Beautiful raspberries on the bush

Raspberries come in two main types: summer-bearing and ever-bearing. Summer-bearing raspberry plants produce fruit only in the summer. Ever-bearing raspberry plants produce fruit in the summer and the fall.

Summer-bearing raspberries grow on floricanes, meaning they fruit on the prior year’s growth. New canes grow every summer and go dormant in the winter, producing berries the following summer before dying back. Summer-bearing plants produce raspberries early in the season, for about a month. Though the short season means they don’t provide as many raspberries as ever-bearing plants, home gardeners still get to enjoy a delicious berry crop with less work. Popular summer-bearing raspberry varieties include Boyne, Cascade Delight, and Brandywine.

Ever-bearing raspberry plants grow on primocanes, producing fruit on the current year’s growth in the summer and again in the fall until frost. Depending on the climate, some will fruit into the winter. This type of raspberry also produces fruit on the same canes again the next summer. Because they fruit twice in a year, ever-bearing raspberry plants provide more fruit than summer-bearing—but that means more harvesting and a longer period of watering, feeding, and other care. Popular ever-bearing raspberry varieties include Anne, Raspberry Shortcake, and Heritage.

Of course, if you’re a true raspberry lover, you can grow both types of raspberry plants in your garden and extend the season longer.

Have you tried growing summer-bearing or ever-bearing raspberries? Which do you prefer? Please share your opinion in the comment section below.