New to growing raspberrys

General Fruit Growing
#1

Hi everyone im just starting out with growing raspberrys im trying to create a pick your own crop for the last 5 years ive had a large vegetable garden with a successful vegetable stand its become way to much work long hours im trying to slowly convert the stand to a raspberry stand there is a pick your own blue berry farm about a mile from me and they seem to do very well some of the varieties im starting out with are
50 polana
50 jewel
25 nova
25 double gold
25 caroline
25 prelude
25 joan j
Polana are the only ones in now others are on order
I live in MA zone 6 b
Bob

1 Like
#2

Hey Bob. I’m in Mass too. Are you referring to Ward’s Berry farm?

I’ve started seeing swd on some of my later raspberries the past few years. They get most of my second crop of double gold. So, early and mid-season varieties might be a good decision.

1 Like
#3

Out of the ones I have selected above which ones should i avoid i still have time to chang my order
Thank for your help i really want to start out in the right direction
The farm near me is osamequin
Bob

#4

Buy summer bearing types to avoid SWD, or prune everbearing for a summer crop.
Taylor, Encore, Cascade Delight, and Cascade Gold are summer bearing types. So is Prelude, berries on Prelude I like for processing as they can be tart.

3 Likes
#5

i just ordered 10 acc eden from nourse. its a new commercial summer bearer from N.S , canada. has a big berry. I’m growing a lot of raspberries. what i don’t keep, ill sell at the farmers market. i too am getting away from late producing berries. don’t have swd here yet but I’m sure its coming. i have autumn britten, jaclyn, polka, ohio treasure blacks, joan j, anne, royalty, and cascade gold.

#6

Of the varieties you mentioned, Polana, Double Gold, Caroline, and Joan J are all fall/ever bearing types. Nova, Prelude, and Jewel are summer bearing. Prelude and Nova can give a smaller fall crop as well. If you want to avoid SWD as much as possible I would switch out the ever bearers for more summer bearers.
I found out last year just how bad raspberries get infected by SWD. They’re just awful. It’s not worth dealing with once their numbers spike in mid/late summer, unless you have netted/screened in structures to keep them out.

#7

You are down near Seekonk, Rehoboth area, right? You may want to talk to the extension service at U of Rhode Island. It is a lot closer to you than UMass. @mrsg47 helped me connect with a local RI fruit grower group. They send out alerts and have meetings.

If you have not, read up on SWD, it really can ruin your crops esp. soft fruit like berries.

1 Like
#8

If Jewel as in Jewel black raspberry, these are extremely thorny. In my caneberry-rich area of western Oregon, this variety is seldom offered as a U-pick (perhaps due to the less popular flavor and seed content of black-caps). If you keep them trained in 2-dimensions right on the trellis and don’t allow 3-dimensional growth (perpendicular to the row), U-pickers may stand a chance.

Thorny Marions and Boysens are trained in this manner and are commonly offered as U-picks.

#9

Write to hfaubert@uri.edu. She is our zone Horticultural guru and head of Hort at URI. Ask her to please be on her list. You will receive a fabulous monthly update on every insect in town! My best, MrsG