Professional nurseryman from RV Roger, David Patch, recommends autumn-fruiting raspberries

Give raspberries a liberal layer of organic matter (mulch) in early spring

Raspberries are probably the easiest fruit to grow at home. They can be grown in most soils, will tolerate a little shade, are extremely hardy and pruning is a complete doddle. In addition, they are one of the fruits with the shortest shelf life, so even with modern packaging methods, shop-bought fruit doesn’t last more than a day or so in the fridge. Reasons enough to grow your own and have fruit in abundance! Summerfruiting raspberries crop in late June and July, but the varieties we are going to look at this month are the autumn-fruiting varieties, which fruit from September through until the first frosts.

“The autumnfruiting varieties fruit from September until the first frosts”

All raspberries prefer cool, moist conditions, which is why they are grown as a very successful commercial crop in Scotland. Although tolerant of a wide range of soils, they do best in moist, rich, neutral or slightly acidic soils. They are very shallow rooted, so it is important that the soil is enriched with as much compost or other organic matter as possible before planting to help retain moisture, and they respond well to thick mulches applied in early spring. Autumn-fruiting types are more tolerant of drier conditions than their summer-fruiting cousins, so are definitely the ones to go for if you have a sandier soil.