Picture: wild raspberries by Bien Stephenson
Here's how to grow raspberries successfully in your garden.
There are other cane fruit which are similar so this page deals a little with some of them, too.
Loganberries , for example are similar but a bit bigger - and more prickly!
Why grow raspberries
If you have the space, they are one of the best soft fruits to grow because they are quite easy, they are quite abundant, they can fruit over a long period and best of all, the fruit is amazing!
How to grow raspberries:
Raspberries the super-food!
Raspberries have some seriously good health-giving properties. They are full of phytonutrients which protect our bodies against free-radical damage. One, which has been researched in some detail is ellagic acid. It acts as an anti-oxidant, as does vitamin C, another constituent.
There are many others such as flavonoids (including the anthocyanins, which are responsible for the red colour of raspberries). They have anti-microbial and anti-free-radical properties. They help prevent and treat such conditions as thrush and inflammation. Raspberries can also play a role in preserving good vision in older people, preventing such conditions as ARMD.
Raspberries have been tested for their anti-oxidant properties and they come out well ahead of tomatoes, kiwis and strawberries. Their health-giving benefits are not even much diminished by freezing them.
They also protect us against cancers and ageing. Not a bad haul of benefits!
How to grow raspberries:
Space!
The first thing to consider is the space needed.
Raspberry plants (
Rubus idaeus)are quite space-hungry and many varieties also grow quite tall. You need at least a few square yards of space to make a crop worthwhile. Some people are now experimenting with growing raspberries as an "under storey" to larger plants such as fruit trees.
If you are really short of space you can grow them in a circle around a single pole, with cross bars and wires to tie them to. I haven't tried this yet.
Usually they are grown in rows.
How to grow raspberries:
Sourcing your plants
To be certain of getting healthy virus-free plants, it is best to start off with plants from a reputable grower. You can also divide existing, established plants to make new ones - from friends or your own plants.
If you do get your raspberry plants from friends, try to be reasonably sure that they are healthy and virus-free. Viruses in raspberries are hard to cure, so it is best to avoid them if at all possible.
You can also find raspberries growing wild. I haven't tried using wild raspberries for the garden. Most of wild ones only seem to bear a small harvest, so they are probably not worth cultivating.
Commercial stock should give plentiful fruit within a year or two of planting.
You can buy them as bare-rooted canes or in pots. Canes grown in pots are rather more ..
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