Dear Friends and Customers of Woodbridge Fruit Trees,

Raspberries are nothing short of amazing. Where we live in Southern Tasmania, we get the first of the summer raspberries around Christmas and they are large and sweet. By the time they are are fading out, the Autumn raspberries are coming on and although intially they taste a bit pale compared to their summer cousins, their flavour increases as the days get cooler. Then we sing their praise as they keep fruiting often well into June / July. The photo on the right is a "Heritage" on the 18th July.

Rasbperries are really simple to grow - and once they're established they need very little maintenace. Plant in well drained soil and water in well - raspberries dont like drying out when planted but equally dont tolerate waterlogging. I plant mine 20-30cm apart but you can plant closer to get a thicker patch quicker. Not every cane will transplant succesfully, but within a few years any gaps are filled with suckers coming up from the roots.

A frame around your raspberries serves two purposes - stopping the canes from flopping over and allowing a bird net to be thrown over easily. A hoop structure or a rectangular frame using ready made brackets makes this quick and easy.

Dont forget that Raspberries Freeze really well - any excess that dont get popped into mouths can be used to make jam or be frozen for a year-round supply.

In winter time, your raspberries will need a prune. SUMMER fruiting ones need the older canes puned out (thicker more woody canes), while the new softer greener ones are kept (primocanes) and will be the ones that flower and fruit the following summer. AUTUMN raspberries can all be pruned to ground level, which makes it super simple.

I've still got good numbers of Summer (Chilcotin) and Autumn (Heritage, Lloyd George and Autumn Bliss) Raspberries in stock. If you dont have any in your garden, now is a great time to get some in, or gift some to a friend who would love them. Its good to have a few different varieties - some seasons will favour one variety one year and another the next.

Wishing you happy gardening and planting for the 2023 season,

Nik Magnus
Woodbridge Fruit Trees

 

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