Now that it is early summer you may be looking forward to the first fruit crop in our gardens, and for me it has to be raspberries. Juicy and ripe with just a hint of sharpness to start the saliva juices flowing at the mere thought of my breakfast cereal topped with fresh raspberries picked just minutes previously.
Raspberries are a fruit that is fragile and perishable. This makes them difficult to market widely and therefore especially worthwhile to grow in home gardens. A row, or hill, of raspberries will usually produce a good crop of fruit for ten years or so, and the plants usually provide one quart of fruit every year to each foot of the row.
When buying raspberry plants, select named varieties at a reliable garden centre that guarantees that their stock is certified disease and virus-free. Do not plant where eggplant, peppers, potatoes or tomatoes have been grown within the previous three years as they are susceptible to soil-borne diseases associated with these plants.
To grow raspberries of the best quality allow well-drained soil with a pH 5.5 to 7.0 and supplement with plenty of compost, Genesis Compost or manure. Plant in the spring, in full sun if possible, however, raspberries will tolerate partial shade. Select an area that will not be exposed to frost or strong winds and avoid steep slopes, which will drain too quickly. When growing raspberries in rows, place the red and yellow varieties 2 to 2 ½ feet apart, in rows about 7 to 8 feet apart. A wooden post at either end of the row with wires stretched between the two posts at heights of approximately 3ft and 5ft will provide neat and tidy support.
While there are many varieties available, two of my favourites that immediately come to mind are ‘Heritage Red’ and ‘Fall Gold’. Both of these are very productive and vigorous and bloom both early and late. These ever-bearing raspberries produce both an early summer crop on the previous season’s growth and a fall crop on the current season’s growth. This fall crop is the REAL bonus as fresh raspberries are truly hard to find in the supermarket at that time of year and if you do, they are seldom the sweet varieties that are grown locally.
After the summer harvest, remove the fruit-bearing canes. The everbearing, or ‘fall bearing’ varieties and yellow raspberries will produce two crops each year. It is best to cut the canes of these fruits to the ground late in the fall, allowing them to make unrestricted growth during the summer in order to produce a heavy fall crop.
July bearing raspberries should be pruned by hand pruning the one-year-old canes after the fruiting period. Late August through to September. is best. You’ll need a pair of good gloves for the job.
Although the competition between gardener and birds can be pretty strong, as birds are also very fond of raspberries, the fruit can be protected by plastic netting or enclosed in a tented area. Raspberries are ready to eat when the berries are easily separated from the stems by holding the berry between the thumb and forefinger and gently pulling. Collect them in shallow containers as they are easily crushed.
Raspberries taste superb in fresh fruit tarts, salads, sauces, sorbets, purees and preserves. For an over-abundant harvest, raspberries can be easily frozen and used to make delicious desserts during the winter months when soft fruits are not available.
TIP:
Yes, you can plant raspberries now, in mid July. This is also true of other ‘bush’ fruits like currents, blueberries and gooseberries. All of these plants are container grown at the nursery, so there is no ‘mid summer’ transplant shock.
