Raspberry plants come in a number of varieties and available for sale as bare rooted raspberry canes, during winter months when dormant in Australia. They really are a cool climate fruit, and fresh raspberries are just magical, and by fresh we do mean home grown.
Varieties include lower growing Raspberries such as Golden and taller cultivars such as Chilcotin. Chilliwack is sold as an almost ‘thornless’ raspberry’. Raspberry plants need to be netted to protect fruit from birds and need to be grown on a trellis for support.
How to Grow your own Raspberry plants
Raspberries are a cool climate fruit that give a good yield for the space they take up. Some varieties are better suited to warmer climates than other.
They grow best in a humus rich moist soil, in a sunny position and will need support to fruit well. They will grow and fruit in part shade, the amount of shade depends a little on the climate.
- Choose your position in the garden.
- Position your support stakes. In our case two star stakes at around 2m (6ft) apart.
- Dig the soil over well adding aged cox manure and compost and weeding the area.
- Run two support wires one at 1m (6ft) and one at 5ft
- Plant the raspberry crowns (canes) at 18 inches (45cm) apart.
- Rows should be around about four feet (120cm) apart to allow light in to ripen fruit and easy access for picking fruit and maintenance.
- Tie the canes back the wires as the grow to hold them upright.
- Crowns will send up multiple canes and these should be spaced at around 10 cm to allow light in and improve flowering and fruit production. Remove any excess canes
- Remove and suckers that appear away from trellis/growing area as they appear. (use a shovel/spade to gig hem right out)
- Once you have good fruit set, you may want to net the raspberries to prevent birds from carry off your crop.
Watering Raspberry plants
Raspberry plants require water during the dry months as fruit begins to form and ripen.
The time to buy and plant raspberry plants (canes) is in autumn.Your plants (canes) will be purchased bare rooted during dormancy, as this is the easiest way to sell them. It is no real secret that they require a sunny position and humus rich, moist but well drained soil. High humidity can be a problem as fungal diseases.
Pruning
At the end of the season you will have two sorts of canes, the ones that fruited and the ‘new ones’. As raspberries fruit on the previous year’s canes you keep the new ones and prune the old ones back to the ground. Remember to dispose of the old canes (burn them) and keep the area clean to prevent disease.
Raspberry Plant Varieties for Australian Gardens
WILLIAMETTE RASPBERRY A double cropping raspberry that produces its first fruit in summer and a second in autumn, very popular raspberry with nice fruit. GOLDEN RASPBERRY A smaller growing raspberry that produces a nice tasting ‘yellow’ raspberry. NEIKA RASPBERRY An early season fruiting variety, usually fruiting before Christmas, sweet fruit, best suited to the home garden. EVERBEARER Late fruiting raspberry with large fruit, water well during dry months when fruit is beginning to form. LLOYD GEORGE A very popular old raspberry.
Produces berries over a long period from summer through to autumn. Suited to low chill areas. Fruit comes from new growth so prune back to the ground in winter.
NOOTKA RASPBERRY Mid season fruiting raspberry variety with a second ‘late crop’ in Autumn. Suited to cooler areas. The late crop is often the best. SKEENA RASPBERRY A tough, suckering strong growing raspberry with good fruit. CHILCOTIN RASPBERRY Tall growing raspberry that produces lots of fruit, a mid season raspberry.
CHILLIWACK RASPBERRY This is the closest you will get to a ‘thorn less’ raspberry’ fruits mid season
Problems
- Good air circulation is essential to help prevent fungal problems.
- Keep the area at the base of the plants free of weeds.
- Mulch around the plants, but not up to the canes (prevents fungal problems
- Net to prevent the birds beating you to the fruit.
- In hot period you may need shade cloth
- Although canes are long lived, watch out for a drop in vigor, if you start getting less fruit, replace them.
Did you know ?
- In good condition raspberries will fruit over 6 weeks, so keep the water up to them in summer. They are originally a plant that would grow in dappled shade in forest clearings, mimic the climate.
- Over 80% of the commercially grown raspberries are grown in Victoria and Tasmania.
- More growers are growing raspberries that are destined to be sold as fresh fruit undercover each year, as this improves output.
- Australia still imports large quantities of frozen raspberries each year.
- Raspberry leaf is sometimes used to make a tea.
- You can buy raspberry wine, which is used with desserts, especially those with chocolate in them.
How To Store Fresh Raspberries
You can stop these berries from going moldy once picked by giving them a bath in a diluted vinegar solution ( 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water) and then washing them with clean water, they should store for longer in the refrigerator.
You can buy Raspberry Canes as bare rooted Plants from the following Nurseries
470 Monbulk-Silvan Road Monbulk VIC 3793
"Guaranteed mail order flowering bulbs, perennials, roses, trees, landscaping plants, garden accessories and community fundraising Austra lia-wide."
www.gardenexpress.com.au
Mail order fruit tree nursery with over 200 temperate climate fruit trees.
Heritage varieties and dwarf fruit trees. Apple Trees, Stone Fruit, Nut Trees and Berry Fruit.
www.yalcafruittrees.com.au