Raspberry Plants for Zone 9

Cool Coast

• Cooler coastal regions provide the ideal growing conditions for raspberries, which need 700 hours of vernalization (winter chill). Most raspberries will grow well here and home gardeners have their pick of varieties. University of California Extension experts rated several for coastal gardeners. Newburgh is a large, red, summer-bearing type resistant to root rot. Honey Queen is a prolific golden summer-bearer with medium-sized, sweet, berries. Tulameen is a red everbearing variety with a long harvest season and is recommended for large berries and excellent flavor.

Central Valley

• Hot, dry Central Valley growing conditions limit raspberry production unless shade cloth is provided or specially bred raspberries are planted. Deeply dug soil, excellent drainage and extra summer irrigation are needed to produce good crops of raspberries here. Baba, a productive red fall-bearing type, has been bred to thrive in these growing conditions. Oregon 1030 is large-fruited, sweet, fall-bearing red variety that crops well in interior valley conditions, according to University of California Extension experts.

High Elevations

• High elevations mean short growing seasons. Kathy Noble of the University of Idaho Extension says, "Varieties must be both hardy and early." She recommends summer-bearing types as being the hardiest of the raspberries. Chilliwack is touted as hardy, vigorous and rot-rot resistant by U. C. Extension experts. The large red berries are firm, not mealy. It has the added bonus of being a spineless variety. Purple raspberries are hybrids with some of the growth characteristics and vigor of blackberries. They do need some winter protection. Try Royalty, a purple summer-bearer with large, tart-to-sweet berries.

South Texas

• Texas A&M experts point out that raspberries are not well adapted to Texas conditions. Hot, dry growing conditions mean extra watering and mulch in order to keep raspberries from drying out. Providing afternoon shade can help. Heavy Texas clay soil can cause root rot, so consider a raised bed for your raspberries. Sumner is a summer-bearing raspberry that can stand up to heavy soils with bad drainage. Everbearing red Baba prefers full sun and will crop even areas with little winter chill. South Texans might try Oregon 1030, recommended as productive and flavorful even in hot, dry growing conditions. Retired Extension horticulturist Dr. Jerry Parsons says, "If you just have to try one, get the Dorman Red variety."

Florida

• Warm coastal areas may not meet the chilling requirements for most raspberries, so it's best to buy only types adapted to local conditions. J. Williamson of Florida's IFAS Extension says, "The Florida Panhandle rarely has fewer than 500 hours of chilling. By contrast, South Florida rarely has more than 50 - 100 hours of chilling." Dorman Red and Mysore are two varieties recommended by the extension for the panhandle. Mysore thrives even in limestone or acid sandy soils, but needs severe pruning. In South Florida, fall-bearing Autumn Bliss, Heritage and Ruby can be planted December through January. All three yielded well in Florida Horticultural Society trials.