Raspberries... easy to grow and a delight to eat

Raspberry plants provide a bountiful harvest of succulent fruit and need very little care.
There are 2 types of raspberries: summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting.

Summer-fruiting: are popular because they are second only to strawberries in the amount of fruit they produce, and they fill the gap between strawberries and blackberries. Summer raspberry fruits in July, on canes produced the year before.

Autumn-fruiting: they produce less fruit and have smaller canes. However, they extend the harvesting season by cropping from August until the first frosts. Fruits forms on the tips of new canes produced  that same year. These plants do best in mild areas, but have the advantage of not attracting birds to the same extent as the summer-fruiting varieties.

Planting and care:

1. Soak roots in a bucket, quite well, 2 hours before planting. Cut any damaged or dead roots.
2. Dig a trench, one spade deep and 3 spades wide. Mix in 8-10 cm of compost in the bottom. Refill the trench.
3. Plant the stems only 5-8cm deep to encourage suckering, and spread the roots horizontally. Cover and firm in. Water well.
4. Prune newly planted stems to a bud about 30cm above the ground. If growing on wire supports, tie the plant in to it or use a post.
5. Pick raspberries that easily pull off the core or plug. Pick every day or so, as the berries will rot quickly once they mature.

Secrets of success:

• In autumn buy certified plants (guaranteed disease free) with strong canes. Expect them to last 8 years. Look for plants with little or no leaf growth.
• Avoid plants that look sickly or dried out. Do not buy those with discoloured or distorted leaves.
• Full sun. Raspberries thrive in plenty of sunshine. Choose an easy-facing location that is sheltered from cold or strong winds.
• Rich, well-drained soil. Raspberries must have good drainage and rich deep, well-manured soil. A raised bed improves drainage.
• Pick fruits when it pulls easily away from the plant. To avoid loss of flavour, wash fruit immediately before eating and do not store it.
• To freeze raspberries, spread them dry on a baking tray and place them in the freezer. When frozen, transfer the fruit to freezer bags.

Tips:

Autumn-fruiting types form on new stems. Thinning is not necessary. Cut them right down to the ground in February.

Birds can be a problem pests in your raspberry patch. To keep them away, cover your plants with netting or grow them a fruit cage. Place netting over the plants when they are first in flower and remove it as necessary to harvest a crop of berries.

Raspberry beetle is a common pest. The white grubs feed inside the fruit and can only be seen when fruit is picked. Spray with fenitrothion when flowering ends or with malathion until first fruit turns pink.

Although raspberries are heavy feeders, do not give them high-nitrogen fertilizer late in season or you may promote new growth for frost to kill.

Seasonal tips:

Early Spring: feeding

In March, apply general fertilizer at 30g per square metre and much with well-rotten manure.

Summer to Autumn: harvesting and pruning

Pick berries when they pull off easily, leaving the plug and stalk. Firm, dry fruit will keep for 4 days in the fridge. Cut canes of summer-fruiting varieties to the ground after harvest.

Autumn: tying in

Pull off unwanted suckers. Cut off the weakest canes, select the best 6 to 9 canes on each plant and tie to wires, 8-10 cm apart.