How to grow raspberries and save a fortune on high-quality fruit – the best ways to plant, water, feed and prune the plants
Key tips for abundant harvests every year
If you're keen to save money on your supermarket bill and still enjoy delicious, high-quality fruit, learning how to grow raspberries is one of the best things you can do in the garden.
Growing your own superfood is a brilliant way to stay healthy on a budget, and really rewarding, too. Plus, raspberries are a favourite for a reason: they're tasty, and their health benefits make them even more appealing to kitchen gardeners.
If you want to know how to grow raspberries, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about growing this fruit at home, from your choice of growing methods to general care and even propagation tips.
What you'll need
How to grow raspberries: step-by-step
1. Figure out the best time to plant raspberries
Before you start learning how to grow raspberries, you’ll need to know when to plant them.
Timing it right is very important if you want your raspberry canes to develop a strong root system and grow into big, bushy plants with an abundance of fruit to give come summertime. As it turns out, the ideal timeframe is very similar to the best time to plant fruit trees.
‘I recommend planting raspberry canes during their dormant season, which is generally any time between November and March or April,’ says Steve Chilton, garden expert at LeisureBench.
That also depends on the weather, though. ‘It's important to make sure that the soil isn't frozen when you plant them, so I recommend planting in either November, March or April to ensure that this isn't a problem.’
Planting during the dormant season gives the plant enough time to establish a strong root system before the growing season begins, so the earlier, the better.
2. Choose your growing method
There are various ways to grow raspberries at home, each suitable for different people, gardens, and gardening abilities – so it’s important to understand these growing methods and decide which one suits you best.
You can buy raspberry canes, which are essentially bare-root raspberry plants that look much like bamboo canes. They’ll look a little worse for wear when you buy them, but these raspberry canes will soon grow into tall but compact raspberry plants. Many people with small gardens or even balcony gardens learn how to grow raspberry canes in pots.
They’re also the cheapest way to grow raspberries, but they’re only sold during the dormant season, which we just mentioned. Right now, you can order Raspberry ‘Autumn Bliss’ canes from Crocus.
If you’re buying out of season, you’ll find lots of raspberry plants on sale instead.
'Potted raspberry plants are available at various times throughout the year and can be planted as and when,’ says Morris Hankinson, director of Hopes Grove Nurseries. ‘These will be more expensive than bare roots but may mean fruiting will occur sooner, depending on the age of the potted plant.'
These are readily available online and in garden centres and can be kept in their containers and grown in pots or planted into your fruit and vegetable patch. Just make sure that you buy a plant that looks healthy and free from disease to avoid a disappointing harvest.
You can even buy a punnet from the supermarket and grow raspberries from shop-bought fruit if you really want to. To do this, you need to extract the seeds from leftover shop-bought raspberries, plant the seeds, and wait for your raspberry plant to grow. This isn’t always effective, however, so aim to plant a few seeds at a time, just in case.
Morris Hankinson is the founder and managing director of Hopes Grove Nurseries Ltd, the UK’s only specialist grower-retailer of hedging plants. He established the thriving business in 1992, shortly after graduating with a Commercial Horticulture Degree from Writtle College, Essex.
3. Decide where you’ll grow them
No matter whether you choose to grow raspberries from canes, plants, or leftover fruit, you need to choose the perfect location for them. Ideally, you should plant your raspberries in slightly acidic, well-draining soil.
'Raspberries need well-drained soil and won’t grow in waterlogged conditions,' says Morris. 'They will need plenty of sunshine for an abundance of fruits, but if you do have a partially shady spot, they can still fruit - just less than if planted in the sun.'
4. Get planting
Raspberry plants like their space, and you'll need to keep in mind their ultimate height. They need to be planted in rows (north to south) to ensure they don’t block each other’s sunlight.
'Make sure to give raspberries plenty of room by planting them at least 45cm apart,' advises Morris. 'If growing in a container, make sure there is plenty of space and plant in a large container of at least 30cm or bigger,' says Morris.
You should then add a layer of mulch or compost to the soil, like RocketGro Organic Magic Mulch from Amazon, for an extra boost of nutrients.
5. Give them some TLC
When you’ve planted your raspberries, you can then turn your attention to your other garden jobs. But that doesn’t mean that you can forget about them completely. Raspberry plants require a fair amount of TLC as they grow.
- Watering: All plants need water to survive, but raspberries are particularly thirsty plants. John Clifford, director of Gardenstone, says, 'Raspberries need regular watering, especially during particularly dry spells. Make sure to keep the soil consistently moist, but avoid overwatering, as this can lead to root rot and lots of other problems.'
- Feeding: Although you could get away with leaving your raspberry plants to their own devices, feeding them with a high-potassium fertiliser in the spring will set them up for success during the fruiting period. This should result in higher quality and more frequent yields.
- Support: As raspberries are tall, top-heavy plants, they’re extremely vulnerable to their own weight and weather changes. Because of this, it’s important to support your raspberry plants as they grow. Typically, they are supported by plant supports like posts and wires. You can then attach the rows of raspberry plants to the wires using clips or string. Alternatively, you could use bamboo canes when growing raspberries in pots.
6. Harvest your raspberries
There are two types of raspberries out there: summer-fruiting raspberries and autumn-fruiting raspberries.
As you can probably tell by the name, summer fruiting raspberries will be ready to harvest between June and September. Autumn-fruiting raspberries will be ready from August until November, or the first frost of the year.
Not sure when a raspberry is ripe and ready to be harvested? If it looks plump and easily breaks away from the stalk, you’re good to go. Just make sure that you keep on top of harvesting, as ripe raspberries can quickly turn bad when left on the plant for too long.
7. Prune your plants
As with all plants, it’s important to learn how to prune raspberries when needed. This will encourage fruiting year after year and allow you to have a constant supply of fresh raspberries.
However, the best time to prune raspberries that fruit in the summer is different from the ideal time to prune autumn-fruiting raspberries, so it's important to make sure you're completing the task in the right season.
It’s also essential to clean your garden tools when pruning raspberries. The last thing you want is to spread diseases to your raspberry plant.
8. Propagate for new growth
Anyone who has ever grown their own fruits and vegetables will know that it can be extremely addictive – and if you’re looking to add more raspberries to your harvest next year, we’re happy to tell you that it’s very easy to propagate your raspberry plant.
To do this, simply remove and dig up any suckers that grow alongside the original plant. You can then replant these suckers back into the row of raspberry plants and wait for them to work their magic.
FAQs
Do raspberries grow better in pots or ground?
Although raspberries can grow both in-ground and in pots, you are fairly limited when growing raspberries in pots. When doing this, you need to focus your attention on smaller varieties and smaller pots – and this will ultimately result in fewer fruits.
For best results, grow raspberries in raised beds with training support to offer them the space and soil they need to truly thrive.
Do raspberries need to climb?
Although raspberries aren’t natural climbers, they can grow to be incredibly tall – and this is especially the case for summer-fruiting raspberries. Because of this, they do benefit from being trained to grow up wire support, bamboo canes, or trellises.
This will ensure proper airflow and ensure that these sun-loving plants aren’t being smothered by themselves, resulting in bigger plants and a healthy fruiting season.
If you’re still buying raspberries from the supermarket, we have one question: Why?! If you know how to grow raspberries yourself, you’ll save so much money.
