Reader, Jen, sent in a little SOS question recently, and I thought all of your raspberry patch experts could weigh in. Here’s what she had to say:
Hi Mavis! At the end of May last year I had just finished planting my biggest and best garden ever but after an unforeseen event in June I away from home almost the rest of the year. My garden was left in the hands of family and friends to harvest anything they wanted. As a thank you for the goodness they got from the garden they joined up on a late fall day and cleaned my entire yard!
Someone (who did not know better) cut down all the “sticks” growing near the garage down to almost nothing. Those “sticks” were my raspberry patch! Although the plants are growing back nicely my question is will I get any berries this year with them being cut down so close to the ground or am I doomed to buying my berries in the store this year?
Jen
So what do you think? What is your experience? From what I know and have seen, they’ll produce canes the first year and then berries the second. Anyone have a different experience? Let’s help Jen out!
Thanks!
~Mavis
Marti says
I have fall bearing — August to frost– raspberries and I cut them down to ground level in the springtime and then mulch heavily with leaves. They will be 6 feet tall when ready to produce in August and I always have a very hearty crop. If you have summer bearers and they were cut last fall, I still think you should be okay but I am not an expert on that!!
Ramona says
I live in southern Idaho and have a large raspberry patch. I cut mine down to about a foot from the ground. One of our local radio garden people have said they have mowed theirs down to the ground and they still get raspberries. So hopefully yours will get raspberries.
Naomi says
There are two kinds of raspberries; summer-fruiting ones which fruit on last year’s canes, and autumn fruiting ones which fruit on the current year’s canes. So it all depends what variety they are… Good luck!
Robin says
It would depend on if they are a primocane raspberry, which will produce on first year and previous year canes. But I think she probably will get raspberries. Good luck!
Dara says
I agree – some types of raspberries will produce fruit the first year and some only on year old canes. We actually have a variety on our farm that produces fruit on both the new growth and the prior year growth.
Teresa says
Are they everbearing? If so you will get berries, just maybe later. I still you think you’ll get berries though, hard to hurt raspberries! Watch for blossoms, blossoms mean berries! Good luck!
april says
I’d love to hear about this regarding blackberries. We bought a cane last year but didn’t get any berries (I think we planted too late?). I cut it back (because I didn’t know any better and it seemed like the right thing to do). It’s growing back rapidly, but I am also wondering what my chances are of getting berries this year.
Chelsea says
In Washington blackberries are weeds that grow like crazy even after being fully cut down! I imagine you’ll have tons of blackberries as we do every year. It might depend on where you live and berry variety though.
Leslie h says
If she knows which variety she planted, I could give her an answer. It depends if you have floricane or primocane bearing.
Jennifer says
We had exactly the same thing happen to us.
Only ours never grew back.
If yours is growing back, I wouldn’t expect much this year…keep your fingers crossed for future crops!
Crystal says
My neighbors cut their raspberries down to the ground every year in the fall, and they have the most prolific berry patch I’ve ever seen.
Megan C. says
I have a large patch and I cut them down each fall. Every year they come back stronger and fuller. You’ll get berries!
Lisa Millar says
We had a possum prune our canes one year to about a foot off the ground! I was devastated but they bounced back and we got a good harvest.
Don’t lose hope!
Leslie H says
Mavis — the variety you have experience with is a floricane variety. First year after planting you get the primocanes, the second year, these canes flower and bear fruit.
There are primocane varieties that bear on the canes as they grow up in one growing season.
So you’re right, if she has a floricane variety, she’s out for this year, but will be fine again next year. She shouldn’t pull them out, because they will just need another season for the floricane to develop.
If she has primocane variety (which a lot of everbearing are), she will have fruit this summer.
We grow raspberries commercially, and my husband hosts a lot of research projects on our farm. I am not an berry expert, but he is, and we are happy to answer any berry patch questions we can. 🙂
Eliz says
Mavis,
I was wondering if you could give me some potato advice. I haven’t planted potatoes for a while. How many lbs of seed potato would you plant in a 4X16 ft bed? I live in Montana and was wondering if I should plant more than normal since the season is short and cold?
Mavis Butterfield says
That would depend on what type of potatoes you are planting….Fingerlings, Russets, Reds etc. But I like to plant my potatoes about 12″ apart. So for a 4×16 foot space I’d be planting 32 “seed potatoes.” I hope that helps.
Carrie says
Does anyone have experience with “bush” variety raspberries? I bought two on clearance in the fall of 2015, husband unknowingly pruned them so they didn’t fruit last summer. They are growing rapidly now. I repotted in larger pots last year because I was uncertain where I wanted them yet. They do seem to be bushy – I wasn’t entirely sold on that. “Dwarf” trees can still be 20 feet tall!
joe debackere says
I have an old black rasberry patch it produces berries but they do not develop. Can I do anything to make them productive?