Autumn (or not?) raspberries

[bramble cat]

Hi New raspberry grower here hoping for some advice about my (possibly not) autumn raspberries

I planted some raspberry canes a couple of years ago which I thought were autumn fruiting (possibly joan j or polka). I forgot about them till this year when I discovered they'd multiplied into a huge patch with lots of last years canes and new canes.

I left all of last years canes to fruit thinking I might be able to double crop them. I got an OK crop from those but I've had no flowers on the new canes. Is it possible that they aren't fruiting on the new canes because they put too much energy into the earlier crop? Or do you think I might have to accept that my autumn raspberries aren't autumn raspberries after all?

Thanks!!
Cat

[Jay-ell]

My Joan J are only starting to put flower heads on this years canes. I also double cropped them this year.

My Toulameen are also just starting to put the flowers out on this years canes even though they are summer raspberries and crop on last years canes. It'll put up new canes later on. It did the same last year. And the year before. Had I known it would give 2 crops a year I'd have got something else instead of the Joan J.

If this years canes don't put out flowers leave them in and let them fruit next year. If you pinch out the tips when they get to 4 feet or so (assuming they don't have any flowers at that stage) they'll start to put out side branches and all that extra cane will produce a bigger crop.

[Scarlet]

I double crop mine too my new canes this year hasn't got flowers on yet either - I don't think! I'll check tomorrow. It's not been a good year for raspberries, too dry for mine anyway.

[bramble cat]

Brilliant, thank you both! That's really good to know. Will just have to be a bit more patient and fingers crossed they'll get some flowers soon.

[Jay-ell]

I'm just hoping I'll get enough of a gap between the end of the summer raspberries (tomorrow - I'm cutting the old canes out) and the autumn raspberry harvest to let my blackberries ripen and get harvested without too much of an overlap. Summer rasps overlapped with strawberries, red currants, gooseberries and black currants and harvesting, prepping and processing all them at the same time is a bit hectic.

Mind you I won't complain if they overlap with grapes

[muck lover]

I'm just hoping I'll get enough of a gap between the end of the summer raspberries (tomorrow - I'm cutting the old canes out) and the autumn raspberry harvest to let my blackberries ripen and get harvested without too much of an overlap. Summer rasps overlapped with strawberries, red currants, gooseberries and black currants and harvesting, prepping and processing all them at the same time is a bit hectic.

Mind you I won't complain if they overlap with grapes

J it’s a nice kind of busy.

[ESBkevin]

I usually have far too many Raspberries (is there such a thing), and I left some stems uncut just for good measure. My Early canes (at home) did very well but my Autumn canes on the plot are producing very few and small fruit. I haven't watered them trusting the deep roots were enough, but I'm sure they are just too dry to produce and I may not get a harvest this year.
Every year a new challenge.

[4Shoes]

I'm thinking its a bit early for "Autumn Rasps" to fruit. Yes I did double crop (pathetic early crop this year) but with the green stems coming up and a bit of grey water, hopping for a better crop in the Autumn.

[Jay-ell]

Despite the fact that I swear that the other day there were only a few flower buds forming on the Joan J - today, as I was cutting out the old canes I had bees buzzing round my head and noticed that not only were there open flowers but that there were a few raspberries starting to form.

When I got to the other end of the bed I found a new shoot with a couple of raspberries turning red.

Some might have been obscured by the old canes but hot all of them as I had topped off the canes last year.

[Jay-ell]

Here's the Joan J new growth with buds at one end of the bed


As I moved down the bed theres flowers opening


then fruit forming


and a couple of redening fruit.


Notive there's a single empty core pointing to the right - first ripe Autumn Joan J - Tasty.