DIY Network

Overview of Raspberries Kelly Givens shares basic information about raspberries. From "Fresh From the Orchard" episode DFFO-103

Raspberries are brambles, and they like sunny locations where they can receive plenty of moisture as they grow. Host Kelly Givens shows how to prepare the soil for planting and how to build a simple trellis to support trailing raspberries. She demonstrates the best way to plant raspberry shrubs by planting a trailing variety on the trellis and an upright shrub in a landscape area.

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Raspberry plants are brambles, or plants that send out long, thorny stems called canes. Raspberries are part of the rose family, and trailing raspberries resemble climbing roses whose canes have been trained to a trellis or fence. Other raspberry plants are more upright and can be grown as a shrub. Raspberries traditionally grow best in areas with cool summers and mild winters, but there are new varieties that can be grown in almost all climates

Most raspberries are red, but some are yellow, some are purple, and some are black. But all raspberries are thimblelike in shape. When raspberries are harvested, the fruit pulls away from the core, leaving a hollow receptacle. Their cousins, the blackberries, are solid and have a core that is part of the fruit.

Raspberries like plenty of water and a fair amount of sun. Raspberries produce best if planted in full sun in the north, although in hot Southern climates they can tolerate a bit of afternoon shade.

Raspberry Trellises

Figure A

Trailing raspberries must be trellised, and erect type raspberries are often trellised for ease of handling, even though they can also be grown as landscape shrubs.

For just one or two berry plants, some people sink a single post in the ground and tie the canes up around the post. For a row of raspberries, however, the best trellises are long and low. A simple trellis can consist of two posts with wire strung between them (figure A). Below are simple instructions for building a raspberry trellis:

Sink two 7'-long pressure-treated 4x4 posts into the ground, setting them 2-1/2' deep.

In heavy soil you can simply tamp down the soil to hold the posts in place. In sandy soil, you may want to add quick-setting concrete mix to anchor the posts. The posts can be set anywhere from 10'-20' apart.

With the posts in place, staple 9-gauge coated wire to the posts. Place the first wire 2-1/2' off the ground, and the second wire 4-1/2' off the ground.

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