Differences Between Wild & Cultivated Raspberries

Growing Conditions

• Gardeners typically plant cultivated raspberries in loamy soil, well amended with compost and fertilizer. Cultivated raspberries usually have the advantage of several hours of sunlight daily, as well as frequent irrigation. Wild raspberries must adapt to less than ideal conditions, such as drought, poor soil and partial shade.

Fruit Quality

• The fruit of wild raspberries is often small, sparse and seedy, while cultivated raspberries are larger, sweeter and of better quality. Wild raspberries ripen in midsummer, while many hybrid cultivated raspberries have been bred to mature later in the season. Cultivated raspberries may have been bred for longer storage life, but wild raspberries are very perishable. Keep them out of the sun and refrigerate them as soon as possible. Use them within a day or two.

Plants

• Wild raspberries and cultivated raspberries resemble each other in terms of plant and leaf structure. Wild raspberries may grow 1 foot to 5 feet high and have thorny, arching stems. The plants may contain masses of dead canes. Cultivated raspberries generally have fewer thorns and a more erect growth habit. They are kept neat and tidy through annual pruning.

Considerations

• Although wild raspberries are tough, hardy plants, they are best enjoyed in the wild. They don't transplant well and may harbor diseases that might infect cultivated plants. Remove any wild raspberries within 100 feet of a cultivated raspberry planting.