries start out red, then turn gradually darker shades of burgundy before becoming dark purple or black. 

Unripe raspberries are firm, while ripe raspberries begin to soften. A ripe raspberry will easily pull from the cane. If you have to tug, leave it for next time. The final test is to pop one in your mouth. Try this with several in different stages, and you’ll quickly notice the difference. Raspberries ready for harvest will be sweet and tender, not hard and sour. In warm, sunny weather, you may need to harvest daily or every other day to keep up as they ripen.