The Time of Year to Grow Raspberries

Spring Planting

• Early spring generally provides the best conditions for establishing a raspberry patch. Bare-root plants need cool, moist conditions so they can establish a functional root system before the weather turns hot and dry. It is usually safe to set out the plants as soon as you can prepare the soil, but wait until you are confident that temperatures will not drop below 20 degrees.

Fall Planting

• It is possible to plant raspberries in the fall, but it can be difficult to choose the right time. If you plant too early, warm weather may dry out the plants, especially if you do not have timely rains or moist soil. If you plant too late, cold weather might injure or kill the plants before they become established. In warmer climates, though, fall planting is a more feasible option. The New Mexico State University Extension reports September as the preferred time to plant fall-bearing raspberries.

Summer-Bearing Raspberries

• Healthy raspberry plants grow vigorously throughout the season, but without proper planning, you might find yourself with an overabundance of berries in early summer and few berries in late summer and fall. Summer-bearing raspberries grow canes one year then set fruit on those canes the following year. These plants will provide your earliest harvest, because the canes are already grown and ready to produce fruit as soon as the weather warms up in the spring. You can extend your harvest by planting early, mid-season and late varieties of summer-bearers. A good variety mixture for an extended harvest includes "Prelude," "Killarney" and "Nova."

Fall-Bearing Raspberries

• Fall-bearing raspberries send up new canes in early spring, grow vigorously during the summer and set fruit on those canes in fall of the same year. Fall-bearing raspberries often have better flavor because the fruits ripen slowly in the cooler, moist conditions of late summer and fall. By combining summer-bearing and fall-bearing varieties, you can spread out your raspberry harvest and enjoy a plentiful supply of berries for most of the growing season. Two popular fall-bearing cultivars are "Heritage" and "Polana."