Raspberry Rubus idaeus 'Malling Promise' - Organic red - Hardy plant

Make sure the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) root ball is soaked well prior to planting - soak it in a bucket of lukewarm water. Dig a wide hole and loosen the soil thoroughly with a fork. Plant your raspberry bush at the right depth - the top of the root ball should come to just below soil level. Fill the hole with soil, heel well in and water immediately. Raspberry bushes will thrive in good, permeable garden soil. Do plant in full sun at approx. 35 cm apart.
If planting in rows, place your stakes at the end of the rows first. Keep the rows about 125-150 cm apart.
 
 
  There are 2 types of raspberry There are 2 types of raspberry:

1. Summer raspberries. These ripen in the summer and then stop. They are usually ripe in July and August.
2. Autumn raspberries. These raspberries start to flower a little later but can bear fruit from summer into October. These are called perpetuals.

The fruit is ripe for picking when it comes away in your hand. In a cool summer, they can take a little longer to ripen. Mulch your raspberry bushes with a layer of compost in the winter.
The harvest yield doesn't really differ per type but the full harvest of summer raspberries is over in 2 months and with autumn raspberries it can last up to 4 months.
 

Raspberry bushes grow long stems that can be intertwined with fencing, or tied into climbing frames. Keep 6-8 stems per metre to tie in. Keep the bed free of weeds to allow the plants to grow perfectly.
Feed your raspberry bushes with fruit fertiliser every 3 weeks when in the growing season.
Water extra in times of drought to help the fruits to form. Don't wet the plants, just allow water to run over the soil at the base of the bush. This will help to avoid fungal infections on the fruit. Pruning raspberries Summer fruiting raspberries develop on old wood. They should then be pruned hard back to just above ground level - just as soon as all fruit has been picked. Preferably in early autumn. These plants will then immediately shoot before the winter and you can tie in the new shoots before it gets too cold. They will then flower next spring and fruit in the summer.
Autumn fruiting raspberries bear fruit on this year's wood. They too should be cut hard back to just above ground level, only then in the winter. February is best. Then you'll see new shoots again in March that can be tied in around April. They will all then fruit at the end of summer.

Rubus idaeus is a very healthy, abundantly fruiting bush. The raspberry blossom appears in the spring, followed by loads of delicious fruit. Raspberries are delightfully sweet and juicy. Eat them fresh in the hand or made delicious jams.