Planting Raspberries

Planting Raspberries

Growing your own food has become the latest trend. You can enjoy the plants and also a nice harvest of fruits and vegetables later in the season. One of the most popular of the fruits is the Raspberry. To get some tips on growing them we stopped by Tsugawa Nursery in Woodland, Washington.

Brian and his staff have set up a fruit and vegetable garden to show people how they can grow lots of fresh vegetables and fruit in a small area. The raspberries were placed at the back of this garden and, as Brian showed us, they need a structure to grow on too. Poles and wires allow you to keep the plants upright and allows for better fruit production.

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The raspberry fruit grows on old wood. These are the canes that have been established in the previous season of growth. In fact when you get a new raspberry plant you can sometimes see the new canes just starting their growth from the base of the plant. Don’t cut these off, or your will not be able to enjoy tasty berries later in the summer. Brian also told us about the 2 types of raspberries, June bearing and Ever bearing. June bearing will give you one large crop usually from mid June to mid July. This type is great if you are looking for a large harvest to make jams and jellies. The Ever bearing will produce a smaller crop, but it just keeps coming all season long, up until the first frost of fall.

Some other secrets of success… plant more than a couple plants. 12-25 plants are perfect. That many will assure you of enough fruit to make everyone happy! Also remember to amend the soil so the plants have a good start. Also you will want to plant the berries on a slightly mounded hill. Raspberries don’t like to set in water and this ‘hill’ will allow the drainage they need to stay healthy and happy.

If you are looking to get started Tsugawa’s has a complete kit that you can buy that includes posts, wire, plants, fertilizer, and just about anything else you need to be successful. Stop by the nursery if you have any questions and then get out there and enjoy a full season of tasty berries!

( See the GardenTime web site for more videos and information about the show)