Autumn raspberry

Origin & history

Botanically this is the same species as the summer raspberry and differs in one single trait: the cane flowers in the year it grows instead of waiting out a winter. Wild raspberries occasionally do it at the cane tips in a warm autumn, and 19th-century French gardeners bred that into the so-called four-seasons raspberries. It only turned into a usable crop when “Autumn Bliss” was released at East Malling in England in 1983. Almost every modern autumn variety descends from it, and between them they have added a good two months to the raspberry season in German gardens.

Varieties

“Autumn Bliss” is the earliest and therefore the one for cool areas: it starts in early to mid August, stays short and often manages without support, and the berries are dark and soft. “Himbo Top” from Switzerland carries very large, firm fruit and the heaviest crop, but needs a wire and begins later. “Polka” from Poland sits between the two and keeps longest after picking. Many varieties are sold as twice-bearing: leave the canes standing for that and you get a thin early pick from the lower part of the cane and then a later, weaker main crop. One clean harvest is worth more than one and a half.

Care

It makes canes and flowers at the same time, which is why its water demand in July and August is higher than that of any other soft fruit — a thick mulch of lawn clippings or leaves saves you half the watering trips. A dressing of compost along the row in March. Thin the young canes in May to ten or twelve per running metre, or the row shades itself and ripening slides into October. Two wires at 60 and 120 cm, or a string down each side, are support enough; the load sits high up and autumn rain flattens unsupported canes. Cut off suckers straying outside the 40 cm strip with a spade.

What can go wrong

The late crop is decided by spotted-wing drosophila: from September onwards it lays into firm, ripening berries, which then collapse within two days. What works against it is short picking intervals of one to two days, clearing the row completely, leaving no overripe fruit hanging, keeping infested fruit off the compost heap, and a fine-mesh net over the row; an early variety is finished before the population peaks in September. Wet Septembers add grey mould, against which only air movement and frequent picking do anything. Soil sickness applies exactly as it does to the summer type: on old raspberry ground this one stays weak too, so keep five years between them.

Harvest, storage & kitchen

From mid August until the first frost you pick every two days, once the dew has dried off. The autumn berry is softer and juicier than the summer one and keeps barely a day in the fridge. Because the crop trickles in over eight weeks, open-freezing pays: freeze them in a single layer on a tray, then tip them into a bag, and the store builds up on the side. The higher acidity of autumn fruit makes it the better berry for jelly, sorbet and pairing with apples. The last flowers in October will not finish — that is normal and not a fault of the variety.

Frequently asked questions

When can I pick autumn raspberries?

From mid-August to around mid-October, in small amounts spread over eight weeks rather than in one flush. A cane planted in autumn already crops the very next season, because the fruit sits on canes of the current year.

Are autumn raspberries winter hardy?

Yes, and winter is their easiest season: the canes are cut to the ground in February anyway, so there is nothing left to protect. The shallow roots still appreciate a hand’s depth of leaves or grass clippings on top.

Can autumn raspberries be grown in a tub?

A bed is clearly the better place; a container works only as a stopgap: 40 litres minimum, three or four canes in it at most, and daily watering in July. The shallow roots want to run sideways, and a pot is exactly what denies them that room.

Can I plant summer and autumn raspberries next to each other?

Yes, but in two separate rows with clear space between them. The two types are pruned in opposite ways, and in a mixed row you will inevitably cut the wrong canes in February. A label at each end of the row is the cheapest insurance there is.