So... talk to me about raspberries...

[Likac66]

I have just got a new allotment - going to view it this weekend. It's bigger than I was expecting so I have decided I have room to grow raspberries.

I've been trying to research when to plant etc and have seen November to March given as planting dates. If I can plant asap will I get a crop on them this year? And where should I buy from - a garden centre or online?

How many canes should I get to have a reasonable crop for a family of four who like raspberries but don't want a huge glut?

I would welcome any advice as I have never grown raspberries before.

Thank you.

[FB.]

Raspberries are vigorous plants and, after a year to establish, winter pruning causes them to readily send up lots of new shoots from below ground in their second and subsequent seasons.
So just a handful of canes can be multiplied up into hundreds after a few years if the soil is fertile and moisture-retentive (but not waterlogged).

If you really like raspberries, consider buying between three and ten canes of each of several varieties which ripen at different times. Normal spacing would be at least 1ft and not really need to be more than 3ft.
I only grow autumn raspberries because the birds and raspberry beetle take most of the crop of the summer fruiters.
Also autumn fruiters require less space and are very simple to prune and train (just cut everything down to the ground around this time of year while they're dormant).
I grow Autumn Bliss, Polka and Allgold (also sold as Fallgold).
Crops tend to be noticably lower from the autumn fruiters than from summer fruiters (but summer fruiters may need protection from birds/pests in some areas). However, autumn fruiters can be left unpruned and will then give a bit of summer crop from the older wood and a bit of autumn crop from the new shoots

[BUFFS]

plant some lates now for some fruit this year, even with a family of 4 i would not get any more than 10/15 stems as they will sucker and soon give you twice that number,i planted all lates,joan j and polka,as where i am the joan j crops later,sometimes ,like last year,they would not crop at all,but,after fruiting ,i just trim them to 5ft and tie the new stems in,they then crop in the summer,from the start of july.the polka i cut to the ground after fruiting,so they have to grow their stems before fruiting,as the joan j finish at the end of august/sept,the polka start to fruit,which gives you a crop from july to the frosts in nov/dec,if you are fairly high up in the hills you will find the fruit slower to ripen,dont fret,it gives them time to develop their full flavour,and it is really worth waiting for.If you are growing them at the side of the veg patch,put down a barrier,to stop them spreading everywhere, whatever you do,good luck and enjoy them.....

[Poolcue]

I planted 3 Autumn Bliss about this time last year and got an excellent crop.Unfortunately not enough for a family of 4 but it was for me and Mrs P if i remembered to take any back.Looking forward to more this year.

[WendyC]

Agree with all that's been said before but would suggest you ask what the local conditions are like, I.e. is raspberry beetle a problem? If not you would be ok growing early varieties. Personally I gave up with Autumn raspberries ( I had Autumn Bliss)as I haven't a huge amount of space and found they didn't earn their keep and I found them tasteless. I would go for an online supplier like Ken Muir or Blackmoors as the choice will be better, and possibly cheaper. Good luck with your new plot.

[Madasafish]

We have 4 x 7 meter rows of summer rasps: not netted - and pick some 25-35kgs a year. We eat half and freeze half..

We have one 7 meter row of autumn Polka . About 4-5kg fruit. Not very tasty.

If space is limited stick to summer.. And if you have limited space then net otherwise you feed the birds as well. (We do but we don't mind as we get so many).

Beetle in not a major problem here.. Just pick them and wait and remove the odd one or two by hand.

We do not spray or use any pesticides at all.


You need lots of compost every year to mulch in spring and ensure when you plant ALL weeds - especially perennial - are removed...

[Likac66]

Ok, interesting advice. Thank you. Might get some summer and some autumn. What about where to buy from?

[legume]

It is worth shopping around the different suppliers at this time of year - DT Browns, Pomona Fruits, Marshalls, Dobies, Thompson & Morgan, Crocus etc - as they often have special offers eg buy 6 canes and get 3 free. I got mine that way (from Pomona Fruits, I think).

I have 6 summer-fruiting and 6 autumn fruiting canes. They are only in their 2nd year so not massive yet, but we got a good amount of fruit last year. I prefer the taste of the summer ones, but the autumn ones are, it must be said, less effort and they seem a bit tougher and easier to get going.

Blackmoor Nurseries is an excellent supplier (generally very high quality stock), and they offer small and large collections; I just checked for you. Here's the link:Quality Certified Raspberry Canes Mail Order

Hope this helps.

[sugar]

I got my raspberries from RR Walpole. While their prices are announced per 1000 canes, they also deliver smaller quantities at a very very competitive price, and they have a very large range of varieties available.

I have 4 autumn (Pokusa, Joan J, Himbotop, Autumn Bliss) and 4 summer varieties (Octavia, Tulameen, Glenn Doll, Glen Magna), grown in a hegde, every variety about 3 meter long.
The wet summer seriously impacted my summer crop, but the autumn raspberries gave 200-500gr of raspberries every single day for over two months, with the hedges only established for 50%. I guess I will get about 1 kg a day for over two months within a year or two.
From the autumn raspberries, I would choose Himbotop and Joan J without any doubt, tasty berries and immensely productive. Pokusa is a no-go, poor taste. If this is confirmed next year (for the 3rd year in a row), I will take it out

[rabbit]

Reading this thread with interest. My mum was helping us weeding our new veg plots last sept and she accidentally cut down the raspberries. Would I see new shoots by now if they were going to revive??

I've bought three canes from Wilkes and there I no instructions that I can find. Where do they prefer to live??

[sammy_roser]

I have limited space so have only had autumn fruiting canes. A couple of Autumn bliss planted last year and just planted two All Gold ones today.

When I have more use of my garden I will be planting some summer ones.