Raspberries are one of my favorite berries. Growing raspberries in a cold climate is not difficult, because raspberries are quite hardy. Caring for the raspberry patch was one of the first tasks I learned in my childhood on my parent’s homestead. If you did not have the opportunity to learn hands-on, this blog post is for you.
To grow raspberries is very rewarding as with so many perennials — plant once and enjoy forever.
Raspberry varieties
There are many varieties of raspberries to choose from. Different varieties have slightly different tastes and also growth habits.
There are two types of raspberries: Regular cane and primal cane. Make sure you know which one you plant, they have different pruning needs.
If you are looking for a specific variety, buying new healthy canes is your best choice. Boyne is a long-time reliable favorite, nova, red river, and royalty, are good choices, just to name a few.
We do not know what variety we grow in our main patch of raspberries, they were already there when we bought the house. They also have multiplied freely, as raspberries do, and we have shared them with other gardeners as good raspberries with no name. That’s probably the most common situation all around. Raspberries are shared from one homestead to another. Raspberries that are shared locally, will also grow well locally since they have already adapted to the environment.
Some varieties produce in early summer and in late fall. In our short growing season, however, the fall harvest seldom makes it.
Growing raspberries in different colors is fun. Here we got Honey Queen Yellow Raspberry, regular red Raspberry, and Black Wyoming Raspberry.
Where to plant raspberries
Raspberries are vigorous growers, and they spread mostly by underground lateral roots (runners or stolons), read sucker a lot. Planting them as a hedge at the end of the garden is not such a good idea. They will take the garden over if you let them. If you can, give them a dedicated area.
In nature, raspberries grow at the edge or opening of a forest. A bit sheltered by trees and in partial shade. That’s precisely the environment they like. Growing raspberries in the open field does not work so well either, especially in a cold climate.
The soil in a forest is very rich in organic material and fungal-dominant. Mulching the soil with woodchips helps to keep weeds down and moisture in and also builds the fungal soil life that berries like.
We grow our main patch between two houses. The houses provide shelter and partial shade as a forest would. They still get full mid-day sun, which they seem to like.
Choose a location that resembles their natural environment, and they will grow and produce for many years.
How to plant raspberries
Preparing the soil before planting is important. If raspberries are planted in a food forest, you might not need much since that’s their natural environment. However, if you are planting raspberries in a garden or grass/lawn area, adding peat moss and organic material can help.
In our home garden, we covered the lawn with a thick layer of wood chips the year before planting the raspberries. The wood chips killed the grass and made the soil ready for berries.
Raspberries are best planted in early spring when they are still dormant. If digging them up from someone else, prune the canes back to about 1 foot so the roots do not have to support as much growth.
Plant in rows or clusters about 2 feet apart, making sure that you can harvest them easily. For example, we have 3 rows and can reach in and pick from both sides, reaching in 2 feet. If they are planted against a fence or wall, make 2 rows at the most so you can reach in to get the berries. Planting in a single row with pathways in between makes harvesting easier. Choose what works best for your location.
Keep the roots moist at planting time, and water well after planting. Raspberries do not like dry feet; remember the forest environment where the soil is usually moist.
Pruning raspberry canes
The pruning method depends on the type of raspberries you have, but they all need pruning to keep the raspberry patch productive and accessible.
Regular cane raspberries produce berries on last year’s growth. These are the most common, traditional varieties around. They can be red, purple, or yellow in color. In our cold climate, we prune regular cane raspberries in early spring before the plants develop leaves. Keeping the old canes over winter provides more support from heavy wind or snowfall.
When it is time to prune, remove all old canes. It is easy to see which are alive and which are dead. The old canes are usually lighter in color and would break if you bent them.
First, remove the old canes by cutting them close to the ground. Then, you can see better what the new growth looks like. Remove all weak canes, leaving only sturdy and healthy canes. If it is an old, very established plant, like ours, you can leave 4 canes per plant. Now, also remove canes that are too close together. You want to have about 9-10 canes per meter (3 feet).
Growing up, we always trimmed the tops of the regular canes. It seems to result in bigger berries but may reduce the overall harvest. Try both methods to see which you prefer.
Primal cane raspberries are cut right to the ground in late fall. They produce fruit on new growth. They are a great choice in areas with heavy wind and or snow load that tends to break the canes during the winter months. The Polka variety that we grow also needs winter protection. Otherwise, we do not rim primal cane raspberries.
Black raspberries grow a bit more like blackberries. We have struggled to keep them at bay and overwinter them. Our solution is that we prune them back in the fall at about a foot. This way, they overwinter beter. The new growth gives us a ton of berries; see picture. About mid-summer next year’s canes start growing. They are different, grow fast, and do not bring berries. We prune them back too, so the bush is manageable. In the fall, the fruit-baring branches are removed, and the new canes pruned back to about a foot.
Care and support
Raspberry canes do benefit from support. It also makes it easier to pick them.
We support our row with metal posts and horizontal wires.
Raspberries like moisture, we use a self-watering irrigation system in place. Whenever it rains, the water gets distributed throughout the raspberry patch.
We use wood chips as mulch, which works very well for us. It keeps the weeds down and moisture in.
Keeping the berries picked regularly can prevent diseases. Plus, you get better quality berries. At peak times, we harvest daily. Raspberries freeze well if there are more than you can eat them fresh.
Winter protection in a cold climate
Raspberries are usually hardy, but sometimes they do not make it through the winter. There are a few ways to avoid winterkill.
Raspberries do not like to dry out. Watering them in for the winter can help as well as mulching, ensuring the soil does not dry out.
The canes can be damaged over the winter months in areas with heavy snow and strong winds. Growing primal cane raspberries might be a better option. Cut them back in the fall and cover them with a thick layer of mulch.
In areas with little snow cover or where the snow melts during warm, warmer spells, a mulch of leaves or straw can be helpful.
Primal cane raspberries need winter protection in Zone 3. In late fall cut down the canes that had fruit the past summer, and cover the plants with leaves, straw, or a frost blanket. As I did in the picture above, you can also use the canes to cover the plants.
If your plants did not make it through the winter, do not give up on them too quickly. Give them a good watering in spring; they might come back. It is not so easy to kill raspberries.
Raspberries are so delicious. We try to grow enough to last us for a year, so we can enjoy them every morning for breakfast.
Grow yourself some raspberries!
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More Trees and Shrub Articles You Might Enjoy:
Preparing Fruit Trees for Winter in a Cold Climate
Preparing the Garden for Winter in a Cold Climate
Growing Aronia and Goji Berries in an Urban Garden
Growing raspberries in a cold climate
Growing Grapes in a Cold Climate
Planting a Shelterbelt
Growing Edible Pine Nut Trees
Growing Fruit trees in cold climate Part 2
Varieties of Berries for Zone 3 Garden
We have a ton of wild raspberries on our property, but the berries are full of worms. Do you have any recommendations to save the wild patch? Also, should I bother planting ‘good stock’ or will the worm just infest them too?
There is probably an underlying problem for the apparent problem. Here is a suggestion that maybe will work, at least is worth trying. Cut all the canes back to about 1-2 feet, so the canes still have enough leaves to photosynthesize, but will not produce any berries this season. Examine the location, soil, and plants. Is the soil too wet, too dry, too weedy, etc? Is the location very windy or is it a heat trap? Now address the problem you can find. Maybe a new location is needed, maybe just some soil improvement. Adding organic matter to the soil and a thick layer of mulch might be all that is needed.
Also, examine if you got too many plants, and too densely planted, maybe the worms are just trying to help the plants to reduce overgrowth. See it in a holistic way, and you will understand the problem and see the solution.
And no, at this point I would not add new plants to the patch.
Thanks for the article! Great info. Question: what is heading the plant?
Cutting off the tops, or the growing point.