Raspberries

Overview

Raspberries - Rubus idaeus

Season of use- late June to October

Raspberries grow well under cooler conditions they will suffer badly in the hotter summers. Ideally they like to have their roots in cool, moist shade and their heads in the light.  Traditionally raspberries are associated with the west of Scotland because of the ideal growing conditions that it can provide.  On lighter more free draining soils that dry out quickly raspberries will struggle unless plenty of organic, moisture holding material is worked in to it. An annual mulch applied during March will also help to conserve moisture and keep the roots cool.

There are summer fruiting and autumn fruiting cultivars of raspberries. Both are planted at the same time but the methods of management are different.

How to grow

Planting season  -   from late October to November whilst the soil still has enough warmth in it to encourage further root development and the air temperature is low enough to prevent the  shoot  buds from breaking into growth.

Planting depth – 5cms/2ins Make sure that the growth buds along the roots are below the surface of the soil to prevent them from drying out. Plant firmly and then cut the cane down to 15cms/6ins above the soil.

Distance between plants – 45cms/18ins

Distance between rows – 2metres/6ft.

Planting raspberries

Cultivation -   In March top dress along the rows with a general fertiliser stirring it in with a hoe, at the same time apply a mulch between the rows of canes covering all of the soil area.

During the summer hoe regularly between the rows to control any shoots that may be produce away from the main lines.

Pruning

Summer fruiting raspberries bear fruit on the previous summer’s growth.

This means that you will have to accept that the canes that are in the first summer will have to be tied in as explained below but they will not be able to fruit until the following summer, after which they are treated as described.

Summer fruiting types must be pruned soon after they have finished cropping. This can be from late July until the end of September depending on the cultivar. Cut away the ties holding the old fruiting canes to the supporting wires and then prune them down to soil level, leaving only the fresh young canes that have been produced during the current summer. Not all of the new canes will be required for the next year, select the five best canes per plant spacing them out evenly along the wire before tying them in.

Pruning

During late February tip back the canes to 1.9 metres/6ft to induce more flower production along the canes.

Autumn fruiting raspberries bear fruit on the current season’s growth.

Autumn fruiting raspberries are pruned during February when the new seasons’ shoots are just showing through the surface of the soil. Cut all of the previous season’s growth down to soil level. It is difficult to control the growth of the autumn bearers because they tend to form a thicket and not grow in an orderly line. The canes cannot be tied to any form of support, but they can be enclosed within a fence of stakes and stout string. They are not pruned down at the end of the season but allowed to go into the winter still carrying all of the summer’s canes. Hoe ruthlessly in between the rows to keep them free of suckers and don’t allow the lines to creep out and thicken.

 

 

How to Harvest

The first summer raspberries are ready for harvesting in early summer, whereas autumn raspberries won’t mature until late summer. The fruit is ripe when it can be easily be removed from the plant without being squashed.Select the brightest red berries or if picking golden varieties select  the plumpest fruit. Pick on a dry day. Eat them fresh, freeze them, or make into preserves.

Issues

Raspberries plants usually remain productive for about 12 years, by this time they will have become heavily virused and unproductive. They will have to be dug up and burnt to prevent the risk of infecting any new plants. The soil will have also become infected with virus diseases so under no circumstances be tempted to plant new canes on the old site. A brand new raspberry bed must be made.