We live in southern Minnesota and want put some raspberry bushes in the backyard, being new to gardening should we wait until next spring or could they establish themselves well enough during the hot summer months to survive the winter without expert attention?
If you even thought about raspberry bushes, they’ve probably already taken over your yard, and are coming for your house. And they can’t be stopped.
A year ago I was very proud of myself for having eradicated the chocolate mint I planted a decade ago.
This year I have discovered new chocolate mint in the yard, far from where it was.
It was strawberries for me. The delicious fuckers go everywhere.
You win the internet for today, my friend!
I already planted mint right in the ground like a maniac. Maybe raspberries are next?
May as well go for the trifecta and throw in some bamboo, or kudzu.
Oh no delicious berries will overtake the invasive ugly European grass! Whatever will I do!?! 🙄
I love having raspberry bushes, but having them take over an entire yard is nightmare material. They are thorny, grow fast and choke out everything except the mulberry basal shoots. They would be near impossible to elliminate except by killing everything and starting over.
Hateful thorns change minds. Give it a season.
Thornless varieties exist
That is not what I was talking about lol
Lol to this, because it’s partially true, but also a bit defeatist.
You need to stay on top of berry bushes quarterly in warmer zones, but this person is in Minnesota. I don’t think they’ll thrive their like they would in warmer zones without harsh winters.
If farms can keep them in check, regular gardeners can as well, it just takes a fair amount of effort.
Even in colder climates with snowy winters, you need to trim berry bushes regularly to prevent them spreading too much.
As someone in Minnesota, they thrive here just fine. I grow mine in the yard and mow down any that grow where I don’t want them, which seems to keep them in check.
You don’t see the root systems choking off anything adjacent? Genuinely curious.
Not really, no. There’s grass around them and among them, so they seem to be fitting in well.
Mine up in Canada grow like bloody weeds, harsh winters don’t do much to them, they are hardy as fuck.
I actually wouldn’t mind planting some myself in my new property here in Northern Maine. I would really be inclined to do it in some kind container though. I’ll have to look up how they do in such a scenario.
Raspberries do not respect containers. They will escape.
If you have a wooded edge of your property, I’d plant them in the ground there. That’s what they like; they won’t grow up in the woods, and if they pop up elsewhere you can cut them down.
Oh that’s good! I have SO MUCH of this lol.
Best time to plant raspberries was few years ago and the second best time is right now.
Early spring is when you want to plant raspberries. Planting this late runs the risk of them not establishing a good root system before they have to deal with the winter. Here is a page from your local cooperative extension covering the whole life cycle:
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-raspberries-home-garden#seasonal-checklist-331661
I like using the cooperative extensions pages because they’ll usually have more applicable local knowledge.
Depends on the part of MN you are in. I’m in New England, zone 5B. MN ranges from zones 3-5. You can plant them now, but may or may not get any fruit from them before this year’s frost. Some varieties fruit twice in a growing season, some don’t, and new plants rarely produce in the first season.
I planted a single small cane in my front yard 3 years ago. I got nothing in year 1 because I planted it in September/October. Next season I got some small canes and a few berries. Last year I got more berries and a couple more canes. This year the canes are finally coming up full height, and I’m expecting a pint or more berries in late summer. I get a couple snacks each day I check my garden.
My intent is to break up my front yard into a fruit forest/garden, since I hate mowing crab grass and hate the concept of a mono-culture grass-only front lawn. It never grows like that anyways, so I embrace the diversity.
If you let the others in this thread scare you about them “taking over” or being too thorny, just know you can always prune (or dig), and there are varieties that are less thorny.
I’m in 4b. What fruits are you considering? I am of the same opinion on lawns, except for maybe a small patch in the front yard in front of the house. I’ve got loads of room for fruits and veggies though.
So far I have raspberries, a cherry tree, and a peach tree. I also have a blueberry bush in a container.
You can plant most raspberries anytime you can get a shovel into the ground but they likely won’t produce much this year even if they are potted and big. If you plant in the summer, you will have to water them if it is hot or dry though. Some raspberries sucker out and some stay in place. Buy a couple that sucker and you will have dozens more. If you buy one that doesn’t sucker you will have to work to propagate more of them from the original plants but it can be done.
What’s your source of canes? If they’re free from a neighbor/friend and you can get more later, and the only thing you have to lose is water and effort, then give it a shot. If I were paying for them I would wait for when they are dormant in the fall/early spring.
Just go for it, try to water them during any dry/hot spells. If you can’t commit, then wait until early fall.
The downside is that only canes which leaf this year will bear fruit next year.
Look into a greenhouse. Pretty sure cheap versions with plastic will do just fine - assuming they can handle some snow on top without breaking
Also consider a MN native berry bush. Pretty sure there are a bunch you haven’t thought about or knew existed.
