If I heard, “Ho ho ho!” this time of year, I’d expect to see the green giant!
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I’m already getting my Xmas lights out and organizing them. I have the tree picked already. 
I hate extremely cold weather (anything below 0F)…but at least i’m not worrying about Japanese Beetles, curculios, heat index values…
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I have no idea of what I have. There’re 2 varieties in the raised bed 10’x3’. One (thorny and reddish branches) I inherited from a college botanical teacher and the other (green and almost thornless) was from Home Depot that I lost the tag long time ago! Some tastes like a hint of chocolate and the other is just like any store bought raspberry… 
Today, I made another round and pick another tubful of raspberries and some blueberries. I’m going to have raspberries coming out of my ears!
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Better to have raspberries going into your mouth. 
They look wonderful. My summer raspberry season is pretty much done, but they were abundant while they lasted. They didn’t leaving me mourning that their season was over, because there is still the seemingly endless fall crop to look forward to. Oh, I do love fresh raspberries! Enjoy yours every way that you can think of.
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Muddy,
How do I know if mine would yield a fall crop? Or mine is just simply one crop only!
I don’t know what varieties you have. So, all I can say is that I would cut out the canes that die back after the summer crop and leave the young healthy canes. If they give you berries until a freeze, then you have fall bearers. Other people here might know if there are other ways to determine fall production. If they do, I’d like to hear, too.
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Freeze them! Then you can make a pie in February and be really happy!
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picked suwanne and contender peach. both high brix (16-17). also pick a lot of goji berry and AU Cherry plums.
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Raccoons!!! 
trapped two, another was trying to set them free…
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I caught the mom and one of her yearlings kept walking up and circling. I saw pine needles fall from a near by tree and herd a baby coon slip. When I looked it re-positioned itself and was shaking it was so scared. I had to let mom go. I just couldn’t shoot her.
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My red currant cordon is coming along nicely
I tip rooted a cane to make another plant right in front of the cordon. I need to remove some of the canes and let the plant focus on the cordon.
Just a note the currants seem extremely sweet this year with so little rain.
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Tayberries are ripe here. very early for here. before SWD! These are supposed to be a little bigger, but this year the cold spring or something seems to have hurt all canes to some degree and everything is a little small. Known to be a little tart, these are not really. it may be the year? As even red currants are sweet this year. I’m not getting a lot, although the most I ever harvested. Here’s today’s harvest.
These are a little darker than the photo, a deep red. These taste more like raspberries, Although really a new melt of flavors has resulted in a new flavor. Many cultivars are hybrids, yet these taste like nothing else to me. Unique taste for sure. I also like boysenberries, and wyeberries which taste a lot alike, but don’t taste like tayberries even though all three are hybrids. I will be getting some Newberry berries this year. I will probably like them. nice size, great color, soon to be ripe! Yet another raspbery-blackberry hybrid.
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Are these hardy at all? Any early berry is what i need.
Does SWD hit elderberries/? I see mine are just loaded and wonder if they’ll all have worms.
Well no, The first two years the floricanes were winter killed. This year was mild, so they made it. I’m going to grow another plant in a pot to keep in the garage, so I can get some production every year.
Yes. I use a trap crop, it just worked out that way. They love Chester blackberries and so far have stayed off my raspberries, and elderberries. They seem to rather just stay with Chester.
Interesting…maybe someday i’ll get some of those big cloth bag type pots and try them.
Good idea on the trap crop. Maybe i should let some of my Caroline fruit just so SWD takes them out.
I just observed it, lucky to see. And if you decide to forgo the crop, hit them hard!!
Please share pics of your Newberries when they come in…
Drew I’ve never eaten currents. What do they taste like. Any comparisons?
Red currants are best not eaten fresh. they are very tart, seedy too. I’m use to them, and judge ripeness by taste. Besides being extremely bright red! They taste like a red berry, like a raspberry or tart strawberry. Something like that. You can cook with them like say in pancakes, or muffins. They go well with sweet fruits, like coconut, mulberries, black raspberries. So I grow them for cooking and smoothies. I love them! Some do not like them either. Black currants are completely different. I’m exploring them now too, no opinions yet.
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I went and looked at the plant. Last year as a seedling, it was very slow to go and only developed a few canes, may 2-3 feet long. So not that many berries this year. I found one near ripe! Looking at them, still kinda small like everything else!
I found another and left it on for now. I tasted this and it was tart, not too bad, and had a very complex raspberry flavor. Wow! Better than tayberries! Yummy! The flavor was as smooth as a milk shake. Creamy almost, first rate!!
The plant is not very big yet, not seen in the photo, the primocanes are decent, but they do seem to grow smaller in pots. I will experiment with in ground plantings too.
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