Tell Me All About Raspberries!

[baymule]

I love berries and want to plant blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. I go to the U-pick blueberry farms and pick dewberries in the pastures and have haphazardly grown tame blackberries before, but am a blank page when it comes to raspberries.

From reading here on TEG and living my raspberry dreams vicariously through many of you, I have learned that raspberries come in red, black and gold. Also that there are thorned and thornless varieties and they spread like crazy. I think I have even read that some varieties bear twice a year, but I could be wrong on that. I love raspberries, nobody grows them around here, why I don't know. They are in the grocery stores in tiny 4 ounce containers and they want the moon for them.

So what are the best varieties in all the colors? (because I want ALL the colors!) How long and what time of year do they bear? Do they need to be trellised like tame blackberries and do they need to be pruned of the old bearing canes when finished like blackberries? Are they heavy or light bearers and how many plants should I plant so I'll have plenty for me, family and friends?

OK y'all, ed-choo-muh-kate me on raspberries!

 

[Carol Dee]

We have wild black berries and red and black raspberries. All are very thorny! I wish we had bought thornless. DH trims old canes each fall. Berries form on new growth. Could it be too hot in TX for raspberries? Maybe that is why you have not found a u-pick for them. (But they cost a fortune at grocery stores here, too.) Here is a photo I took last night. It looks like we may get a 2nd crop of berries this summer.

 

[catjac1975]

Look for the biggest berries that you can find that are good for your region. When I was little my Mother had them and they were invasive and the berries fell apart when you picked. The newer hybrids are bigger and hold together when you pick them. I cook them right away because they spoil quickly. I make raspberry sauce instead of jelly so that I can sugar them to taste and then I freeze them in small sizes. Mine have multiplied but have stayed well behaved. The large thornless blackberries are fantastic and sweet. Blackberry thorns are terrible so I would only go with thornless. There are real experts here that will give you better advice. I just cut back the old canes and am pretty laissez-faire on their care. They are greatly loved by my grandsons.

 

[Nyboy]

Bay brunt ridge nursery has a rasberry for southern heat I looked into it for a house warming gift. was goingto wait till you where closer to move. I don't think all berry do well in heat.

 

[Carol Dee]

Well @Nyboy you set the bar high for he rest of us!

 

[ninnymary]

Darn, he beat us to the punch! (Thistle, did I say that correctly? ) Now bay, is gonna post a list. Ha

Mary

 

[Carol Dee]

http://commonsensehome.com/how-to-grow-raspberries/
I Just stumbled upon this on pinterest tonight.

 

[thistlebloom]

Darn, he beat us to the punch! (Thistle, did I say that correctly? ) Now bay, is gonna post a list. Ha

Mary

Yes Mary, you're doing just fine.

And since So Lucky already suggested a compost party for Bays new digs, I'm collecting lots of coffee grounds and egg shells and bannana peels and old lettuce. The trouble is going to be finding nice wrapping paper that won't fall apart when it gets moist.

 

[Nyboy]

Well @Nyboy you set the bar high for he rest of us!

Not really they are pretty cheap was surprized at price LOL sure they are just sticks

 

[baymule]

Haha, ya'll are so funny! That article was informative, especially intriguing was the mowing down the whole berry patch in the fall, thus the new growth in the spring is the berry bearing canes.... makes sense to this Texan.

@thistlebloom you keep working on that wrapping paper idea..... @catjac1975 I will definitely go with thornless blackberries and raspberries. I am well aquainted with threading my grubby paws in and out of thorny canes and really want to avoid that if at all possible!

@Nyboy don't mean to steal your thunder......please feel free to investigate raspberries on my behalf and send me a house warming gift! I am just sitting at the computer, too hot to go out to play, and everything I want to do, is stuff for the fall garden--that I won't be here for anyway. So, thought I'd start research on things I want to do when we get moved. I'm reading up on raising a couple of feeder pigs, driving DH nuts, haven't even signed papers yet and I'm already planting the garden, raising pigs and planting an orchard! Just trying to use my time, since I have so much of it now and won't have much of it later!