Raspberries: these sweet, tart little nuggets are one of the best things about summer. Put them onto cereal or eat them straight off the raspberry bush. Yum!
H
ow do you grow raspberries?
It’s quite easy to grow raspberries from the various potted varieties in the nursery. If a friend has a raspberry bush, ask if she has any smaller plants popping up in the gardens. I see baby plants in my garden frequently, and they turn into new bushes to give to friends or to plant elsewhere in the garden. Plant raspberries in a dry, sunny spot in the garden, and they will thrive. Don’t worry about planting an entire row the first year. Simply let the perennial, self-propagating raspberries do their work, and soon you too will have an entire row!
There are many different kinds of raspberries. Yes, there are different colors, like yellow raspberries. However, the biggest difference between raspberries is the fruiting season. There are raspberries that bear fruit in a certain season. Often, this is the summer, although there are also early and fall varieties. These raspberries bear fruit for a month, then stop. There are also everbearing varieties. If you don’t mind slow and steady production, these varieties can bear fruit for months on end, some even into winter. Last year I harvested my last raspberries on the 1st of December! Yes, the winter was mild. Everbearing varieties will generally fruit until they receive a hard frost.
If you live in a damp place or your spring is cool, raspberries can be prone to various fungal diseases such as orange and yellow rust. These diseases start on the leaves. To prevent them, ensure that your raspberries have lots of good air flow and are located in a warm, relatively dry location.
Do you love raspberries? How do you help your raspberries grow?
Image Credit: Kate Krav