Grow your own raspberries

Raspberries are not only delicious, they’re healthy (they’re chock full of antioxidants) and super easy to grow.

Of all the berries that summer produces, raspberries are touted by many as the irrefutable king. Plant a couple of bushes now and you’ll have your own fresh supply come the warmer months.

Raspberries are either summer-bearing or autumn-bearing, so if you plant a couple of each type you will have many weeks of ongoing fruit production.

Planting

Grow your own delicious berries

Plant bushes in a sunny spot, but in warm areas provide some sort of protection from the afternoon sun. Provide some shelter too, as the fruiting laterals and berries may be damaged by strong winds.

Soil must be free-draining as raspberries won’t tolerate wet feet. They like sandy loam soils rich in organic matter. Dig in plenty of compost before planting.

Avoid planting them in the same spot where tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums and eggplants have grown in the past four years as diseases can be passed on.

Because raspberries sucker, you’ll need to contain or manage your plants carefully.

“To stop suckers spreading you can grow raspberries in isolation with a grass mowing strip,” says Sarah Frater of Edible Garden in Palmerston North.

“Anything that pops up can just be mown off. Or lay weed mat along the row and cut slits in it to plant the raspberries. This allows the suckers to come up in the row and be removed but not sucker all over the place.”

Before planting, remove any weeds, as the raspberries don’t like the competition. Plant at the same level as the plant was in the container, or for bare-rooted plants where you see the soil mark on the stem.

Pruning 

It’s important to recognise which type of raspberry you have: a summer-bearing or autumn-bearing one. If you prune at the wrong time for the type of raspberry you have, your fruit bowl come summer will be empty.

Autumn-bearing raspberries are easy. Each winter, these types can be cut right down to the ground, as the new canes that grow will fruit the following autumn.

However, for summer-bearing types only the canes that fruited should to be cut out. This is done immediately after fruiting. The smaller canes that didn’t fruit need to be retained as the berries will grow on these the next summer.

Harvesting

The fruit ripens over a four or five week period and should be picked regularly. Eat immediately or process for jam as the fruit is very perishable. It will keep in the refrigerator for only one or two days.