Growing Raspberries in Tasmania

Raspberries are a cool season crop. They need the cold Tasmanian winters to set their delicious, juicy fruit. Red or yellow fruit are borne on long canes with need to be supported. They are easy to grow and produce an abundant harvest for many years.

Don’t neglect your raspberry patch. Raspberries can grow like weeds, but need a fair amount of care to produce good fruit.

Plant your canes in a spot where they’ll get good sun in the morning, but some protection from the harsh afternoon soon.

Raspberries will be in the same spot for many years, so put some extra effort into preparing the soil. Work in some well-rotted manure and compost.

Plant new canes in winter while they are dormant.

Plant into prepared beds during winter. Get your supports in place before you plant your canes. As they grow, train them onto your supports.

Existing canes. An existing patch will keep growing. Bend canes over into the soil, once they set new roots and start to show signs of fresh, new growth, you can cut them free from the parent plant.

While the canes are growing, they need to regularly be tied into supports and once fruit sets, it’ll need to be protected from birds. In winter, when your plants are dormant, trim out any dead canes and neaten any canes that need to be tied to supports.

Water deeply during the growing season and while they are setting fruit.

Apply a thick layer of compost or well-rotted manure while the plants are dormant in winter.

Mulch well to keep weeds out and the soil cool and moist. Lucerne is a great, organic choice.

Harvest when the fruit are juicy and brightly coloured. The should be soft, but still firm enough to pick without breaking. Use the fruit as quickly as possible after picking. The quality of the fruit starts to deteriorate soon after picking.

Raspberries can be divided into two groups, those that bear fruit in summer and those that bear in Autumn. Depending on your variety, your raspberries should be ready to harvest sometime from December to April