Barbara Pleasant: Raspberries 4 U

If you’re looking for a delicious fruit that can be grown organically on a fence, you’ve found it. Raspberries get just the amount of structure they need from a wood or wire fence, and they are rarely bothered by insects or diseases. Birds usually leave red raspberries alone, and deer avoid prickly raspberry patches, too.

Getting into growing raspberries is fun because there are so many great varieties  to choose from, as shown in this chart of types.  There is no perfect raspberry! At my house, the semi-domesticated black raspberries are the first to ripen, followed by another wild thing I brought from Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. She bears clusters of sticky red berries, which are just finished when the spring Heritages sputter in. Another small sweep of purple Heritages ripen in late fall.

If I didn't have tree fruits, I'd be scrambling to fill the late summer gap by growing primocane varieties like Caroline or Autumn Bliss, but as it is our raspberry bowls are full. Already half of our garden fence is laden with raspberries, where they do a great job of producing fruit and deterring deer. 

My black raspberries are wild natives (Rubus occidentalis), with no inbred improvements, so the pruning guidelines from 1925 in this Michigan State publication still apply. Basically, in late winter you top back the long canes to about 5 feet, which forces out bearing lateral branches. Pruning greatly increases berry size in my wild black raspberries, and makes them easier to pick, too. Our largest berries grow in a low spot that retains moisture well; they ripen here in late June. Picking is slow, but I try to pick and freeze at least a gallon each year (wet spring weather can cause total crop failure). Black raspberries are without peer when it comes to imparting beautiful color and complex berry flavor to teas, juices and homemade wines.

Berry Rust

If you're growing black raspberries or blackberries, sooner or later you may see outbreaks of orange rust disease. On the first dry weather day after you notice an outbreak, prune out as much of the affected plants as you can to stop the spread of the fungi. Also plan to go back later, after neighboring plants have finished bearing, and dig out the plants that showed symptoms. Both NC State and Cornell note that berry rust can persist in plant roots, and that infected plants will never bear good crops. Good news! Red raspberries are highly resistant to this disease.

We let our Heritage red raspberries (above) grow as they will, and they like to bear both a spring and fall crop (June and September here). Picked just as they turn a purplish hue, these big, juicy berries are perfect for eating out of hand, with cereal, or sprinkled over salads.