I have grown this variety in the past for about 3 years before we moved and was planning to plant them again at my new place. In my experience, these raspberries are incredible - no disease issues, amazing flavor, and prolific. They spread like crazy, and they are thorny, but all worth it. Apparently, they are also the most nutritionally dense raspberry there is.
I am wondering if anyone has experience growing Caroline that can tell me how they like to prune them? I always removed old canes and pruned back good ones to get the double harvest, but I would like to try cutting them down to the ground each fall/winter and be done with it if I can. Also, my last place had a nice trellis built for them but I am wondering if I could get away with having no trellis system? They seemed to be pretty upright and id even rather go around trimming hanging canes vs having a trellis.
Hello,
Agreed! Red Caroline is a great variety and well worth the work. I’ve grown Caroline raspberry for about ten years now and never been disappointed. I’m in zone 5 and have two rows: One row I cut completely to the ground and only get one late summer, early fall harvest of nice big berries-- that is, in years when we don’t have an early frost. I imagine fall frost is not a problem for you? The other row I do as you say, cutting out the old canes but leaving the 1yr-old canes in place for early summer fruiting. Both approaches have worked well for this variety. You may want to try Heritage in addition to Caroline-- the berries are slightly larger and firmer than Caroline but with a similar (but not identical) flavor. For me, trellis support has been essential. Otherwise the canes get so tall that they fall into the walkways between rows, making it hard to mow, etc. One thing I wish I had done when I planted my rows was to make deep edges along the boundaries of the rows and maintained those edges. The grass has crept into my rows making it really hard to keep the canes weed free. Good luck with the planting. Look forward to hearing how it goes for your new raspberry patch.
Hi Paul, I’m South of you and wondering how aggressively Caroline has spread for you. I’m thinking of planting it on the East side of my neighbor’s huge bush, for afternoon shade, but also to hopefully limit spreading into my neighbor’s yard. Raspberries don’t seem to have much vigor in the South, and there’s at least 8 feet of evergreen bush shading the soil. Am I crazy? I don’t want an angry neighbor in 5 years with raspberry sprouts coming up in his lawn. I tried three other raspberries last year in full sun and they all died (trying rabbiteye blueberries in that spot this year), so I’m thinking the raspberries aren’t going to takeover in this climate.
Hey there - in my experience the suckers traveled prob 5 feet maximum from the original plant. I know its a lot of work but you can always dig up (instead of just mow) plants that pop up on the outskirts of what you want and i think that will control them pretty well.
Great, thanks for the reply. I’ll space it 5 feet from the bush so I can get back there and dig up sprouts as needed. Doubt anything will thrive back there in full shade, but better safe than sorry.
I’m wondering if you actually have something other than heritage because all the heritage i know are smaller and rounder than Caroline. Also Caroline is the improved Heritage as Heritage is the mother of Caroline:
I have 2-3 Caroline plants now but i think one was mislabeled so that’s how i ended up with so many more of the same variety.
Mine are in pots to limit spread and growth so i can’t comment on in ground growth but I’ve also been thinking about cutting mine back each year as well. I left some of mine last year outside in a fabric pot in Colorado and it got down to -15 a few times since i got it. It survived which shocked me.
Addison may be better than Caroline… possibly also Jaclyn… along with Josephine… including Caroline all bred by the same breeder i think.
The red raspberry market is a rabbit hole if not a bottomless pit… so many varieties. As far as Caroline goes its one of my favorites… some do this or that a little better but im not sure they areworth chasing and the amount of space and work needed.
im in z4b n. Maine. when do Caroline start to fruit for you there? i was reluctant to grow them as a everbearing as i thought they would fruit too late to get a decent crop before frost. i have a small front tine tiller i use to go between the rows a few times in the spring/ summer to control the suckers of my mixed patch of jacyln/ autumn britten and has worked well. these 2 varieties don’t heavily sucker either and they both have similar good fruit. the patch is 8 yrs old and still going strong.
Hi Steve,
My Caroline typically has its first crop in mid to late July. The second crop starts sometime in mid-September and we have berries until the first frost, but some years they come in late and the frost comes early and so we get little to no second crop. Up until recently, before they updated the hardiness zones, I also was in z4b. I hope that’s helpful.
i took out my heritage about 6 yrs ago as the frost killed them early so i only got a small crop. wished i kept them now. they were great producers and are about a perfect red raspberry.
That’s what i wonder with some of my Caroline as well since it doesn’t act like the Caroline i got from starkbros… i ended up getting another one from starkbros just to be sure.
Been looking at Jaclyn as well and… it is a bottomless pit but I’m already at rock bottom so let’s keep falling lol
I mow my Caroline raspberries down to the ground every winter. I really like this method because for one, it’s less work than keeping track of primocanes vs floricanes… but also in my climate the (2nd) summer harvest comes in the hottest and driest part of the year. The (1st) fall harvest is hands down better with the cooler temps.
Great question. I planted a row last year. They produced beatifully on the first year! Being zone 6, I may go for Squiggy’s method of taking them all down ASAP and just getting the fall crop. I’ve heard several mention this is the way to go in warmish climates.
its not just that. its easier to manage the patch and keeps down the pest pressure. i mow mine down to 1in in early spring with my riding mower. i have summer bearing raspberries to make up for the small lost summer crop.
but I’m already at rock bottom so let’s keep falling lol