Raspberry Plants for Winter

Growth Habits

• Raspberries like full sun but grow best in moderately cool temperatures -- between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The plants generally overwinter, and cane tips die back during the cold season to reemerge in spring. Crowns and roots live for multiple years, but each cane grows for just two years. New canes emerge each spring and produce fruit the summer of their second year. Everbearing varieties produce raspberries on the tips of canes during their first fall and bear another summer crop the next year.

Everbearing

• Everbearing raspberries are often called autumn-bearing, but the time they fruit depends on climate. If you live in a cold climate it's best to go for early-bearing varieties and avoid the everbearing types, which could freeze in winter. In places with mild winters, these varieties may still have a few ripe berries left in December. Some everbearing varieties include Polana, Summit, Fall Red, Autumn Red and Autumn Bliss. Others, such as Encore and Latham, ripen just once but do so later than most varieties.

Greenhouse Production

• In cold regions, a surefire way to obtain wintertime raspberries is to grow them in a greenhouse. Winter greenhouse production is ideal for raspberries because they don't require extra light and temperatures are cool and moderate. In May, place rooted plants outdoors. In December or when temperatures below 10 degrees Fahrenheit are expected, move them into the greenhouse. Within the greenhouse, maintain the temperature at between 50 and 55 degrees at night and 65 to 70 degrees during the day. Harvest arrives sometime in April, May or June.

Fruiting and Climate

• Raspberry fruiting is responsive to temperature. The plants are designed to stop growth in winter and wait until spring arrives to resume growing. Generally, it is difficult to get fresh raspberries in wintertime in the northern hemisphere. Most are shipped from the southern hemisphere, but are easily bruised and damaged by rot. Many agricultural experts are trying to lengthen the raspberry harvest to solve this problem. Some have successfully forced a winter harvest by chilling greenhouse raspberries to trick them into fruiting sooner.