The Other Red Berry

I’m in berry heaven right now. Although strawberries have been done for weeks, the blueberries and raspberries have more than made up for it. I’m averaging around a pint every other day for blueberries and today I just picked my first full pint of raspberries.

There are two types of raspberries – Summer-fruiting and Ever-bearing (you can also grow different colors like yellow, purple and black I believe). Summer-fruiting produces once per season and is finished. I’ve never grow that variety so I will focus on the ever-bearing which have been producing nicely for me the past 7 years. Here is what my hedge looked like last month.

The ever-bearing raspberries consist of primocanes and floricanes. Primocanes sprout in the spring and grow all summer producing raspberries at their tops in late summer and early autumn. When they are finished producing the tops should be clipped for the following season. The next year those canes from the prior season become floricanes and produce in June and July. When they are finished they need to be cut at ground level. They will not produce again. Skinny primocanes should be thinned out as well at this time. This cycle should continue for many years as long as you maintain your raspberry hedge.

You can see here the primocanes are generally green and the floricanes brown. This should help when it comes time to cut back the two year old canes.

In the autumn after the raspberries are done producing, in addition to topping the primocanes I usually add some compost if the box looks low, give them a light feeding of fertilizer and apply some leaf mulch. I also thin back any remaining spindly primocanes I missed in the summer when cutting back the floricanes. Also check your PH. It should be on the acidic side like blueberries. Another heavy feeding of fertilizer can be applied in spring.

Raspberry hedges can grow out of control so any canes sprouting in the spring away from your main hedge should be cut. Also it is recommended to install a support system around the hedge to keep all the canes upright and contained. I purchased a box from a garden supply company that came with heavy plastic line and four posts but you can use your imagination and construct something cheaper.

The biggest problem with raspberries for me is Japanese beetles. After years of having my plants and berries eaten, I decided to put a row cover over top and knot it in place to my corner posts.

If you’ve never used these row covers, they let the sun and rain in but keep the insects out. They also help to deter the birds. The downside is the wind can displace the cover so you need to continually re-secure it. The fabric also gets in your way a little when picking and can cause some damage to your taller primocanes. I find any damage is not as bad as what the beetles will cause though. As you can see my berries are thriving under the cover.

Just make sure to remove the cover after your second year canes are done producing so your new canes can pollinate.

Thanks for reading and I hope I’ve motivated some of you to try growing raspberries. I will follow-up to demonstrate the thinning process.