raspberries which variety

[Stuarts]

Hi
i am new to allotments and am wanting to have raspberries on my allotment but am unsure wether to go for summer fruiting or autumn fruiting as i live near stirling was wondering if autumn fruiting would not have a long enough season

[rustylady]

Hi Stuart, welcome to the Vine.

Lots of raspberries were bred in Scotland so the weather up there suits them down to the ground. Autumn fruiting is a bit of a misnomer really - they start fruiting around August.

If I were you I would go for a mix of Summer and Autumn fruiting. Then you should have a long period of picking yummy fresh raspberries.

[veggiechicken]

Hello Stuarts and welcome!
As Rusty Lady says, you should be fine whichever you choose - have some of each and extend your raspberry season. You can never have too many raspberries!
Could you add your location to your profile please - it stops us asking you every time where you live

[Stuarts]

thanks for the replies that now makes sense i will mix and have both just which varities i was thinking of Tulleen and Joan J or Autumn bliss

[Falkirk Bairn]

Hi Stuarts,

I'm not too far from you and my Autumn Bliss and Golden Bliss do really well.

[sugar]

My favourite Autumn variety is Himbotop: large berries, good taste, superb productivity. If you ask me to choose between Autumn Bliss and Joan J, I would pick Autumn Bliss (better taste).

[Scarlet]

And plant them in different areas and label so that you dont get them muddled up as the pruning is different. Autumn rasps fruit on canes that were produced the same year and are all cut down to ground, I do mine in Feb. Summer rasps fruit on year old canes, these can be cut down after fruiting and the new canes tied in ready for next year.
I've got tullameen and a glen "something" ( can't remember!!) and autumn bliss. Personally I prefer the autumn bliss for taste and also the size of the fruit. Though I wish I'd also got a yellow one....

[Two_Sheds]

was wondering if autumn fruiting would not have a long enough season

I only grow autumns, because summer ones get full of maggots.

I have rasps lining one edge of my lotty (the long edge) and I could fill the freezer with nothing but rasps. The variety was unknown, I inherited them. Now I'm replacing them with Polka, which gives lovely large perfect berries. Some say the flavour isn't all that, but they're fine by us.

[chris]

I like All Gold - yellow autumn fruiter - with a mild flavour. A lot of people say they don't like them, but I love them, and the jam made from them comes out a lovely deep orange colour

[StephenH]

Autumn fruiting. They're easier to grow because you don't need to provide supports and just cut them down to ground level each year, and you get the first crop the summer after planting, whereas you have to wait 18 months or more with summer fruiters. I've got 'All Gold' and 'Autumn Bliss', and 'All Gold' is much the better, in my opinion. Tons of delicious fruit every year. It spreads like wildfire via suckers though. Fine by me, the more the merrier, but it depends on the situation whether suckers are a boon or a nuisance.

I only grow autumns, because summer ones get full of maggots.

Oh yes! I knw there was another advantage to autumns, as well as the ones I mentioned above - they miss the maggots, because they flower later.

[StephenH]

I like All Gold - yellow autumn fruiter - with a mild flavour. A lot of people say they don't like them, but I love them, and the jam made from them comes out a lovely deep orange colour

Indeed it does. When I made 'All Gold' jam for the first time, I was slightly disappointed that it ended up the same colour, more or less, as ordinary red-raspberry jam, but it's certainly delicious. If you make jam, ignore what all the books say, which is to add the same weight in sugar as the weight of the fruit, because that's too sweet (for me, anyway). Three parts sugar to four parts fruit by weight is much better. It still sets well, and you can taste the actual fruit better. Mine last autumn was... (kisses fingertips away).

[Veggielot]

Autumn raspberries are easier however having both will give you a longer harvesting period. A lot depends on how much space you have. I have planted summer Glen Moy and Glen Ample and autumn Polka and Autumn Bliss.

[veggiechicken]

I like All Gold - yellow autumn fruiter - with a mild flavour. A lot of people say they don't like them, but I love them, and the jam made from them comes out a lovely deep orange colour

I'm one of them "don't likers" They taste of sweet water - very little flavour and the yellow bobbly bits (technical term) get black edges and look dirty and unappetising.

[salome2001]

I have a mix of summer and autumn as well (planted on opposite sides of the allotment). I also have the yellow raspberries (Allgold) and I'm a fan. All my canes are only just over a year old so they've not taken off yet but the Polkas fruited the best of my autumn ones (rest are autumn bliss). I have Glen Moy and Glen Ample summer fruiters and alhtough they haven't fruited yet, they are romping away and sending up masses of suckers.

An aside- does anyone know what to do with a Boysenberry? Got given one in a pot, but no idea how to grow it and my benefactor didn't provide any growing instructions

[sugar]

I have 5 summer fruiters (August, Glen Doll, Glen Magna, Tulameen and Valentina (pink fruit)) and 5 Autumn fruiters (Pokusa, Autumn Bliss, Joan J, Himbotop and FallGold (yellow)). I prefer the taste of summer fruiters and systematically cut back all canes of the autumn fruiters. This delivers a bigger harvest at the end of the year and allows better pest control.
If you don't have the space to plant both (apart or next to each other with a physical barrier) go for a good autumn fuiter.

An aside- does anyone know what to do with a Boysenberry? Got given one in a pot, but no idea how to grow it and my benefactor didn't provide any growing instructions

Yes. Same way as a Tayberry. The plant are floricane and fruits on second year canes. In order to increase your yield, guide the canes horizontally (I use wires, set apart about 40 cm ).
The canes grow very fast and get up to 8 m long. Cut back all side shoots of the main canes at two / 3 eyes.
Taste is OK but I prefer the Tayberry