Fall raspberries
In addition to choosing the right variety, special attention should be paid to cultivation and pruning. These factors have a major impact on the health and yield of the crop.
Option I: One harvest per year
These raspberry varieties bear fruit on one-year-old wood. The young canes of fall-bearing raspberries are grown in the spring and produce their first harvest as early as the fall. Before winter dormancy, all canes are cut back to ground level in order to encourage a fall harvest the following year.
Option II: Two harvests per year
With this cultivation method, young canes are grown in the spring and produce their first harvest as early as the fall. After harvest, the canes are pruned just below the last flower cluster. These canes overwinter in the field and can be harvested again the following spring. Harvesting usually takes place about 2 weeks before summer raspberries. At the same time as this harvest, new young canes are trained, which will be ready to bear fruit again by the fall of the same year. After the third harvest, it is recommended to replant the raspberries. For this cultivation method, growing in substrate, under rain covers, or in a tunnel is also recommended.
Standard Varieties of Fall Raspberries
Raspberry variety Amalia Rossa
Amalia Rossa is a fall raspberry variety from Berryplant, Italy. It is suitable for fall or double harvests and has good growth. The fruits are slightly lighter in color than, for example, Tulameen, but have good flavor and a long shelf life. The variety has impressed us in initial trials and can be recommended for further testing.
Raspberry variety Autumn Bliss
Autumn Bliss is one of the most reliable and earliest fall varieties that bears fruit on the current year’s canes. The fruits are very large, firm, and medium to dark red in color. It impresses with a delicious sweet flavor. Autumn Bliss stands out for its high yields, excellent shelf life, and good harvestability. This fall raspberry ripens from around early August through October. The hardy plant is resistant to common diseases.
Raspberry variety Polka
The winter-hardy Polka fall raspberry is a robust plant that is easy to care for. Polka produces a high yield. The fruits are medium to dark red in color and delight with their excellent flavor. The fruit is very large, cone-shaped, and has a firm texture. The ripening period for this fall variety is roughly from early September through October. The fruits have a long shelf life and yield well when picked. The shrub-like plant is winter-hardy, very robust, and, due to its late flowering, shows only low susceptibility to disease. The late-ripening Polka bears fruit on one-year-old wood and can therefore be pruned back completely in the fall without any problems.
New and Special Varieties
There are more and more new raspberry varieties available—varieties that are sold exclusively for planting. We’d be happy to offer you additional varieties or new releases upon request. We’re here to help!