Raspberries are a highly desired fruit crop, and their popularity in home gardens and commercial fields often leads to questions about their growth cycles. A common point of confusion for growers is determining whether a specific cultivar, such as the widely grown ‘Meeker’ red raspberry, will produce fruit in a single summer harvest or throughout an extended season. Understanding a raspberry’s fruiting habit is the first step in successful cultivation, directly influencing the necessary pruning and care regimen.
Meeker’s Classification: The Direct Answer
The ‘Meeker’ raspberry is definitively a floricane-fruiting variety, meaning it is not everbearing and is classified as summer-bearing. It develops a single, large crop of fruit each year, typically ripening during mid-summer (June and July). This cultivar relies on a two-year cycle, requiring canes to overwinter before bearing berries, resulting in a concentrated, heavy harvest.
Differentiating Raspberry Fruiting Habits
Raspberry cultivars are categorized based on the cane that produces the fruit: primocanes (first-year growth) or floricanes (second-year growth). Floricane-fruiting varieties, often called summer-bearing, produce fruit exclusively on floricanes. These canes emerge one year, develop vegetatively, fruit, and then die back the following summer.
In contrast, primocane-fruiting varieties are commonly referred to as everbearing. They produce a crop on the new primocanes during the late summer or fall of their first year. These canes can then survive the winter and produce a smaller, second crop the following spring, effectively yielding two harvests over two seasons. The ‘Meeker’ variety follows the floricane-fruiting pattern, focusing energy on a single, robust crop on mature, second-year canes.
Specific Pruning and Care for Meeker
Since ‘Meeker’ is a summer-bearing variety, a two-part pruning schedule maintains productivity and plant health. The first step occurs immediately after the mid-summer harvest: all floricanes that have finished fruiting must be cut completely down to the ground. These canes will not produce fruit again and can become a source of disease or pests.
The second step involves managing the new primocanes that emerged during the current season. These young canes will become next year’s floricanes and should be thinned out during the late winter or early spring dormant season. Select approximately eight to twelve of the strongest, most vigorous new canes per linear foot of row, removing all others.
This thinning ensures adequate sunlight and air circulation, which is crucial for disease prevention and maximizing fruit set. Because ‘Meeker’ canes can grow quite tall, reaching six feet or more, a permanent trellis system is required to support the heavy fruit load and keep the berries off the ground.
Why Meeker Remains a Top Choice
Despite not being everbearing, ‘Meeker’ remains a highly valued cultivar, especially for processing fruit. The berries are prized for their excellent, classic raspberry flavor, described as sweet and aromatic. This superior flavor holds up well when frozen, canned, or made into preserves, making it ideal for long-term storage.
The cultivar delivers heavy yields of large, dark red berries. Developed by Washington State University, ‘Meeker’ was bred to withstand mechanical harvesting, indicating the fruit’s firmness and durability. Although it requires careful management for root rot, the plant is generally vigorous and provides a reliable, high-quality crop.