Raspberry and Blackberry Types

Varieties  Regional Adaptation  Raspberry, June-bearing Red to purple fruits ripen all at once in early summer on spiny arching one-year-old canes. Provide trellis or grow plants on a fence.

Early-ripening ‘Prelude’ has great flavor, but later-ripening ‘Lauren’ is even sweeter.

Easy to grow in any climate with cold winters. Canes hardy to at least minus 15 degrees; hardiness varies with variety.

Raspberry, black, early summer-bearing Black fruits ripen over a three-week period in early summer on thorny arching canes. Grow on a fence, or manage as a thicket.

‘Jewel’ is often more productive than wild strains. All are choice berries for making juice and wine.

Best in the Appalachians and Midwest, which are the native ranges of this species. Hardy to minus 15 degrees.

Raspberry, fall-bearing Red, purple or yellow berries ripen from late summer to frost on upright spiny canes. They require minimal trellising and tolerate partial shade.

‘Royalty,’ ‘Autumn Britten’ and other varieties need little maintenance; simply cut them back to the ground in late winter.

Plants bear on new growth, will grow in warmer climates with limited winter chilling. Winter hardy to minus 20 degrees; hardiness varies with variety.

Blackberry, summer-bearing Glossy black berries ripen in summer. Grow on a fence or trellis, or manage as a thicket. Many varieties lack thorns.

Thornless ‘Triple Crown’ produces bumper crops, even when pruned to a pillar.

Not as cold-hardy as raspberries, but they’re easy to grow where temperatures seldom dip below minus 10 degrees.

Blackberry, fall-bearing

Glossy black berries ripen in fall on upright spiny canes. Require minimal trellising.

Two new varieties, ‘Prime-Jim’ and ‘Prime-Jan,’ represent this blackberry type.

Plants bear on new growth, so they are minimally affected by extreme winter cold or late freezes. Hardy to at least minus 20 degrees.

To learn more, see Growing Raspberries and Blackberries.