GROW YOUR OWN RASPBERRIES!

If you love eating raspberries it really is worth it to grow your own.  They are simple to grow, healthy to eat and will save you money too!

Three years ago we planted two small raspberry bushes. Today, we are picking about 3-4 pints of berries a week!  They are so easy to grow and they produce so many berries!  They are eaten right off the bush,  added to salads or smoothies, frozen to be used over the winter, and even shared with our chickens (They are one of their favorite treats!). 

WHAT WE GROW:

• Everbearing Heritage Raspberries.  
  

WHY WE CHOSE THEM:

• We love the heritage raspberries because they produce large red colored berries two times a year.  The June crop grows on the tops of the canes from the previous season and the September crop (which is larger) grows on the new cane from the present season.  Basically, every cane produces fruit twice.  

WHEN & HOW TO PLANT THEM:

• They should be planted in the spring or fall in a full sun location with good drainage in order to grow the most berries.  You can still purchase them and plant them now if you watch them closely. They will grow at a rate of 13" to 24" per year and about 5-6 feet high.  They can also spread to a radius of about four feet .

• Depending upon where they are planted, they need to have a trellis to keep the canes contained.  We built ours out of conduit and heavy gauge wire.  It is 2 feet wide by 8 feet long by 4 feet high and the wire is wrapped around the bottom approximately 30" high.  This is necessary so that ll root and the plant will spread.  If you want this to happen, then don't worry about the trellis.  The berries will also spread by shoots under ground.  These can easily be dug up and replanted elsewhere or discarded if they grow outside of the boundaries of the trellis or where you do not want them (like in the grass).
  
• You should leave approximately one to two feet free on all sides of the rectangular trellis because the canes do grow quite long and will hang over the top.

HOW TO MAINTAIN & HARVEST:

• In the early spring we cut back any dead growth being careful to avoid the canes that will be producing in September and next year.  
  
• In June we get our first crop and we harvest about three to four pints each week.  This will last approximately two weeks or so and some days will be more productive than others.  After those canes are done producing they are pruned (This would have been their second crop.). 
  
• In September we get our second crop of the season. This second crop grows on the new  cane that began growing in the spring. These are the same canes that will then produce again next year in June for the second time.
  
• Freshly picked berries are either rinsed and eaten immediately, kept in the refrigerator, or frozen for the winter ☺.

GROWING YOUR OWN SAVES MONEY!

• It cost us $30 to buy two Everbearing Heritage Raspberry Bushes ($15 each but we wanted two for better pollination).  After three years they are producing about 10 pints per season.  
• At Stop & Shop Grocery store, a 1/2 pint of fresh raspberries is currently on sale for $2.99. That is $5.98 a pint!  The 4 pints I have harvested this week already covered the original purchase price of the plants.  
  
• We DON'T use pesticides so our homegrown raspberries are ORGANIC, saving us even more money!  Organic raspberries are currently on sale at Stop & Shop for $3.99 for 6 ounces (that is less than a half a pint). That works out to more than $7.98 per pint so growing our own is MORE than worth it!