Topic: Autumn Raspberries

[Crystalmoon]

Hi everyone, I am new to growing Autumn Raspberries....mine are still producing flowers & lots of fruit. This is their first year. I was wondering when I should be cutting them back for Winter & also how low do I cut the canes back? Is it right to the ground level? Thanks   

[johhnyco15]

i cut mine back yesterday as close to the floor around an inch  or two will be fine i cut mine back with hedge shears  as i have a lot id leave them until the quality of the fruit starts fall hope this helps

[Crystalmoon]

Thanks so much Johhny xjane

[tricia]

I wait till the canes have lost their leaves - easier to see what you are doing and the fallen leaves act as a mulch along the row, which in my garden is alongside a low wall.

Tricia 

[daveyboi]

The RHS suggest you cut back in February but also it seems you can get a dual crop from these as well which is something I did not know until now.

See their advice at https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile?pid=148

Does anyone do this to get a summer and autumn crop from the same plants?

[Crystalmoon]

Hi Tricia, mine still seem to be growing new leaves & flower buds so will let them get on with it for now.

Hi Daveyboi, yes that's what I read about them & why I decided to get Autumn ones instead of Summer. This is their first year so I will cut them back hard but next year I will try to get a double crop from the most robust of them.

[caroline7758]

I get so many from August to November- I think if I got a second crop I might actually get sick of them- there's only so much jam you can make!

[squeezyjohn]

As I have more autumn raspberry plants than our family can eat I did an experiment this year and pruned half like summer raspberries (leaving last year's fruiting canes standing up to the height of the support while treating the other half like regular autumn raspberries and cutting them to the ground.  As hoped the summer pruned ones produced early flowers from the buds and gave a decent summer harvest before also making a smallish autumn crop on the new shoots that grew from the ground this year.  Meanwhile the other half treated as autumn raspberries gave a bigger crop all in the autumn!

It may not work for all varieties but it's a good way to spread the harvest out over a longer period if you have too many canes to eat from.