Planting Raspberries
How to Plant Raspberry Plants

Very Simple Instructions for the Home Gardener

If you have just purchased raspberry plants for your home garden, here are very simple and basic instructions for how to plant your berry plants.

Raspberries are one of the easiest and most rewarding fruits to grow for the home gardener.

A 20 - 25 foot row will supply plenty of fruit for eating fresh and preserving for a family of 4.

Although planting raspberries (plants) in the Spring is totally acceptable, the actual preferred time is in the Autumn.

A loam soil with a high organic matter content is the ideal soil in which to plant raspberries. The site should have good air circulation for disease prevention and full sun.

Step #1



Dig a hole slightly deeper and wider than the pot/container in which you purchased your plant.

(Depending on the quality of the soil, it may be a good idea to mix well rotted manure/compost into the soil before planting raspberries.)

Step #2



Fill the bottom of the hole with water.

Step #3



If the soil in the container is dry, water the plant to ensure that the soil will not separate from the plant when removing it from the pot.

Carefully remove the plant and and the soil surrounding the roots, from the pot, by gently tugging at the base of the plant to release it from the pot. Be sure to keep as much soil attached to the roots as is possible (the root "ball").

Step #4

Place the plant and the root ball into the center of the hole with water, with the top of the soil around the plant about 1" below the ground level. Fill the hole around the plant with soil, and gently tamp the soil around the base of the plant to keep the plant in place.

Water the plant well, and continue to water it daily for at least a week, and then every few days, (depending on the weather conditions). To minimize the risk of fungal infection due to wet leaves/canes, water around the plants, trying to keep the majority of the water off the plant itself.

If the weather conditions are very dry, continue to water the newly planted raspberry plants every day. One deep daily watering is better than a few "surface only" waterings a day.

Step #6

If you are planting several raspberry plants at one time, space each plant about 1 1/2 feet apart. These are the "mother plants".

Eventually you will notice new growth around these "mother plants". This new growth is often referred to as "suckers".

These suckers will be the plants that will flower and bear the raspberries the following year.

Step #7

You will need to provide a support system for the raspberry plants as they grow.

We find the best method of support for raspberry plants is using a "T-Trellis" System or a Basic Post-and-Wire System. Using one of these two systems will serve to keep the raspberry bushes from sprawling out of bounds and make raspberry picking simple.



T-Trellis Support System for Raspberry Plants

To use the "T-Trellis System":

• Drive 7 ft. posts about 18" into the ground, about 12-15 feet apart.

• Fix 2" or 3" diameter cross bars, 2 1/2 feet long to the end post.

• Stretch parallel wires 2 feet apart between the posts, one wire at 3 feet up from the ground, and another one 5 feet up from the ground. (We use clothesline wire - plastic coated steel wire.)

• If desired, stretch additional wires as cross ties every few feet along the wires.

As the plants grow wider and taller, carefully guide the branches between the parallel support wires.

Suckers which grow too far outside of the raspberry row(s) should be transplanted pruned out or mowed over and removed.

GO to Transplanting/Dividing/Propagating Red Raspberry Plants

Do not allow the raspberry bushes to grow "wild", without guiding them back to the support system.

It is much easier to care for a tidy raspberry patch, and your raspberry plants will stay healthier if the plants are trained using a support system. This organization will help to keep away unwanted pests and disease by allowing propper air flow to the raspberry bushes.

ENJOY Raspberry Gardening!

For more detailed information about growing raspberry plants, here follow links to pages which will be helpful in your berry growing endeavours!

GO to GROWING Raspberry Plants

GO to TRANSPLANTING Raspberries
(Propagating/Dividing Raspberry Plants)

GO to Raspberry VARIETIES

GO to Raspberry Plant CARE
(Fertilizing/Watering/Spraying/Sun Requirements for Raspberry Plants)

GO to HARVESTING Raspberries

GO to PRUNING Raspberry Plants

GO to Raspberry PESTS

GO to Raspberry DISEASES

GO to ORGANIC Raspberries