Can you taste the sweetness of homegrown raspberries?

It won’t be long and we will be stepping out back and picking handfuls of delicious sweet berries.

Growing raspberries in your yard is easy.

Here are some general instructions to help you start a raspberry patch in your own yard.

Spring is the ideal time to plant raspberries. Select your garden spot and prepare the soil so that it is tilled and free of weeds. Raspberries prefer a location of full sun and well-drained soil. Raised beds are also an option. Homemade trellises may be used to support the plants but are optional.

Red raspberries should be planted 1 ½ to 3 feet apart with 6 to 8 feet between rows. This allows the raspberries to spread and grow into 1-2 foot hedgerows and berries will then be easy to pick.

Black raspberries grow in clumps. They can be planted 3 feet apart in rows 6 to 8 fee apart. Pinch back new shoots of black raspberries when they reach 3 to 4 feet. This promotes lateral growth.

A starter fertilizer such as 5-10-5 can be used to promote growth. Mulching the plants can help to keep the weeds down. It will be a year before you see your first crop of berries.

Each successive year, raspberries should be pruned in the spring to remove any weak, diseased, or damaged canes. Depending on variety, other pruning instructions apply.

When in season, raspberries should be picked every 2 to 3 days and store for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Ps. If you want more edibles in your yard: we also carry a large selection of potted apple, pear, cherry, and plum trees, and asparagus, raspberries and strawberries in bare root plants. Now is the best time to plant these items as spring planting is ideal and the cost is lower for bare root plants.