---

In an earlier article I wrote about something to do before you plant raspberries. In fact, most of the article dealt with having a year to get ready for the planting.

Ready or not, now you need to select the variety of raspberry you will grow. (Note: The varieties that the Master Gardeners are offering for sale have an*).

There are two types of raspberries for our area (zone 3)––summer bearing and ever bearing.

Summer bearing raspberries will bear once a year usually beginning in July. Even though you don' t need to worry about frost, the plants must be winter hardy. After the harvest, cut all canes that have produced fruit to ground level and remove them. Thin canes to four or five sturdy canes per foot of row. Before growth starts in the spring, cut the tops off to about three feet. Never cut more than 25 percent of the cane or all you will have is bush for that growing season.

Recommended summer varieties:

•Boyne: Developed in Manitoba. Plants are spiny and produce many suckers. Fruit ripens early and is small to medium in size and somewhat dark and soft. Has fair flavor and good freezing quality. Plants have excellent winter hardiness (zones 3-8) but are susceptible to anthracnore.

•Killarndy:* Also developed in Manitoba. It is a sibling of Boyne. One of the newer summer varieties in Minnesota. Superior hardiness (zones 3-8) but is susceptible to mildew and anthracnose. Fruit is medium-sized but very bright red. Flavor and freezing quality are good, but berries may soften in warm weather. Fruit ripens about a week after Boyne.

•Latham: Minnesota developed. Some nursery catalogs claim this is their best summer bearing seller. Small fruit that has good color, but is crumbly with only fair flavor. Great for jams, jellies, and freezing. Hardy for zones 4-8. Fruit ripens midseason and over a long period of time.

•Everbearing raspberries: The recommended cultivation of everbearing raspberries involves cutting cans to the ground at the end of the growing season. The crop ripens in the fall and continues to yield until a hard frost. Therefore, the length of the growing season is an important factor.

•Autumn Britten:* Right now this is probably the most popular new variety on the market. This variety is very cold hardy (zones 3-8) and tolerant to the heat of summer. An early fall variety with 50 percent of its total crop in the first three weeks of harvest.

•Heritage:* These are very high yielding. Fruit is medium-sized and has good color and flavor, firmness, and good freezing quality. Ripens in mid to late fall and bears until frost. This could be a problem if there is an early frost during the season. Winter hardy (zones 3-8). Very good raspberry for retail sale due to long shelf life.

•Polana:* Developed in Poland. This is a new variety and is said to be the earliest ripening ever-bearing on the market. In some areas can be ready to pick by late July. Has glossy red cone shaped fruit that is firm with good raspberry flavor. An excellent winter hardy variety (zones 3-8) that is good for an area with a short growing season.

+++++

If you are planning to register for the 8th annual Chisago County Master Gardener Spring Gardening Bonanza, " Get the Dirt," Saturday, March 4, now is the time. Some sessions are beginning to fill up. If you did not receive a brochure in the mail, you can call or stop by the office to get one. You can also find it on our web page in the ' Hot Topics' box: http://www.exten sion.umn.edu/county/chisago.

The order form for bare root blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, grape and asparagus plants was mailed along with the Bonanza brochure. It is also on the web page and available from the office.

We will not be doing classes at Bonanza on growing these fruit plants but classes will be offered as part of a separate weekly series this spring, which will also include some vegetable gardening topics. The schedule for the 'Spring Gardening Series––Growing Edibles' will be available at Bonanza.

+++++

PRUNING APPLE TREES

The first of these classes will be on pruning apple trees Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m., at the Senior Center, in North Branch. Jim Birkholz from Pleasant Valley Orchard will be the presenter. He has taught this class for us for many years. The class is free and there will be time for questions.

The voicemail is available all year long at 651-674-4417. Maybe you have a houseplant problem or a question about something you saw in a gardening catalog. During office hours ask for the Master Gardener voicemail, after hours, select ext. 18.

Starr Carpenter

Chisago County Master Gardener Coordinator

---