Eating Garden

How to Grow Raspberries

Rubus idaeus

A perennial berry with long-lived roots and canes that live for only one or two growing seasons.

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At a glance

  • Difficulty

    Takes some care

    3 of 5 · More shovels, more care

  • Sunlight

    Full sun

  • Water

    Thirsty

  • Plant spacing

    24 to 36 in apart

More about this plant

Plant raspberries in sun and drained soil, keep the row narrow and learn which canes your variety fruits on. Remove spent canes after harvest and pick soft ripe berries often.

  • Comes back each year.
  • Can grow in raised beds, the open ground.
  • A good one to grow together with children.

Make it your plan

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What are you starting with?
Where will it grow?

Your plan, starting Nov 10, 2026

A harvest date cannot be estimated from this starting point. Add your location to compare this date with local planting windows. Your chosen date stays the same.

Add your location to compare this date with local planting windows. Your chosen date stays the same.

When to expect a harvest

There is no reliable day count for this starting point. Use the crop’s season and readiness signs below.

A ripe berry has full color, feels soft and slips from its white center with almost no pull.

Choose a variety hardy in your winter. Full sun makes the most fruit, and good air movement helps berries dry after rain.

First, gather a few things

  • A young raspberry plant
  • A growing spot with 24 to 36 in between plants
  • A prepared garden bed
  • A watering can or hose
  • A fence or wire trellis holds canes upright and keeps the fruiting row narrow enough to reach.

Get ready

Do these before you put the plant or seeds in place.

  1. Start here

    1. Choose a hardy variety

    Pick a summer-bearing or primocane-fruiting type that suits your winter and harvest season.

  2. 2. Prepare drained soil

    Test for a pH of 5.6 to 6.5 and mix finished compost through the row.

Start or plant it

Follow the steps for the way you chose to start.

  1. 1. Plant in early spring

    Space red or yellow raspberries 2 to 3 feet apart and keep crowns just above the soil.

  2. 2. Add a trellis

    Tie canes loosely and keep the fruiting row no wider than about 12 inches.

Water

Check the soil first. Heat, rain, and pots can change how often this plant needs water.

  1. 1. Check before you water

    Feel the top inch of soil. Water when it starts to dry, before the roots dry out.

  2. 2. Water the roots

    Water slowly at the base until the soil feels moist a few inches down. For a pot, water until a little runs out of the drainage holes.

    Keep new plants and fruiting rows moist during dry weather, especially in sandy soil. Water the root zone without leaving it saturated.

Need help judging moisture? Read how to check the soil and water the roots.

If the plant looks unhappy

  • Too dry

    Berries stay small, leaves curl and canes fade early.

    If the soil is dry, water deeply and check it again tomorrow.

  • Too wet

    Wet soil invites crown and root rot and can cause whole canes to wilt.

    If the soil is wet, wait before watering again and check that excess water can drain away.

While it grows

Check on your plant and do these jobs as they come up.

  1. 1. Remove spent canes

    After summer-bearing canes fruit and die, cut them at the ground without harming new green canes.

Looking after it

  • FeedingAn occasional feed helpsUse a soil test and compost. Feed established plants only when the test or weak growth shows a need.
  • SupportA trellisA fence or wire trellis holds canes upright and keeps the fruiting row narrow enough to reach.
  • PruningNeeds pruningMost summer-bearing types fruit on second-year woody canes, which die after harvest and should be cut to the ground. Primocane-fruiting types also crop on first-year green canes and need a different pruning plan.
  • ThinningThin seedlings to 24 in apartCrowded seedlings stay small. Pull the weaker ones and keep the strongest.
  • MulchMulch helps hold moisture and reduce weeds, but keep the crown from staying wet.
  • PollinationBumblebees, honeybees and wild bees pollinate the flowers. Avoid spraying open blooms.

Pick and store it

Use the plant's signs of readiness, then harvest gently.

  1. 1. Check if it is ready

    A ripe berry has full color, feels soft and slips from its white center with almost no pull.

  2. 2. Pick it

    Pick gently into a shallow container. In hot weather, check often because ripe fruit softens quickly.

  3. 3. Keep it fresh

    Refrigerate berries right after picking in a lightly covered container. Use within a few days and remove any moldy fruit.

More picking tips

  1. 1. Pick soft berries often

    Harvest fruit that slips free with almost no pull and refrigerate it at once.

Common problems

    Common mistakes

    • Planting in wet soil

      Standing water invites root and crown rot. Choose drainage before adding plants.

    • Cutting every cane the same way

      Summer-bearing and primocane-fruiting varieties fruit on different cane ages. Know your type before pruning.

    • Letting the row spread wide

      A wide thicket is hard to pick and dries slowly. Keep new canes in a narrow row.

    Companion plants for raspberries

    Some of this is measured in trials and some is long-standing garden practice. Each note below says which it is.

    Keep apart

    Extension programs advise keeping these apart:

    • Wild or abandoned bramblesRemoving wild or abandoned brambles near the garden helps keep diseases out of raspberries.Recommended by extension programs
    • TomatoTomatoes host Verticillium wilt, so avoid raspberry sites where tomatoes grew in the past five years.Recommended by extension programs
    • PotatoPotatoes host Verticillium wilt, so avoid raspberry sites where potatoes grew in the past five years.Recommended by extension programs
    • StrawberryStrawberries host Verticillium wilt, so avoid raspberry sites where strawberries grew in the past five years.Recommended by extension programs
    How to choose companion plants

    Questions about raspberries

    Tap a question to see the answer.

    Will raspberries grow where I live?

    Choose a variety hardy in your winter. Full sun makes the most fruit, and good air movement helps berries dry after rain.

    • LightFull sun
    • ShadeCopes with a little shade
    • SeasonA cool season cropUsually grown in spring.
    • FrostSurvives a hard freeze
    • HeatCopes with heat

    What soil is best for raspberries?

    • Soil pH5.6 to 6.5A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
    • Soil it likesLoam, Sandy
    • DrainageWants well drained ground
    • RichnessAverage ground is fine

    Use rich, well-drained soil with finished compost mixed through the row before planting.

    Test and adjust soil before planting. Avoid fresh manure and any low place where water stands.

    Before changing your soil, learn how to test soil acidity and understand the result.

    When and how deep do I plant raspberries?

    When to plant

    Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

    • Plant out 0 to 4 weeks after the start of your growing seasonPlant bare roots as soon as spring soil can be worked. Wait until frost danger passes for leafy potted plants.

    What you need

    • How to start itFrom a young plant
    • How far apart24 to 36 in
      Leave 24 to 36 in between plants. View from above; drawing is not to scale.

    What happens to raspberries through the year?

    Measured from the start of your growing season, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.

    1. Plant out

      0 to 4 weeks after the start of your growing season

    How do I give raspberries a better start?

    Simple ways to help your raspberry grow, from the soil up.

    • Start with good soil

      Use rich, well-drained soil with finished compost mixed through the row before planting.

    • Give the soil a cover

      Mulch helps hold moisture and reduce weeds, but keep the crown from staying wet.

    • Support the branches

      A fence or wire trellis holds canes upright and keeps the fruiting row narrow enough to reach.

    • Make room to grow

      Thin seedlings to 24 inches apart.

    Test and adjust soil before planting. Avoid fresh manure and any low place where water stands.

    What is the difference between primocanes and floricanes?

    Primocanes are first-year green canes. Floricanes are second-year woody canes that fruit on most summer-bearing varieties and then die.

    When will a new raspberry plant fruit?

    Many plants begin producing about a year after planting, though variety and cane type change the timing.

    Why did a fruiting cane die?

    On summer-bearing raspberries, second-year canes naturally die after fruiting. Cut them at the ground.

    When is a raspberry ripe?

    It has full color, feels soft and slips away from the white center with almost no pull.

    Helpful gardening guides

    Dig into the next thing you need, from starting a garden to getting watering right.

    • Raised Bed Garden Guide for Beginners

      A raised bed garden guide for beginners: decide whether a bed helps, choose a reachable size, fill it with soil that drains, and keep it watered.

    • Watering Guide

      How to check the soil, water the root area, and avoid rigid schedules that do not fit your garden.

    • Sunlight Guide

      How to count direct sun, match crops to your space, and work with a garden that gets less light.

    Starting your first garden? Choose your space and get it ready, then plan local planting times.

    Browse all gardening guides

    Also filed under: Fruits

    Where this came from

    Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

    Sources & review dates
    Timing
    University of Minnesota Extension, Growing raspberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-15
    University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Master Gardener Program, Time of planting · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, cool-season crops are timed to months averaging 55°F to 75°F.
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