Raspberry
Summer raspberry
Summer raspberry
Keep suckering growth contained with a barrier or by removing unwanted suckers, as this genus spreads readily underground.
Care
Especially important as fruit swells.
Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained, slightly acidic soil; mulch to keep roots cool.
Cut out canes that have just fruited to ground level straight after harvest, and tie in the current season's new canes to replace them — the canes that fruit and the canes for next year are always different, one-year-old canes.
A balanced feed in early spring over a thick mulch, plus sulphate of potash where cropping has been light. Keep the mulch off the new canes as they emerge, and never dig round the base — the roots are shallow.
Lift the suckers that come up between the rows in autumn, each with roots, and replant them. Raspberries do this so readily that thinning is usually more necessary than propagating; discard any plant showing virus symptoms rather than spreading it.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchFeed and mulch as growth resumes. how ›
- JuneHarvest as berries ripen through summer.
- AugustCut out fruited canes to ground level and tie in new canes to replace them. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchFeed and mulch as growth resumes. how ›
- JuneHarvest as berries ripen through summer.
- AugustCut out fruited canes to ground level and tie in new canes to replace them. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Maggoty fruit near ripening.
What to do. Encourage predators, pick fruit promptly.
How to spot it. Spotted or dying canes.
What to do. Remove and dispose of affected canes.
Autumn raspberryPrimocane raspberry
Autumn raspberry
Don't apply the summer-fruiting pruning method to this group by mistake — cutting only the old fruited canes (rather than everything) removes far less than intended and confuses next year's crop.
Care
Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
Cut down all canes to ground level in late winter (Feb) — the opposite regime to summer-fruiting types, since this group fruits on the current season's new growth, not one-year-old canes.
Same regime as the summer kinds — a balanced feed and mulch in early spring, when the canes that will fruit this year are about to grow. These fruit on the current season's canes, so spring feeding goes straight into the crop.
Dig up rooted suckers in autumn and replant. Because the whole row is cut to the ground each winter, autumn raspberries are the easiest of the cane fruits to keep clean and to move.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- FebruaryCut all canes down to ground level while fully dormant. how ›
- MarchFeed and mulch as new canes emerge. how ›
- SeptemberHarvest as berries ripen through early autumn.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut all canes down to ground level while fully dormant. how ›
- MarchFeed and mulch as new canes emerge. how ›
- SeptemberHarvest as berries ripen through early autumn.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Maggoty fruit near ripening.
What to do. Encourage predators, pick promptly.
How to spot it. On fruit in wet autumn weather.
What to do. Improve airflow, pick promptly.
Questions
Raspberry: is it hardy?
H6: Hardy in the vast majority of UK gardens. It survives down to −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Summer raspberry: Possible in a large, deep container with support, though yields are lower than in open ground. Autumn raspberry: As summer-fruiting type.
Raspberry: when do you prune it?
Summer raspberry: Cut out canes that have just fruited to ground level straight after harvest, and tie in the current season's new canes to replace them — the canes that fruit and the canes for next year are always different, one-year-old canes. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in August. Autumn raspberry: Cut down all canes to ground level in late winter (Feb) — the opposite regime to summer-fruiting types, since this group fruits on the current season's new growth, not one-year-old canes. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in February.
Raspberry: when does it flower?
Summer raspberry: In the climate of UK it flowers in May–June. Autumn raspberry: In the climate of UK it flowers in July–August.
When do you feed it?
Summer raspberry: A balanced feed in early spring over a thick mulch, plus sulphate of potash where cropping has been light. Keep the mulch off the new canes as they emerge, and never dig round the base — the roots are shallow. Feeding months, UK: March–April. Autumn raspberry: Same regime as the summer kinds — a balanced feed and mulch in early spring, when the canes that will fruit this year are about to grow. These fruit on the current season's canes, so spring feeding goes straight into the crop. Feeding months, UK: March–April.