Well, the nights are starting to draw in, there can be a chill in the air in the early mornings and the soft fruit garden will start to look a little tired. But before we give up entirely and turn our attention to the orchard and its autumn bounty of apples and pears, there is still one star of the soft fruit world that comes into its own at this time of year- the autumn-fruiting raspberry.
At this point, we need to do a tiny bit of botany to fully understand the difference between summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting raspberries. It's not essential, but you'll undoubtedly come across these terms in catalogues and a basic understanding will help you know how to look after each one.
All raspberries are classed as a perennial but really it is the root system which is the perennial bit, as we are looking for a continual supply of new basal shoots from the roots each spring. In the first year of growth, these new shoots are called primocanes (from the Latin word 'primus' meaning 'first'). That same cane, left unpruned, in its second year turns into a floricane. Summer-fruiting raspberries flower and fruit on two-year-old growth (so are also known as floricane-fruiting varieties), whereas autumn raspberries flower and fruit on the new, first-year growth (primocane-fruiting varieties).
MAINTENANCE
Raspberries need a moist, cool soil in order to thrive. If the soil dries out at all in spring or early summer, fewer new shoots will be produced- and fewer shoots means lower yields later down the line. Not only that, but underground roots will go looking for moisture further afield, so you may well get suckers appearing many metres from where you'd like them.
This story is from the September 2024 edition of Kitchen Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2024 edition of Kitchen Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!