Raspberry plants (Rubus idaeus) are a rewarding addition to a home garden, offering fresh fruit with relatively straightforward care. These perennial plants produce fruit on biennial canes and are resilient across a wide range of climates, making them a popular choice for gardeners. Finding the right source for your plants is the first step toward a successful harvest, with options ranging from local garden centers to specialized mail-order nurseries.
Identifying Local Retailers and Nurseries
Purchasing raspberry canes locally allows for immediate inspection of the plant’s health and provides access to varieties already adapted to your regional climate. Specialized, independent garden centers are often the best local source, as their staff can provide detailed, localized advice on the best cultivars for your specific soil and growing conditions. These smaller operations typically source their stock from reputable growers, focusing on quality and disease-free plants.
Big-box stores and general retailers also stock raspberry plants, usually in the spring, offering a convenient and often less expensive option. However, the quality can be variable, and the selection is generally limited to the most common, widely available varieties. Farmers’ markets or local plant swaps can sometimes offer unique or heirloom raspberry starts, which have the benefit of being propagated from plants already established in the community.
Navigating Online and Mail-Order Suppliers
Online and mail-order suppliers offer a significantly broader selection of raspberry cultivars than most local retailers, including less common types like black (Rubus occidentalis) or purple raspberries. This purchasing method is particularly beneficial for gardeners seeking specific traits, such as thornless canes or varieties with unique flavor profiles. Specialized nurseries often ship dormant, bare-root stock during the late winter or early spring planting season, which is the optimal time for establishing new canes.
When ordering online, it is important to be aware of agricultural regulations, as the shipment of plants is governed by state-specific rules designed to prevent the spread of pests and diseases. Many states, for example, require incoming nursery stock to be accompanied by an official inspection certificate from the state of origin to confirm the plants are disease-free. Reputable mail-order companies will adhere to these phytosanitary requirements, but a gardener should always check their state’s department of agriculture website for any specific quarantine restrictions before placing an order. The primary trade-off for this vast selection is the risk of shipping stress, which can sometimes delay the plant’s establishment in the garden.
Choosing the Right Plant Form and Fruiting Habit
Raspberry plants are typically sold in two forms: bare-root or containerized, with the choice affecting cost, planting time, and transplant success. Bare-root canes are dormant plants shipped without soil, making them lighter, less expensive, and ideal for large plantings. These must be planted while they are still dormant, generally from late autumn through early spring, and have a higher chance of drying out if not planted promptly.
Containerized, or potted, plants are more expensive but can be planted virtually year-round, as they experience less transplant shock due to their intact root ball. Some potted plants, however, are simply bare-root stock that was recently potted for retail display, so examining the root system can be helpful. Beyond the physical form, gardeners must select a fruiting habit, which dictates the harvest schedule and pruning method.
The two main fruiting habits are summer-bearing (floricane) and everbearing (primocane). Summer-bearing varieties produce their fruit on floricanes—canes that grew the previous year—resulting in a single, concentrated harvest in the early to mid-summer. These canes require specific pruning after fruiting to encourage new growth for the following season’s crop.
Everbearing varieties, also known as fall-bearing, produce fruit on the tips of the current year’s growth (primocanes) in the late summer or fall. These plants can also produce a smaller crop on the lower parts of those same canes the following summer, a practice called double-cropping. Primocane varieties are generally easier to manage because the canes can be cut down to the ground each winter, simplifying pruning and helping avoid certain pests or diseases.