I was talking with a neighbor lady and told her we were picking abundant raspberries (in September), and she said, “What!! You’re getting raspberries now? What kind are they?”
I learned about the Heritage everbearing raspberry in a Miller Nursery catalog (Miller is now part of Stark Bros.). The catalog states,
- After 30 years, it still remains one of the most outstanding everbearing red raspberries on the market today.
- Vigorous upright canes do not need staking.
- The fruit is of superior quality.
- Berries are large, bright red, firm for eating right out of the patch, freezing and/or jams and jellies.
- The summer crop matures here from July 1st
- The fall crop begins ripening Sept. 1st and continues until frost.
- The fall crop is of exceptional quality, better than the first.
Basic Raspberry Facts
Raspberries are relatively easy to grow and with proper care can bear fruit for decades! Though raspberry bushes are naturally inclined to grow in cooler climates, the plants now come in many varieties suited to a range of planting zones.
The Heritage Everbearing raspberry bears a light summer crop and a much heavier fall crop.
Most raspberries are self-fertile, meaning you’ll get fruit with only one variety. They’re best pollinated by bees, and will start producing fruit a year after planting, so there is not much waiting for a crop!
All raspberries will need pruning annually. Raspberries are perennials, however it’s important to realize that their canes which bear the fruit live for only two summers. During the first year, the new green cane (primocane) grows vegetatively. The cane develops a brown bark, is dormant in winter, and during the second growing season is called a floricane. The floricane produces fruit in early to mid summer and then dies. New primocanes are produced each year, so fruit production continues year after year. It’s your job to prune out those dead canes each year.
Note: Since I really don’t like to prune, we decided to mow or bush hog them (or cut them down to 8″ with hand clippers) in mid-November once the last crop’s in. We do forfeit the next year’s early summer crop, however, we get HUGE amounts of raspberries from September 1st right up till frost!
Planting the Starts
- Raspberry plants can be purchased as dormant, bare-root plants or as potted plants. Plant bare-root transplants in the early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Plant potted transplants in the spring after threat of frost has passed.
- Pick a site with full sun to produce the most fruit. The plant will grow in part shade, but harvests will be meager.
- Your site needs rich and well-drained soil, great air circulation and a bit of shelter. Avoid a wet area, as well as a windy spot, as raspberries do not like to stand in water nor be dried out with hot winds.
- Prepare soil with 2-3 inches of compost or aged manure a couple weeks before planting. (A good rate is about 2 ½ cubic feet of compost per 50 square feet.) Till or lightly work into the soil well before planting.
- Plant far from wild growing berries, otherwise risk the spread of pests and diseases to your garden.
- Before planting, soak the roots for an hour or two.
- Dig a hole that is roomy enough for the roots to spread.
- Whether you’re planting bare-root or potted plants, keep the crown of the plant 1 or 2 inches above the ground.
- Space red raspberry plants 3 feet apart.
- Heritage ever-bearing raspberries do not need a trellis or fence.
Well, I kind of went hog-wild, planting 12 starts 4 feet apart. It has been a challenge to keep them all picked, b/c they are heavily loaded with berries from September on. We have been inviting friends to come pick which does 2 things. It is a way to give back to friends, and it keeps the bushes cleaned of over ripe and decaying berries. This insures every berry you pick is of excellent quality!
For minimal to no weeding:
Scatter out several bales of fresh straw thickly around the bases of the whole patch to keep out weeds and keep shoes free of mud when picking. You may NEVER weed if you straw heavily every several years. It also holds in moisture (and they need a good bit).
Below is our third year patch (of those original 12 plants) in late May. We cut it down to 8″ each preceding November, so there are no tangled vines to deal with and no sorting out what are old canes and new canes. That is a big relief to me!
We all enjoy time together picking berries for cobblers, raspberry sorbet and fresh out-of-hand eating!
Fresh from the raspberry patch and ready to be washed and frozen or made into jam. I think today I will just freeze them as it is getting late, and I need to get dinner ready for my crew!
Just a little fun before getting to work. Meet Mr. R. Berry. He is my favorite redhead, and I think he said to tell you “Hello!”
Such a pretty emerald passenger! He must have liked my kitchen…he didn’t want to leave.
When you grow your own red raspberries, you also have a natural supply of red raspberry leaves which are a powerful female herb useful for pregnancy and delivery as well as female balancing.
The Weekend Homesteader
I love raspberries! I am working on my own raspberry bed at the moment. After this great testimonial, I’ll definitely keep this variety in mind.
Sarah Mendenhall
Oh wow, you weren’t kidding about the abundance of berries! What a delicious blessing. I like how I recognize all of your “berry pickers” 🙂
amanda
These sound so wonderful! I would love to get some. I just don’t seem to do a very good job gardening these days! 🙂
Blessings,
Amanda
Andrea
What a beautiful bounty of berries! Mr. Berry is berry funny!
chubskulit
Thanks for the invitation Jacqueline. Wow those looks sweet! Wish I could pick some myself hehehe.
Faythe @ GrammyMouseTails
Those berries look so yummy! we have wild black berries around our yard, but they did poorly this year 🙁 I never get enough to freeze, but have fun munching and maybe adding to breakfast or a bowl of ice cream. I just got back from visiting my son and grandsons, so I rushed to get up my WW post, I hope it is inspiring, I thought it was when I snapped it! then I need to catch up on email… !
Barb S.
Oh, Jackie, my mouth is watering! How wonderful!
Jen
I have ever-bearing raspberries as well. This is the first full year of harvest and even though I only have one plant I find tons of berries each day that I go out and pick! This is one of my prized garden goodies (the other would have to be my sunflowers — now pretty dead and past their prime.) Thanks for visiting us at Real Food Freaks. We have a blog carnival on Fridays called Freaky Friday. Come and visit!
Amy
Mmm – these raspberries look delicious! Your pictures remind me of picking raspberries all along my grandmother’s backyard when I was little.
Melissa
Hi!! I am so fascinated by the idea of gardening but have never actually done it! I live in Colorado and have always assumed it would be too hard to grow anything here because of the harsh/dry weather. Do you know if these raspberries would grow well here? And is it too late in the year to plant them now? Thanks for all of your input and for your wonderful blog!
Jacqueline
Melissa,
Call up your local county co-operative agent and ask if they think it’s possible. My gut tells me they will do fine, but if it is very dry, you will need to give them 1″ /week unless it rains. Mulching heavily with straw cuts down drastically on the watering. I don’t want to advise from the Midwest. I’d love to know what you find out…good luck!
Joelle
Wow! This is so encouraging! I planted 5 raspberry plants last year (three of which are Heritage!) and it seems like it will take forever until we have this kind of harvest! I have find memories of picking raspberries at my grandparents house. They had a small patch that always yielded buckets! Your patch looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Jacqueline
Joelle, I am so glad you invested in a few plants! I think you may even get a few handfuls this fall 🙂
Amanda
I want to plant raspberry bushes!!…do cut them completely down in the Fall? And they grow back intk those beautiful bushes in the Spring? Would love fresh berries
Jacqueline
Hi, Amanda. You can do it (cut down to 6-7″ stubs) in the fall or very early spring before much new growth occurs. I will do mine tomorrow if it is warmer… Have fun 🙂
Mallory
Thanks so much for sharing! You’ve inspired me to plant this variety this Fall!
Anne
Do I leave the horizontal branches on the canes? Thanks
Jacqueline
Anne, you can, but we just cut them back to 8-10 inches from the straw and there will be new horizontal branches in the spring. With the Heritage, cutting back doesn’t limit production. I hope that helps! ~J
Izzy
Hi from NS, Canada. Pruning is a good distraction right now. My husband & I enjoy this garden activity. How do we prune the established raspberry canes in spring or not? I’d be very happy to see abundant yummy raspberries as a product of proper pruning at the right time of a season. A burm has been happening around the big raspberry patch. I think that’s what it’s called. Thank you for your reply. Blessings2U☀️
Jacqueline
Hi, Izzy!! I almost always cut my heritage raspberries back in the fall bc the new growth will carry the flowers and eventual berries, but you are probably fine in your latitude to do it now as cold as it may be there!
I would only trim off the dead growth and let the new growth alone if it has been warm enough to see buds. I cut them down to 8-10″ and they pop right back up when ready! Do cover the ground below them with fresh straw now to control weeds and also keep in moisture later in the summer when it may be dry! They like a good bit of moisture in the soil to bear heavily – and acidify if you can find it that is safe for food (organic)
Blessings! ~Jacque
Natalie
I planted 2 bare root Heritage plants in Georgia at end of Feb/beginning of March. At this point (2.5 months later) there is no sign of growth- both of the 2 canes look the same and there are no leaves on either cane/plant. Is this normal not to see any signs of life right now or did they die? Thanks so much!
Jacqueline
Hi, Natalie!
I’m sorry. It doesn’t sound too good at first glance.
But here are a few questions:
What is your climate?
Is it a harsh climate?
Were they well watered in?
Did they have a good root mass when you planted them?
Did you get a hard freeze?
We got a hard freeze (25 degrees) 9-10 days ago and some of the leaves got “burned”, but it didn’t kill the plants. They are very hardy and should come back if it was a big frost or freeze! Don’t pull them up but keep an eye out to see if they resprout leaves…
I have never heard of raspberries not living. They transplant well for we have given away over 200 starts (just dug up with a shovel-full of soil) through the many years we’ve grown them here in the Midwest. Ours are in full sun and good loamy, rich moist soil and a straw mulch to retain moisture after rains. Now in mid-May, they are 18″ filled out with green leaves. They still have a lot of growth this year, but will reach waist high when they set berries.
I hope and pray it was just a freeze and most likely they will sprout new leaves!
It’s been a crazy spring – really wet and cold here!
Blessings,
~Jacqueline
Natalie
Hi and thanks for your reply!
We did not have as cold of a winter this last go-around so am thinking it probably isn’t a weather issue.
As to roots, they had long roots which I spread out in the hole. And did water them in well. Put straw mulch around as well.
As to leaves, they were shipped to me bare root and had no leaves. None have grown.
They are in a nice sunny spot. I’m wondering if the soil maybe wasn’t rich enough? I will leave them as you say to see if anything happens…
Jacqueline
Natalie, another thought is that they may have been already dead :-/ Hmmm…
I sure hope they leaf out! ~J
Natalie
J- You may be onto something! When they arrived, the paper towel wrapped around each of them was dry as a bone. And so were the roots & canes. I messaged the vendor and asked if this was an issue and he said not at all…just soak the roots in water for an hour or two and then plant but that they were alive but dormant. Your comment has me wondering now for sure! It would sure explain everything. Thanks!