Perennial Berry · zones 4–8 · 35 varieties

Red Raspberry

Name: Red Raspberry growing data
Creator: GardenTrack

Rubus idaeus

Rosaceae — the same plant family as apple, peach, cherry, plum and 4 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

These are red raspberries. Black raspberries are a different plant rather than a different color, and are not covered here.

Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is a perennial berry for USDA zones 4–8. It wants full sun and pH 5.5–6.5 soil, with about 1–1.5 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 0–2 yr. Watch for spotted wing drosophila and phytophthora root rot. Below: its full sourced profile from 7 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 4–8 — USDA USDA

Sun Full sun

Water Moderate

First harvest 0–2 yr

Mature size 4–8 ft

Spacing 24–36 in

Soil pH 5.5–6.5

Frost Hardy

When to plant red raspberrytypical · zone 6b

Your zone

…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Growing

Establishing

Flowering

Fruit set

Ripening

Harvest

Growing

Dormant

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing red raspberryevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones: 4–8
Sun: Full sun
Soil pH: 5.5–6.5
Soil texture: Sandy loam, Loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance: Hardy

No published figure for the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height: 4–8 ft
Mature spread: 12–18 in
Growth rate: Moderateest
Spacing in row: 24–36 in
Between rows: 96–120 in
Planting depth: 1–2 in
Container size: 20–30 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is better; Two extension services disagree and we use the larger. Oregon State says 20–30 gallons and at least two feet deep; Maryland says a 16-inch pot, about 10 gallons. Maryland's own page adds that bigger containers protect the roots from winter cold — which is why we take the bigger number.
Container depth: 24 in
Support: Needs staking or a trellis
Grown from: Transplant, Division, Cutting

Water & feeding

Water needs: Moderate
Water per week: 1–1.5 in/wk
Critical water: Flowering, Fruit set, Ripening, Harvest windowest
Feeding: Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest: 0–2 yr
Chill hours: 200–900 hrs
Pollination: Self fertile
Harvest cues: Fruit coloring
Open blossoms damaged at: 30–32 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first

PestsSpotted wing drosophilaAphidsSpider mitesJapanese beetleCane borersTarnished plant bugRoot weevilsLeafrollersSap beetles

DiseasesPhytophthora root rotGray moldAnthracnoseVerticillium wiltCane blightSpur blightLeaf spot

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

All 35 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked

Variety	Type	Days	Color	Size	Disease	What it is known for
Amity Raspberry	Everbearing	—		Large		Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold
Anne Raspberry		—	Yellow	Large
Autumn Bliss Raspberry		—	Red
Black Hawk Raspberry		—	Black	Small	ANTHRACNOSE
Boyne Raspberry		—		Medium		Cornell University Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Brandywine Raspberry		—	Purple	Large
Bristol Raspberry Heirloom		—	Black	Large
Canby Raspberry		—		Large		Cornell University Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this asno thorns
Caroline Raspberry		—	Red	Large
Cascade Delight Raspberry		—		Very Large
Cumberland Raspberry Heirloom		—	Purple	Medium		Greenwood Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Double Gold Raspberry		—	Orange
Encore Raspberry		—		Large		Cornell University Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Fall Gold Raspberry		—	Yellow	Large		University of Minnesota Extension records this astakes the cold
Heritage Raspberry	Everbearing	—	Red		MOST_DISEASES
Jewel Raspberry		—	Black	Large
Joan J Raspberry		—	Red			Cornell University Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this asno thorns
Josephine Raspberry		—	Red	Large
Killarney Raspberry		—		Medium		Cornell University Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Kiwigold Raspberry		—	Pink	Medium	MOST_DISEASES
Latham Raspberry Heirloom	Summer Bearing	—	Red			Nourse Farms describes this astakes the cold
Malahat Raspberry		—	Red	Large
Meeker Raspberry		—	Red	Large
Munger Raspberry Heirloom		—	Black	Large		Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold
Nantahala Raspberry		—		Large
Nova Raspberry		—	Red		INCLUDING_RUST	Cornell University Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Polka Raspberry		—	Red	Medium
Prelude Raspberry		—				Cornell University Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Raspberry Shortcake Raspberry		—		Medium		Bushel and Berry (Fall Creek Farm & Nursery) describes this ashappy in a pot · no thorns
Royalty Raspberry		—	Purple	Large
Ruby Beauty Raspberry		—				Royal Horticultural Society describes this astakes the cold
September Raspberry	Everbearing	—	Red			Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold
Titan Raspberry		—	Red	Very Large
Tulameen Raspberry		—		Very Large
Willamette Raspberry Heirloom		—	Red	Very Large

Sources7 cited · 7 organizations

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County
NC State Extension
Oregon State University Extension Service
Penn State Extension
University of Maryland Extension
University of Minnesota Extension
University of Missouri Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 22 of the 24 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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