raspberries
The raspberry, or Bramble or Mount Ida, is a shrub. It is therefore a perennial : a plant that can grow and bear fruit for several years in a row (more than 2 years in general). They are highly cultivated for their small fruits, raspberries. The stems are generally biennial, that is, they have a two-year life cycle. Each year, the raspberry plant produces new stems that will produce raspberries for 2 years or the following year.
The raspberry is a very hardy shrub that is divided into 2 groups (sometimes 3 but we stay at 2 to simplify the explanation), the leftover raspberries, and the raspberries non-remontants of which we will see the difference later.
The raspberries, the small red balls sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy are a real treat for the taste buds in the summer. Raspberry is one of the red fruits most appreciated by young and old. It is available in a large number of recipes (raspberry coulis, raspberry tart or raspberry jam or simply cakes called “raspberries”). But it is raw and just harvested that it contains the most vitamins and D’health interests.
They come in different colors, red for the most famous, yellow, purple or almost black! They can have variations in forms and from sizes. We will see later some varieties that have these characteristics.
raspberry cultivation
As I said above, raspberries are shrubs very hardy rather invasive, depending on the variety, they can easily withstand temperatures from -15°C to -20°C.
Raspberries generally thrive in any type ground as long as it’s enough cost (otherwise they will still grow). They prefer the partial shade full sun exposure, although this does not prevent them from producing raspberries.
Since raspberries are quite invasive shrubs, I recommend choosing their location carefully as they tend to spread out. They usually get a border from a vegetable garden, otherwise you can also put them in a hedge, if you are lucky enough to own one. This solution is undoubtedly the best because they will allow them to fully bloom under the trees, they will benefit from the partial shade on sunny days and the fact that the trees will attract admixtures. As for the excipients, I invite you to look at this article: helpers in the vegetable garden. As long as your hedge is a fruit hedge, the raspberry bush will make your hedge more productive.
The traditional method of growing raspberries is to: fan out. It has the advantage that it facilitates the harvest, because the raspberries are more accessible to the gardener. You can also trellis them the Dutch way, which involves taking the stems from the previous year and pulling on both sides and tying them to a stiff wire. This method is quite cumbersome and I don’t recommend it especially, or only if you have a large vegetable garden. You can of course grow the raspberries in a bunch without trellising them.
As many gardeners know, raspberries fall into 2 main groups, remontant raspberries and non-remontant raspberries. Where it gets tricky is to remember the difference and know the sizing method for each group.
Let’s take a look at the differences between the two groups of raspberries:
- The non-remontant raspberry: also called uniferous, the stems produce raspberries the second year, usually around June July. Sometimes July-August, it depends on the varieties. The first year it produces leafy but unbranched stems. It is during the second year that the stems branch and produce raspberries in a significant way.
Pruning is done just after fruiting, around August, when the fruit-bearing stems are dry. Be careful not to prune the stems of the year that have not been fertilized!
- The ascending raspberry: also called bifer, the stems produce during the first year but also in the second year. The remontant raspberry generally produces fewer raspberries at once than the non-remontant raspberry, but has the advantage of having a longer production period, June July and September October. The stems are also not branched in the first year, but they have racemes that can bear fruit. The second year the stems bear full fruit. It is necessary to prune the end of the year’s stems, which are normally dry, and trim the last year’s stems, which are normally completely dry.
For city dwellers with a balcony or those with only a terrace in the countryside, it is quite possible to grow raspberries in a container or in a large pot. I explain how you do that in this article: 5 plants for balcony or terrace.
Some varieties of raspberries
Non-remontant varieties
- Lloyd George : It is an ancient raspberry variety and is known for its sweet-tasting fruits.
- Meeker : undoubtedly the most widely grown of the non-remontant varieties, this raspberry variety resists freezing well and produces very typical fruits.
Everbearing varieties
- Heritage : probably the most famous raspberry variety. The raspberry bush produces an abundance of medium to large fruits with a fruity taste. Raspberries can withstand freezing well.
- fall gold : a raspberry variety that produces fairly large yellow raspberries. It produces in abundance, especially from September.
There are many other varieties with different flavors and shapes.
Final advice before finishing this article on raspberries: the mulch (or mulch). I highly recommend mulching your raspberry plants with vegetable mulch. This will target: to protect the ground at the feet of the raspberries and with it the wild animals it protects and maintains it, giving it the lumpy consistency of healthy soil and improving water retention. It will allow you to perform the task of to water in the summer but also to prevent erosion soil by rain and wind, and the formation of crust surface so common in traditional vegetable gardens.
For the choice of mulch I recommend BRF (Bois Raméal Fragmenté) which will last for several years and which will stimulate the activity of fungi in the soil. This creates very favorable associations (mycorrhizae) between the fungi and your plants that will grow, produce more and be more independent in terms of water.
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