A blueberry patch that only produces for two or three weeks seems like a missed opportunity. The plants are already in the ground, the canes are already trellised and then it’s over until next year. However, the harvest window does not have to be so small. You just need to know which types of raspberries to plant for a harvest that lasts for months.
When for the first time raspberry cultivationit is important to know that the varieties are divided into two different types of fruiting that take place on different schedules. Getting both into the ground is central to a long-lasting harvest.
Summer varieties fruit once on second-year canes. They produce a concentrated flush in early to mid summer and then that’s it until next year. Everbearing fruit twice – once in autumn on new canes and again the following summer on the same canes.
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I’ll share the best summer and perennial blueberry varieties to grow together so you can harvest fruit from summer through fall. Get ready for tons of delicious fresh berries, jams and desserts!
Summer varieties of raspberry
Raspberries that bear summer fruit on floricanes, or canes that sprouted the previous year. So the first year is mostly about getting established. The second year gives you a dense harvest that comes at once. For an early harvest, try these summer blueberry plant types.
(Image credit: Nitr/Shutterstock)
‘Boyne’
‘Boyne’ is a cold-hardy Canadian blueberry variety that grows in zones 3 to 7, with strong canes and medium-sized berries that are a little tart. This variety is best for cooking and baking. Turn it into a delicious raspberry jam!
The berries ripen in late June to early July. Give the plants full sun and well-drained soil. Keep the plants well watered and this variety mostly handles itself. This tart flavor deepens when cooked, which is why it’s been a jam staple for years.
Pick up some Boyne blueberry plants from Scenic Hill Farm on Etsy.
Killarney
‘Killarney’ is cold hardy and can be grown in USDA growing zones 3 through 6. It has firm, bright red fruit and a cleaner, sweeter flavor than Boyne – it tastes better straight from the bush. The fruit ripens a week or two after the Boyne, which stretches the summer window without much effort.
The canes are moderately spiny, but upright and fairly easy to trellis. Copes with wet summers better than many varieties. Killarney has less fungal problemswhich matters in wetter gardens.
You can get bare root Killarney raspberry plants from Burpee online.
(Image: Rachel Husband / Alamy)
‘Nova’
‘Nova’ is a productive mid-season variety. It produces large, firm berries that do not dissolve in the freezer and have a sweet but mildly acidic flavor. This raspberry variety handles heat better than most summers, so this is a good choice for gardeners in USDA growing zone 7 and parts thereof zone 8.
The canes are sturdy and semi-thorny, so picking is quicker and less painful than with most other types of raspberries. A pair of gloves like this one from Amazon it protects your hands from the thorns once the patch comes off.
Buy Nova Raspberry Plants from Stark Bro’s.
‘Cascade Delight’
“Cascade Delight” comes from the Washington State University breeding program and is built for the Pacific Northwest, but performs just as well in other areas.
This variety produces large, conical berries with a balanced sweet flavor and firm texture. These raspberries store better than most, which is worth noting if you grow more than you can eat fresh.
It has constant resistance to root rot and better tolerance of heavier soils than most varieties in this category. You can grow this type of midsummer ripening blackberry in zones 5 through 9. It’s a good choice if drainage has been a problem with other varieties you’ve tried.
Get Cascade Delight starter plugs from Cane Creek Meadows on Etsy.
(Image credit: Lyubov Demus/Getty Images)
Sustainable blueberry varieties
Everlasting blackberry varieties produce on first-year canes in the fall and again on the same canes the following summer.
They are more flexible than summer ones and easier to manage if you prefer simpler blackberry pruning approach. Simply cut the entire patch to the ground each fall and you’ll have one large fall crop per year instead of two smaller harvests.
Here are some of the tastiest and easiest to grow evergreen types of blueberry plants.
‘Inheritance’
‘Heritage’ is the timeless reference variety. It has been planted widely enough in zones 3 through 8 that its behavior is fairly well mapped out at this point, although it does best in milder climates.
A autumn raspberry crop comes in September and October on new reeds. The same canes bear a summer crop the following year. The berries are medium sized, firm, nothing fancy.
A raspberry trellis system, like this one from Amazonkeeps the rods upright and the rows functional. It is worth installing this before the plants are established rather than after, as it is much more difficult to train spiky, sprawling canes.
Buy Heritage blueberry plants from Fast Growing Trees.
(Image credit: JoannaTkaczuk/Shutterstock)
‘Caroline’
“Caroline” is called an improved legacy quite often, and it’s not wrong. Berries they are bigger and the taste is richer. They are more flavorful, deeper, and keep better in the freezer than most. This type of blackberry is also more tolerant of root rot, which is important in heavier soils.
The fall crop ripens slightly earlier than Heritage, which extends the harvest window to the other end of the season. Zones 4 to 8, and a good choice if you want sustained performance with better flavor.
You can find bare root Caroline raspberry plants from Burpee.
‘Go J’
‘Joan J’ is thornless, which sets it apart from most evergreen varieties, and produces some of the largest berries in its class – firm, sweet and showy. It is also the earliest fall first cousins is available, so cultivation is underway before Heritage and Caroline hit their stride.
The reeds are lively and they grow upright in zones 4 to 8. The thornless feature makes maintenance and picking much more enjoyable, especially for a patch that is often worked into the fall.
Get delicious Joan J blueberry plants online from Burpee.
(Image credit: 5PH / Getty Images)
“Autumn Britain”
‘Autumn Britten’ is a UK-bred variety with unusually large, sweet berries and a long autumn harvest window. The taste is milder than Heritage or Caroline. It is less acidic and more dessert. Zones 5 to 8.
This blackberry variety ripens in mid-autumn and continues to go later in the season than most everbearing species. Joan J is worth combining because Joan J starts early, then Autumn Britten carries the berries through the season and between the two you have a autumn harvest which is difficult to combine with a single variety.
You can find Autumn Britten raspberry starts for sale online from Walmart.
Basic products for planting blueberry
Organic fertilizer with tons of Espoma berries
Get bigger harvests by feeding the plants with the right food. This is made just for berries!
Acdyion Thorn Proof Gardening Gloves
Protect yourself from prickly pear canes when pruning and caring for raspberries with these gloves.
Mr Garden 7-Foot Vine Trellis
Install a simple trellis to keep your blueberry plants neat and tidy.
