Growing Guide Raspberries in pots for fall planting

The best way to enjoy the soft, delicate fruits of Raspberries is to grow your own! For best results in your garden, please read the general and more specific information below.

WHEN YOUR ORDER ARRIVES

Open the box right away and examine the contents. Check the top 1in of soil in potted plants. If it is dry, water gently but thoroughly from above or set the pot in a saucer of water for no more than an hour. Please notify our Customer Service Department immediately at 1-800-411-6159 or [email protected] if you have questions or find a problem with your order.

IF YOU MUST DELAY PLANTING

It's best to get your potted berry plants into the ground soon so the roots can establish well before winter. Pot-grown plants may remain in their original pots for a week or so, provided you keep up with their need for water and sunlight. A potted plant left outside for a few hours on a dry, windy day, or indoors in a hot, sunny place can dry out beyond the point of no return. If you must delay planting for more than 2 weeks, we recommend you shift the plants into larger pots.

GENERAL PLANTING INFORMATION

Check the moisture in the potting mix around your plant. If it is dry, water thoroughly.

Light. Choose a location in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun each day) with excellent drainage, then dig a hole that will generously accommodate the plant's root ball.

Planting. To remove a plant from its pot, flip the pot over, tap on its bottom and slip the plant out. Do not pull the plant out by its stem. Loosen the root ball with your fingers and tease the roots apart if they've become matted or tangled within the pot.

Set the plants into the hole so that the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil. Then push soil back into the hole around the plant and press firmly with your hands to eliminate air pockets and establish good soil contact. A gentle but thorough watering will further settle the soil around the plant. Keep newly transplanted plants moist but not soggy and provide shade (with row cover, cardboard, or lath) for the first few days as needed. Transplant shock is not uncommon, but within a week or less the plants' roots will regain their ability to provide moisture to the foliage. Remove the shading once plants perk back up.

SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR RASPBERRIES (Rubus)

Plant in full sun and in rich, well-drained soil. Avoid siting where wild brambles, fruit trees, Strawberries, Melons, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Eggplants, or Peppers have been grown, because the soils could harbor disease-causing organisms.

Spacing. Space Raspberries 3ft apart in a row, with 8ft between rows.

Planting. Set the plant into the hole so that the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil.

Watering and fertilizing. Raspberries need at least 1in of water per week, especially during the first season after planting. If the amount of rainfall is less than this, water deeply at the base of the plants once a week. Keep moisture off the leaves to discourage disease. Fertilize the plants 4-6 weeks after planting, with a timed-release fertilizer. In subsequent years, fertilize in early spring and again in early July. Adding 1-2in of compost or well-rotted manure as a side dressing around each plant in spring will improve the soil's texture and add nutrients.

Training and pruning. To keep your plants healthy and productive and their fruit accessible for picking, it's a good idea to trellis them. A simple pair of T-shaped trellises, each consisting of a post and a crosspiece with wires connecting them, works well for Raspberries. Use a rot-resistant wood such as Cedar or Redwood for the posts. Nail or screw the lower crosspieces 3ft above the ground, and the upper ones 5ft above the ground.

No pruning is required the first year as the plants are becoming established. All our varieties are summer bearing (rather than ever bearing), and should be pruned as follows in the second year: Prune out fruit-bearing canes soon after harvest. Third year and thereafter: In late winter before growth resumes, thin to leave 5-7 strong, healthy sideways-growing canes per foot of row (the canes growing sideways from the main stems are the fruit-bearing canes). Continue to prune out old fruit-bearing canes after harvest. For best results, contain the planting bed to a 12ft width.

Harvesting. Our plants begin bearing the second year from planting. Raspberry fruits are ready to pick when they pull easily off the cane.