Raspberry and Blackberry Varieties-all Summer!
Brian Caldwell, Extension Educator

Raspberries and blackberries are well suited for the home garden. They are expensive to buy at the store, while a few plants each of several varieties can provide luscious home grown fruit for nearly the whole summer.

Start with Prelude, a new red raspberry variety from the Geneva Experiment Station. This is the earliest one available (first berries in late June), with large, high quality fruit. Prelude will be finishing up its season as the main crop red raspberries start to ripen. Taylor is probably the best flavored of these, while Boyne is a good one that is very hardy. Encore is a good choice to extend the red raspberry season further, into August.

For some different types of berries, try a black raspberry ("blackcap") such as Jewel. Black raspberries come in early, about the same time as Prelude. Unfortunately, they tend to be highly susceptible to virus diseases. More virus resistant are Royalty purple raspberries which ripen later in the season, at about the same time as Encore. The wineberry, a species of raspberry native to Asia, also ripens in this period. It has sweet, tangy fruit. Wineberries produce well in partial shade, and may need some extra winter protection.

August is the month for blackberries in our area. Illini Hardy is a hardy, productive variety. For those in warm areas near one of the Finger Lakes, Chester or Hull are thornless varieties with large, flavorful fruit. They lack winter hardiness in most of our region.

Fall-bearing red raspberries come in mid-September and last until a hard frost. Heritage is the standard of this type; Autumn Britten and Caroline are among the new ones worth a try. To get these fall-bearers to mature earlier than normal, cover the plants with a row cover from March to May. This speeds maturity and enables more of the fall crop to mature before frost.

Finally, try some yellow-fruited raspberries for even more variety within your varieties! Fallgold, Amber, or Kiwigold are worth trying. Alas, the wonderfully-flavored Fallgold is also subject to virus problems.

These "cane" or "bramble" berry crops take some extra work in the garden, but are well worth it. Contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office for cultural information to grow these gourmet crops.