Raspberry varieties - recommendations

[StephenH]

I've recently ordered some razzies - 10 'Autumn Bliss' and 10 'All Gold', which is, I believe, a yellow sport of A.B. Has anyone got experience with either or both of them? Would you recommend them, or are there other better Autumn raspberries? I've got a month to change my order. I'm planning to grow them in rows between my apple trees, since they're shade-tolerant.

[lainey lou]

My Autumn bliss have been lovely this year.
Put them in 2 years ago, not much of a crop last year but this year I've had a lovely crop of tasty good sized fruit.

My Glen ample on the other hand have been rubbish! However the company I bought them from have kindly promised to replace them this year.

[w33blegurl]

My autumn bliss are only a year old so not much off them this year - Joan J is the other variety I have though and they have produced masses of fruit! Also very tasty.

[bluemoon]

We grow Autumn Bliss and they are prolific and taste delicious. I'd always recommend autumn-fruiting varieties as they require much less messing around, just cut them close to ground level in late winter and pick the fruits in August/September; Simples! The main problem is that the crops are so huge that you start to feel hounded by them because you end up feeling as if your life comprises of little else than raspberry picking. Our Autumn Bliss are still producing and we're, unbelievably, into October, though thankfully the rate has slowed a little now. We're planning on planting a few All Gold this year as OH has heard that they make a good wine.

[TEB]

Yeah what Bluemoon said about Autumn Bliss

[Two_Sheds]

Polka is being heavily praised (or promoted?) in the gardening press. Its daddy is Autumn Bliss. http://www.thompson-morgan.com/fruit...cww3518/1.html

[elizajay]

I've got autumn bliss and all gold. Both have cropped very well this year and are still going. Only problem is that they needed support this year and I didn't have to do that before, so some canes collapsed.

I agree about autumn fruiting being best I have Glen Ample (I think) as well. It hasn't fruited as well as usual this year and I find it tricky because although it fruits early, it also fruits later on the canes that didn't fruit earlier so I don't know which to prune and fear being left with none next year. I also liked the sound of Polka.

[StephenH]

Thanks for the advice.
Having read up about raspberries, I can't understand why anyone grows the summer-fruiting kind at all, since the autumn-fruiters have all the advantages, and no disadvantages that I'm aware of: they give you a crop a year after planting, whereas you have to wait nearly two years with summer ones; they require less support; they are less prone to raspberry beetle, because they flower when it's less active; and you can persuade them to fruit in summer by judicious pruning, whereas you can't, as far as I'm aware, make summer ones fruit in autumn. Maybe summer ones taste better. Does anyone grow them? If so, why?

[lainey lou]

I grow summer and autumn rasps, the idea is to extend the season, LOVE raspberries![/I]

[PAULW]

Joan J loads of fruit and no prickles

[sarraceniac]

I bought just 5 'Polkas' last winter to see how they held up against my ABs. Newish variety of autumn fruiters. Brilliant. Large sweet fruit of amazing flavour and for a first year, loads of fruit. So when it is time to change the old canes it will be goodbye AB and hello Polkas.

[northepaul]

This is such an interesting thread, I had no idea you could get black raspberries or heard of polkas!

Thank you

I got some free raspberries from a rival magazine, tulameen I have one autumn bliss bush too. I will definately look in to these two.

[sarraceniac]

I see from two Sheds that T & M do them. I got mine from Victoriana Nurseries. About the same price.

[flowerofshona]

Joan J are the best ! i have 5 diff kinds and will still be picking Joan J in December ! they are easy to do andhuge as well as taste good and like Paul says no thorns (got mine from Paul ! ).

[tamsin]

I put J Joan in this April (just a couple of canes in a container) and we still had several handfuls of tasty raspberries with more ripening still. I can't wait for next year when they are planted out and really take off. The lack of spikes was a big bonus too.