Raspberries in Your Garden

During one of my regular weeding sessions last summer,  I stumbled upon a small raspberry seedling under a bush in my backyard.  The northeast is a fairly hospitable climate for raspberries (and blackberries).  They grow naturally around most wooded areas, and are hardy enough for our unpredictable winters which could be way to much snow or way not enough snow (in my opinion).
Anyway I decided I'd dig up the seedling and see what it could turn into.  A year later our raspberry has gone from a 1 inch stalk to this:

The downside is that most raspberries don't produce fruit in their first year, mine included.  The upside, unlike some other berries, such as blueberries, raspberries do not need a male or female plant in order to produce fruit.  Horray!

To add to the awesomeness, last week I discovered two small presents some birds dropped off in my yard:


















On the left - a new raspberry, on the right - blackerry (I think).  I suspect that both these seedlings came from the neighbor's plants which have been established more than a year and have started producing fruit.   

If you're thinking about growing raspberries in your garden here are five key things to keep in mind:

1. Raspberries don't need more than one plant to produce fruit, but in my opinion the more the better, while ours are potted currently we plan to plant both plants in a 2 ft x 2 ft raised bed.  The spacing suggestion for raspberries is 20 inches, but we are going to attempt a little less space.
2. You should fertilize your raspberries twice a year, with 10-10-10, as the plant begins to bloom and after harvest.
3. Raspberries can get lanky, they should be pruned, in early spring and after harvest for summer red raspberry varieties.  When pruning in the spring you should cut off weak canes (aka branches) & prune back long canes to 5 feet.  Pruning after harvest should be to remove the floricanes that produced fruits and leave the primocanes that will produce fruit the next year.  This site offers a good visual on the difference between these two types of canes.
4. Raspberries need full sun (6+ hours a day), so be sure to plant them in a sunny spot.
5. Birds love berries & will steal your berries before you know it.  So to ensure you get the eat the fruits of your labor, buy a few stakes and some garden netting.  This stuff works great and can be used year after year.