Description:
Raspberries can be used in a variety of appealing ways. Freshly prepared and sugared raspberries are excellent when served alone or used to make a raspberry sundae. The fruit can also be used to make delicious jams, jellies, pies, and other desserts. Besides their excellent flavor, raspberries are a nutritious food, contributing vitamins A and C and various minerals to the diet. In addition, raspberries contain a natural substance called ellagic acid, which is an anti-carcinogenic (cancer-preventing) compound.
Raspberries ripen shortly after strawberries and make an excellent small fruit crop for summer and fall depending on the cultivars selected. Two years are required to establish a raspberry planting, but once established, the planting can remain productive for several years if given good care.
Raspberries may be classified by fruit color and/or fruiting habit. They may be red, black, purple, or yellow-fruited types. The black raspberry is most popular in Ohio. The red type is the second most popular type. The red raspberry is first to ripen, followed by the black, purple, and yellow cultivars. Compared with black raspberries, red raspberries tend to be more cold hardy, have larger berries, and have more erect canes. Black raspberries are less cold hardy; have smaller, seedier, and more aromatic berries; and have arching canes. Purple raspberries are hybrids of red and black raspberries and tend to respond in growth habit similar to black raspberries. Most yellow raspberries are similar to red raspberries in growth habit.
Raspberries may also be classified as summerbearing or everbearing. Summerbearing cultivars produce one crop in the early summer, while everbearing cultivars can produce up to two crops a year, one crop being produced in the spring and the second crop in the fall. Most everbearing raspberries are of red or yellow type.
Pruning information