Care of Raspberry Plants in Western Oregon

Plant your raspberry plants in a full-sun planting location that receives six to eight hours of bright, direct sunlight per day. Look for a location that has fertile, loamy and well-draining soil. Amend poor soils with peat moss, loam and coarse builder's sand to boost nutrients and improve drainage. Work the peat moss, loam and coarse builder's sand into the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches.

Provide your raspberry plants at least 1 inch of water each week in the absence of rain. Use a drip hose, soaker hose or bubbler hose to ensure that the 1 inch of water you supply is able to soak deep into the soil. Water your raspberry plants more often, if necessary, to keep the soil evenly moist to the touch. Cease weekly watering at the end of the growing season and resume your regular irrigation schedule in the spring.

Fertilize your raspberry plants in the spring, when new growth is observed. Feed your plants a water-soluble 12-12-12 or 10-20-20 fertilizer to provide them the nutrients they need to produce healthy, delicious raspberries. Apply the fertilizer according to the application instructions on the package.

Harvest raspberries from your raspberry plants when the berries ripen to a deep red color. Pick raspberries from your raspberry plants every three to four days and store them in shallow containers. Refrigerate picked raspberries as soon as possible to extend their shelf life.

Prune your raspberry plants after the final harvest to remove old floricanes on which fruit was borne; leave the new primocanes untouched. Wait until your raspberry plants are dormant, from January to March, to remove any discolored, diseased, damaged or dead branches. Make straight, clean cuts with sharpened and sterilized pruning shears to minimize pruning stress on your raspberry plants.