Raspberries equal summer for me. I grew up picking them in my parents’ garden and making jam with my Mom. In fact, at Matt’s and my wedding all of our guests received a small jar of homemade raspberry jam made with my parents’ berries.
Now we have them in our garden.
It’s been two years since I transplanted canes from my parents’ garden. They have spread and sprouted new plants and this year they are bearing fruit. Lots and lots of fruit.
We have one row that’s about 16 feet long, and now at the peak of raspberry season we’re picking about 3-4 pints a day.
Although I’m mostly picking partial quarts because I ruined a couple of pints when I accidentally fermented some berries by leaving them on the counter too long.
Our plants are super dense with lots of canes. In fact, the row could likely benefit from some thinning. I think a few less canes might encourage more fruit or at least let more light or air get to the fruit. This bird’s nest was buried deep in the plants. I had no idea it was there.
The wire trellis that we built has done a good job of keeping the canes upright and contained, so the row has been easy to manage. We added some woodchips between the raspberries and blackberries, trying to keep weeds down.
We’ve had a good amount of rain during this growing season, but I think the berries could have benefited from a bit more watering. They’re a wee bit small. With a bit more water, they might grow bigger. Something to keep in mind for next year.
Small or not, we already have plenty of berries. In fact, it’s been hard to keep up. I’ve made jam, a galette, muffins, stirred lots into my yogurt and pints are still stacked in the fridge.
We could have even more, but I’ve not been super enthused about picking after I get home from work. I’m expecting to find some very ripe berries this weekend. They should be good candidates for more jam.
We may not need wedding favours this year, but I’m sure our family will still enjoy jam in their Christmas packages.
Are you enjoying raspberries at your house? Any raspberry recipes to recommend? Or growing tips to share?
Home on 129 Acres 
Ironically as I was reading your post I’m also listening to a radio report about Asian fruit flies infesting raspberry crops in southern Ontario this year…. Low yields around here. ..
Yikes. That sounds terrible. I don’t think I’ve seen any sign of that here.
Your berries and jam look delicious. You’ve been very busy.
Good for you!
Some more may be coming your way!
Looks amazing! We planted a raspberry bush at our old (city) house last year and when we moved earlier this month (to our homestead) it had spread and was 5x the size it was last year but no flowers. That was in Colorado. We are in Wyoming now with similar soil and weather conditions. We were wondering were you are that yours grew so fast and are producing abundantly in year two?! So awesome, good job!
I’m in Southern Ontario (just west of Toronto). I’m not sure what variety I have, as they came from my parents who have had them for more than 30 years. I’ve learned that raspberries fruit on second year growth. So the first year the cane is just growing. The second year it should produce fruit. Then it dies and you prune it out. It’s an ongoing cycle with new canes sprouting each year. Our mature canes send out roots underground which sprout new canes (and they’re very prolific about doing so).
Well we will find out soon if ours will do it! At our elevation and dry climate everything is harder but we are going to give it a go! Good job, yours look amazing
Good luck. There are lots of different varieties out there. A specialized nursery should be able to offer you some advice on growing or even selecting plants.
Your photos make me so hungry for raspberries. They are my favorite berries, and I remember eating them by the handful as a kid in both my grandmothers’ gardens.
I’ll admit there are lots that don’t make it to the house. The sunwarmed berry eaten straight in the garden is by far the best.
We picked wild raspberries last year, but I forgot to do so this year until I read your post! We have so much going on around our house, I am guessing we won’t get that done.
Your jam looks so great and would be perfect for an English muffin! 😉
It’s so easy for things to fall through the cracks. Summer is such a busy season.
Oh man, this raspberry post is making me hungry! Your galette looks divine.
It was super! I highly recommend that recipe.