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The past few articles have been about plants that we offer for sale through the Chisago County Master Gardeners.  I have covered raising blueberries and strawberries and this article is about raising raspberries.

Raspberries need full sun and good soil is important, especially when starting raspberries.  This is because 90% of the root system is in the top 20 inches of soil where the root must take up moisture and nutrients.

They will not tolerate poorly drained soil.  Even temporarily saturated soil conditions can cause serious injury.  This includes poor cane growth and increased incidents of soil-borne disease and plant death.

Raspberries grow best in soil with a ph between 5.5 and 6.5.  They will not grow well in soil with a ph below 5.5 and iron deficiency may occur in soils with a ph above 7.0.  They also need good air-movement but also some protection from high winds.

There are two types of raspberries for our area. Summer bearing raspberries produce berries once a year, usually the first part of July. After the harvest has ended the canes that produced fruit in July will die back. It is best if those canes can be cut off at ground level and removed before winter.  The canes that are green are the ones that will produce next July.

Next spring cut the canes back to about four feet.  I don't like to cut them lower because of the risk of them just bushing out as it cuts down production.

For the past few years we have offered Killarney as our summer bearing variety.  This year we switched to Boyne for a couple of reasons. One reason is that the canes may be more durable than the Killarney and the fruit may be sweeter.

Boyne is an old time favorite for summer bearing raspberries. In fact, if there were raspberries on the place where you grew up or if you moved to a place where they were already established, chances are they are Boyne.

We offer two everbearing raspberries for sale this year.  Heritage is a long time favorite that has large sized fruit that is very firm.  The canes are tall and vigorous and stand very erect and need no support.  The only draw back for Heritage is that they are not in full production until mid-September.  If we get an early frost you will lose the main production season.  I have been raising and selling Heritage for many years and most years it is not a factor.

However, this is the main reason we also offer the Autumn Britten everbearing.  They start producing around mid-August and are in full production by September 1.  Autumn Britten has a large sweet berry and as it is with all the plants we sell, it is winter hardy. The berry is not as firm as Heritage nor are the canes as durable, but for your own use, it is a great choice.

One real advantage of the everbearing raspberry is you can prune it within three to four inches from the ground after the ground freezes, and be done with it.

You can learn more about raising the plants we sell by attending one of our Spring Series Classes.  I will be speaking on raspberries and Diane Patras will be speaking on blueberries at the Senior Center in North Branch on Saturday morning March 29.

Don't forget our 10th Annual Spring Gardening Bonanza. It will be held on Saturday, March 8, 8:30-3:00 pm at the Abundant Life Church in North Branch.  If you need information about our Bonanza, upcoming classes, or plant order forms, call the Extension office at 651-213-8901.

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