How Old Are Raspberry Plants When They Produce Berries?

General Time Frame

• The first year after planting, raspberries develop strong roots and healthy canes. These canes produce a few fruits the second year and a full yield the third year. Raspberries maintain vigor and adequate yields for at least five to eight years, although a well-maintained plot can produce berries for up to 30 years.

Types

• Raspberries have two distinct growing patterns. Floricane types produce berries on 2-year-old wood and usually bear fruit in the summer. Primocane, or everbearing, types bear a small crop on 2-year-old wood in the summer, followed by a fall crop on new wood. Raspberries in cold climates may experience winter damage, reducing yields. Many gardeners prefer to grow everbearing raspberries for a fall crop only, eliminating concerns about winter damage. Mow the canes to the ground every fall after harvest. In the spring, new canes emerge producing a healthy fall crop.

Planting Tips

• To guarantee a healthy yield the second and third year, plant raspberries in early spring as soon as the soil is soft. Buy disease-free nursery stock because raspberries can carry several diseases that affect plant health and are impossible to cure. Don't take plantings from neighbors or transplant wild raspberries. Buy bare-root plants or potted plants instead. Select varieties well-suited to your area. Some good floricane varieties to try include Boyne, Latham and Nova. Try Caroline, Heritage or Polana everbearing types.

Care

• To produce good yields, raspberries need full sun, moist and fertile soil, winter protection and a regular pruning regimen. Amend the soil before planting with compost or manure. Give each plant 1/4 cup ammonium nitrate when newly planted canes emerge; in subsequent years, fertilize each plant with 1/2 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer, spreading the fertilizer on the ground two feet from the base of the plant. Keep soil evenly moist throughout the growing season and mulch with wood chips, straw or untreated grass clippings to conserve moisture. Gently bend floricanes to the ground and cover them with soil and straw to protect them from winter storms. At the end of each growing season, cut out old wood to ground level. In the spring, cut back canes that have been winter killed.