Choosing and cultivating the best autumn raspberries
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Allotment, Fruit | 13 comments
A single tempting autumn raspberry
I’m a raspberry lover. When the dessert trolley rolls up in a restaurant I ignore the profiteroles and sticky meringues and go for raspberries sprinkled ideally with a little vanilla sugar.
My passion for raspberries has led me astray recently. Our allotment site in Newmarket is a raspberry lovers haven. There is a narrow path that’s a shortcut to our plot. Here bushes laden with fruit tempt me. These bushes are so fructulent that the branches stray across the path – waving, tempting and teasing. I have to admit that I have snaffled on odd on or two – delicious naughty treats.
We plan to grow raspberries on our sunny allotment plot. We do grow them at home but our kitchen garden doesn’t have much sun to give them the warmth that they need. Autumn fruiting is a bit of a misnomer as they can fruit from July up until the first frosts.
The flavour of summer fruiting varieties is rather thin and watery compared with autumn fruiting ones. We had no idea until the day that we harvested our first berries – the expectation and waiting for the fruits to ripen made the disappointment huge. Gradually over the years I’ve replaced the summer fruiting raspberries with autumn fruiting varieties.
About ten years ago I planted Autumn Bliss and this spring added Polka – a new variety that fruits for longer than Autumn Bliss and bears more fruit. Apparently Polka has a stronger flavour too.
I thought that I do a bit of research before I ordered raspberry canes for the allotment. The variety that got the most recommendations for taste was Joan J (launched in the UK in 2002 – so I’d not heard of this one). Imagine my delight when I discovered that this is the best variety for flavour and crop chosen by gardening Which? Incidentally Polka came second in the flavour stakes and Autumn Bliss fourth.
The Gardening Which? article also discussed the benefits of double cropping. This technique gives a crop in summer and another in the autumn. Conventionally the autumn raspberry canes are cut to ground level in February. As primocanes they fruit on wood grown the same year and they will give an autumn harvest.
The double cropping method is simple. Leave the canes uncut in the winter to allow an early crop of fruit. When these canes have stopped fruiting cut them to the ground – these will be browner than the younger green canes so should be easy to spot. The younger canes will crop in the autumn.
The magazine trials indicate that the double cropping method produced a larger harvest overall with the exception of ‘Brice’.
The results for the double cropping experiment are exciting. 10 canes of Autumn Bliss (always a bit of a tardy fruiter here) produced just 2.5 kilos using the conventional cut canes down in the winter method. The double cropping gave a harvest of 5.5 kilos.
The results for Polka and Joan J were less dramatic but still significant. And the thought of guzzling these delicious raspberries in summer has my mouth already watering at the prospect.
I was concerned that double cropping might deplete the lifespan and resources of the canes. There is no evidence to suggest this an no extra feeding is necessary. A handful of general purpose fertiliser is recommended when planting with an annual does of sulphate of potash in the spring. We also mulch the bases of the canes with well rotted compost in late spring.
I’ve ordered12 Joan J canes for the allotment and will try the double cropping method as soon as they are up and running. Meanwhile, back at the cottage I’ll definitely be practicing double cropping on Autumn Bliss and Polka next year.
You can buy Joan J online raspberry canes online at Thompson and Morgan and Unwins.
.
Leave a reply
I’ve just bought via the web from Ashridge Trees 30 Joan J raspberry canes they worked out at just over a £ each!
We’ve been growing Joan J for about 5years now they are superb croppers, on our allotment. We’ve had summer fruiting raspberries for 8 years but this year they have been affected by a virus – aphid virus and what looks like dwarf raspberry virus – anyway we’ve not dug them out and burnt them. We’ve been advised not to grow raspberries in the same place for the next 7 – 10 years as the soil will be affected by the virus. So on our other plot on the same site we will be growing Joan J down the centre of our pens that usually contain sweetcorn or brassicas or peas or gooseberries or strawberries.
Joan J don’t seem to be affected by viruses they apear to have some resistance. Which is good.
Has anyone tried growing Glen Coe clump forming raspberries?
Autumn BLiss it is then! Thank you Jackie!
I didn’t get so many tayberries this year.. although it was a bad year all round in my garden this year, as I took a year off. We are planning to move house soon and I can’t wait to start looking for somewhere with a decent garden where I can start proper plans for long term fruit growing ! All the best to you both, KG.
Hi Thrifty Household, I bought 3 Autumn Bliss plants this spring and planted them in some medium sized pots. One got damaged by a greedy bird but has now started to produce a few fruit, the other two have been producing quite a lot of fruit since early summer (once I had netted them). I have read that this is a good variety for pots but I don’t know how many years they will last. Would love to know if anyone has had long term success.
Oh, to have a glut of raspberries! I’d love to grow some raspberries but am rather challenged for garden space. Can you recommend any variety that might cope with being grown in a container?
We’ve got stacks of Autumn Bliss this year and I am having to freeze quite a few when I really prefer them fresh. I will definitely try this double cropping method as it will prolong the season and I will get some in June (?) as well. Thanks for the tip.
I am completely vile to my raspberries. I prune them to an inch of their lives and leave them to fend for themselves during the summer and they reward me with buckets of fruit. Sadly the vegetables don’t follow suit!
I feel I should qualify that comment about mowing the canes… they are coming up all over the lawn! It’s become a battle of wills – who will tire first? Not me, I’ll keep on mowing….
Officially recommended?! Superb! I “tried” this last year with Autumn Bliss, simply because the garden was too bleak to deal with over winter, and I did get a good double crop! Like you, I worried about harming the plants… Not that I need to worry, I’m now mowing raspberry stems about 6 feet from the original canes, they really are keen! Have just started my first attempt at your raspberry vodka, also made 2.5lb of raspberry jam the other day, all abit raspberrytastic at the mo! Happy gardening!
Thanks for the tip as I needed to know that. Our autumn raspberries are just ready but they aren’t so prolific as we planted them last year and they have had some rough summers to get established – too hot here in Latvia. Hopefully next year they will get into their stride.