May 06, 2015


by Helen Halpenny, Lanark Master Gardeners

Fruit and vegetables grown in the home garden and picked at the peak of perfection taste the absolute best. Among the easiest fruits to grow are raspberries. Yes, you need space and good soil but the rewards are great. Prepare the soil well because the raspberry patch will be in situ for several years.

There are many varieties of raspberries available at nurseries. “Red Boyne” is very hardy and flavor is excellent. “Nova” is a new variety developed in Nova Scotia. There are yellow raspberries, purple and black varieties as well. Most bear fruit about mid-July, but there are also ever-bearing kinds and these are my favourites. My Heritage raspberries bear a few fruits in July, (the robins get most of these if I don’t cover with a net), and the main crop starts in mid-September after the birds and most insects have fled to warmer places. This fall crop lasts until a hard frost. Since this type of raspberry bears fruit on first year growth, the canes that have fruited may be mown down in late fall.

Raspberries plants should be planted in full sun in moisture-retentive but well drained soil. A sheltered site is best as strong winds can damage canes. Rows should run north-south to get maximum sun. In home gardens a single row works well. New canes should be planted 12-15 inches (30 to 38 cm) apart and about 3 inches (8cm) deep. To prevent canes toppling over and to keep the fruit clean, it is necessary to support the canes. A double fence with parallel wires stretched between end posts works well. Cross bars between the wires will hold the canes upright. Canes are sometimes tied to the wires.

Raspberry stems or canes are biennial, in that they grow vegetatively the first year, flower and fruit in their second year and die back to ground level. The root system is perennial and of suckering habit, producing each growing season new replacement canes. In the first two seasons after planting the number of canes may be few, but thereafter there should be more than enough. Spindly canes can be pruned out so the others can grow stronger. Allow about 4-8 canes to a root.

So, in their second year a small crop will be produced and a fuller crop in later years. A row of raspberries will keep up production for ten years.

After fruiting is over, cut old canes to ground level. Burn diseased canes. In late winter cut canes to a bud about 160 cm above ground. This removes winter damage to the tips and encourages the lowest buds to break. In early spring a balanced fertilizer can be applied and a 5 cm (2 inches) mulch or compost will help keep weeds at bay. Unwanted suckers can be hoed out during summer or dug out and replanted to increase your plot. In dry weather water the raspberries regularly.

Several insects damage raspberry plants. The cane borer is the worst culprit in my garden. In June, adult beetles cut two rings around the stem about 1 cm (1/2 inch) apart and 25 cm (10 inches) below the tip of a new shoot. An egg is laid between the rings and the tip of the shoot wilts and dies. Larvae bore down to the root and kill the cane. Cut off and destroy the stem below the rings as soon as wilting is seen.

Aphids can be a problem, if very numerous. A forceful spray of water will wash them away. The larvae of raspberry sawflies may chew large irregular holes in the leaves in spring but the damage is not usually harmful. Diseases, such as anthracnose and powdery mildew can be kept within limits by ensuring good air circulation by removing old canes after fruiting, thinning new canes, and keeping weeds removed. Spraying with lime sulphur in spring before bud break is beneficial.

From - The Edible Garden Newsletter, published monthly by Lanark County Master Gardeners and available on their website ww.lanarkmg.blogspot.com.


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