Raspberry plants (Rubus idaeus) are either the easiest crop to grow or the most challenging, depending largely on your soil composition. When I lived in Campbell River, our property was poorly drained and soggy for half the year. Each summer, my dream of scrumptious raspberry jam was thwarted by a sparse crop of mushy fruit.
Good drainage is the key to growing healthy raspberry plants. If you have clay soil or your drainage is poor, then plant canes in hills 30 to 60 cm deep. (If only I had known this years ago!) This can be done for individual plants or in a row. Planting in raised beds is a good option and affords some containment of new shoots. Mulching with a mixture of leaves, straw, bark, sawdust, and/or compost helps to retain moisture and will also feed the plants. Keep mulch away from crowns (where the stems meet the ground) to prevent crown rot.
The Rubus species includes many native berries that are also in full production as I am writing: thimble berries, salmon berries, and native black or red raspberries. Most have thorns (with the exception of thimbleberries). All are edible. Raspberries require slightly acidic soil (pH 5.5-6.5) so do not apply lime to areas where raspberries are grown. They need loamy, nitrogen-rich soil so plenty of compost is the key. Avoid using manure which tends to be alkaline. Apply compost when blossoms begin to appear and reapply a couple of times throughout the fruiting season. If you have autumn raspberries, then apply in a similar fashion beginning in August. If your home compost is not providing enough nitrogen (indicated by yellowing or pale green leaves) then top-dress with organic fertilizer or fish fertilizer.
Raspberries require deep watering right into the roots (about 4 cm per week). Overhead watering is not ideal because the water runs off the leafy canopy and may land away from the roots. Direct sunlight is a necessity, at least six hours per day during the growing season. Raspberry plants can tolerate some shade, but fruit production will be reduced. Start the season with about half a metre of space between plants to allow for air flow and penetration of sunlight. As new canes shoot up in these spaces, prune them out (right to the ground). Do not clip out new shoots growing from established plants because they will be your fruiting canes next season.
For support, set wooden posts at either end of rows with two cross pieces attached in a T-shape. Attach two sets of wires to the cross bars, one set at about knee level and one at chest level or higher. Bunched canes can be curved over at the top (like a shepherd’s crook) and tied off. This extra length will yield more berries. Or, you can prune off canes to about 2 metres. This allows for easier picking and reduces leafiness for better penetration of sunlight.
Pick your berries regularly during fruiting to keep them coming! Robbing plants of their berries sends them the signal to keep up the effort to produce mature seeds and propagate. If you are away, get a neighbour to do this task. Most people are happy to reap what you have sown!
Including some ever-bearing or autumn-bearing raspberries in your patch will extend your harvest. A later crop will grow from new growth on existing canes. Prune out any dead branches, but not entire canes. When all fruiting is finished, cut the spent canes to the ground for both summer-bearing and fall fruiting types. This may be well into the fall or can even wait until early spring.
Mulch your raspberries with leaves over the winter. This will protect the dormant plants from fluctuations in temperature and provide nourishment as the leaves break down. I began mulching my raspberry patch last fall and must have been sidetracked because I only got half-finished. The mulched side was dramatically more productive!
I’m off to bake a sponge cake (a good way to use up an abundance of eggs). I’ll top it with freshly picked berries and cream. Simple to make, inexpensive, homegrown (mostly) and incomparably delicious.
