Joan J Raspberry review

General Fruit Growing
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Do you know of a nursery that carry Cascade gold, delight and premier? I am having a hard time finding them online

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@Sunny_Orchard,

We live in Zone 5 so our growing season is short and have an October first frost; this means we are looking for the “early” priomocane reds. I have grown other “early” varieties: Polka (an improved Autumn Bliss, small, and never did well for us), Polana (the earliest but has a shorter cane and for us was less productive) and Jaclyn (less productive) and got rid of all three. In hindsight, Polka probably got too much shade i the location it was in but we don’t have it anymore; himbo top is huge and very productive. Joan J is also very productive and maybe a little better tasting (maybe and taste is subjective and taste in the same variety also changes with the ripeness and “over-ripe” will be sweeter but softer, also fruit picked earlier will be firmer and could even be tart if picked when pink for example). All primocanes will overlap as they will start to fruit in the late summer and fall and will keep going until the first frost. The question is when do you want the first primocanes to start producing?

Joan J is probably a week before Himbo Top, is slightly smaller (but overall they are large) and maybe tastes a tad better (more raspberry-y but again it is subjective); it is very productive; Himbo Top is probably slightly more productive, bigger, and starts a week later, maybe tastes a tad less (but it is still good). We have both because we want more than 1 variety in the primocane window. I would love to trial Vintage and the Cascade series but they are not early. So very simply, we have the 2 best early reds that work for us.

We also grow other reds - Prelude and Encore as well as yellows and blacks

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83

I got mine from Scenic Hill Farm- i think they ship year round. they also have an etsy store. They buy tissue culture plants and grow them out in greenhouses just like Nourse and Indiana berry…except their climate is a little better than both of those.

They also sell root cuttings for the folks that are into that.

I dont think anyone sells Cascade Premier in the US…i think its more meant for overseas… not sure

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84

typo from above - I would love to trial the Crimson series (not Cascade) but they are too late for us

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85

Crimson Night has i think the same fruiting times as Heritage which is very early on its spring crop. The others are Fall bearing so you are likely correct. I could be wrong though. I think thats why Crimson Night is so popular is bc its just like Heritage but bigger more flavorful berries.

I just planted Crimson Night yesterday… i really dont like planting this late in the year and will be lucky if one survives…we will see.

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86

I should also say we have grown Caroline, another early-ish red primocane, at another location as well and have very positive things to say about it (great taste, productive, large) but we don’t currently grow it. I would recommend Caroline in addition to Joan J and Himbo Top.

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87

could grow them for the summer floricane crop.

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88

Bring back this thread to ask a simple question, what to do after I pick all the fruit, do I cut the cane down?

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89

I cut them back immediately after they fruited.

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you can cut the floricane canes immediately after their last fruit since they wont fruit ever again and removing them frees up space and sunlight for the primocanes growing

the primocane pruning should be done ideally when dormant since premature pruning could effect the bottom 2/3rds of the canes which will become floricanes the next early summer

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91

I’m getting confused on what are the primocanes, this is my first year of planting them.

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primo = 1st yr
flori = 2nd yr

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93

So technically I only have primo then? Is that correct?

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the primocane (1st yr growth) will fruit in late summer and fall (the top 1/3 of the berries in the 1st yr); you can cut the top 1/3 off over the winter;

in the following spring, 2 types of canes will grow (the old primocane growth, bottom 2/3rds from last yr, which are now floricanes (2nd yr), and brand new canes (new crop of primocanes which will again fruit in late summer and fall); the bottom 2/3 of canes from last yr (floricanes) will fruit in early summer and the primocane will fruit 1-2 mo later and keep going until the first hard frost

with a little pruning you will get floricane (bottom 2/3rd of canes on 2nd yr growth) in early summer followed by the late summer and fall top 1/3 of brand new growth (primocane 1st yr) - a little pruning keeps you swimming in raspberries

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yes if you planted them this yr, you should get the primocane crop late summer/fall and then you can prune the top 1/3 away so the bottom 2/3 will fruit in the early summer next yr

you will also have new primocane growth next spring which will grow and fruit in the fall

some people will only want a single primocane crop (late summer and fall) and prune back everything in the winter

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96

Probably…

Any new growth that has come up from the crown would almost definitely be a primocane, which will give you your fall crop (on the tops of the canes) and possibly your spring/summer crop (on the lower 2/3rds of the canes) if it is a variety known for a good floricane crop.

But with new plants it is also possible you have some growth from last year (often just a stub of a cane if you bought bare root) and that would be a floricane at this point. Given your location, any fruit you might have gotten earlier this year would have been from any residual floricane growth.

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which varieties do you have? There are some raspberries that will only produce on 2nd year growth “summer-bearing”

for example, I have Joan J and Himbo Top; they are considered “fall-bearing” or “everbearing”

I also have Prelude and Encore (and Jewel); they are all considered “summer-bearing” and rely on a floricane crop (2nd yr) which happens early summer

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98

I have Joan J and Caroline.
Next year I’m thinking of adding more from Nourse, I love to add Himbo Top, maybe some golden raspberry type, prefer something not thorny.

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99

We are relatively close to Nourse Farms and are very influenced by their recommendations; Joan J and Caroline are fantastic and their bare root canes have just massive roots

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100

I’ve ordered strawberry roots from them for years, but this is the first time I can harvest decent crop for raspberries, I’m ripping out my blackberry plants and will double or triple raspberry plants next year.
Raspberries tend to go soft easier when you buy them at a supermarket.

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