Raspberries are certainly one of my own favourite fruits, and I recommend them as a great choice for many UK gardens. When you choose the right location to plant them, choose the right varieties, and care for them correctly, you can enjoy harvesting and eating them over a long period of time – potentially from early June right through to the end of October.
If you have never grown raspberries before, it is important to understand the different types and varieties. So today, we’re going to take a look at some of the best raspberry varieties that you could consider to grow in your own garden.
Before we look at specific named cultivars to grow, it is important to understand the two main types of raspberry that can be chosen. These are broadly categorised into summer-fruiting raspberries, and autumn fruiting raspberries.
What’s The Difference Between Summer-Fruiting Types of Raspberries & Autumn-Fruiting Types of Raspberries?
Summer fruiting raspberries are raspberries that produce berries in the middle of summer. These bear their fruit on the previous season’s growth (on second year canes known as floricanes).
Autumn fruiting raspberries can fruit either later in summer or in autumn. These raspberries bear their fruit on the first year canes, or primocanes – on the growth of the current season.
Which option you choose won’t only impact when you can expect to harvest the fruit, but also certain elements of their care – especially pruning.
So when choosing a raspberry or raspberries to grow, it is important to determine which ones you are looking at, and which type you ultimately choose.
If you have the choice, I would highly recommend that you consider growing both summer fruiting and autumn fruiting types, and ideally, to be able to harvest raspberries over as long as season as possible, grow early, mid and late season summer-fruiting raspberries and some autumn raspberries in your garden.
I grow several different raspberries in my own garden, and also harvest wild raspberries that grow naturally here before I get any of the planted crops – even allowing some to grow in my polytunnel. What are polytunnels?
This means that I can enjoy raspberries over a long season, and also have some to preserve for use over the rest of the year. Without much space, I can grow enough raspberries to eat them all year round.
7 Best Raspberry Varieties For The Summer
First of all, let’s take a look at some of the most popular and highly regarded summer-fruiting raspberries that you might consider:
1. Malling Jewel
A great choice for a relatively early raspberry crop, Malling jewel is prized not only for its early fruiting but also for its delicious and reliable flavour and the abundance of its berries. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
2. Malling Admiral
This is a somewhat later raspberry which crops heavily with firm, red, well-flavoured berries between late July and mid-August. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
3. Glen Ample
One of my own favourites for mid-summer cropping, Glen Ample is a spine-free option which reliably produces an abundant harvest. It has good disease resistance and tends to bear well regardless of the weather conditions. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
4. Glen Magna
A vigorous late-summer cropping raspberry with large and well-flavoured fruit, this variety keeps producing over a long harvest period. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
5. Glen Moy
This is also a great choice for an early-summer harvest. It produces an abundance of large, robust berries and is resistant to many diseases.
6. Glen Rosa
The fruits of this cultivar, produced around mid-summer, are relatively small, but have great flavour. This raspberry plant also has the benefit that it is free from spines and has good disease resistance.
7. Tulameen
This is another delicious raspberry for a mid-summer harvest. It is prized for its resistance to mould, as well as having few spines on the plant. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit
4 Best Raspberry Varieties That Fruit in Autumn
Either in addition to or instead of summer fruiting raspberries, you might also consider these autumn-fruiting raspberry varieties which are also said to be among the best choices for UK growers:
1. Polka
This is a variety of autumn-fruiting raspberry that comes from Poland. It is known for its high quality fruit, and for the abundance of the harvest. The huge berries produced have an average weight of over 6 grams. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
2. Autumn Bliss
One of my own favourites, autumn bliss is a great autumn-fruiting raspberry. It produces lovely big berries on canes that are largely self-supporting. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
3. All Gold
This is an interested yellow raspberry variety that fruits on the primocanes (the canes of the present year’s growth. This is my pick if you want a yellow raspberry, and the berries are very sweet. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
4. Joan J
Another variety with which I have seen good results, Joan J is known to be a reliable variety. Its berries are abundant, large, juicy and sweet. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
As well as the above, if you love raspberries, you might also be interested in growing a range of related hybrid berries, such as Tayberries, loganberries, or boysenberries, for example.
In addition to considering different typical Rubus idaeus raspberries to grow, you might also consider other Rubus, including a number of species known as groundcover raspberries. Rather than being grown up supports, these raspberries trail along the ground. Options including Rubus tricolor, for example, can be great for groundcover in a forest garden, or another shady spot.
Explore the Best Raspberry Varieties
Fancy growing raspberries yourself? Try our complete guide on how to grow raspberries.
With so many varieties of raspberries to choose from, it’s not always easy to decide which ones are right for you. However, with the right dedication and care, you can grow raspberries in next to no time and use your raspberries for a variety of needs. Check out these raspberry recipes for more insights.
FAQs
What is the best raspberry flavour?
The “best” raspberry flavour can vary depending on personal preference, but many consider varieties like ‘Heritage’ and ‘Brandywine’ to be particularly flavorful, offering a good balance of sweetness and tartness.
Is Caroline raspberry better than Heritage?
The preference for Caroline versus Heritage raspberries can depend on specific tastes and growing conditions. ‘Caroline’ raspberries are known for their deep flavor and large, firm berries, while ‘Heritage’ raspberries are favored for their reliability and consistent production of sweet, mildly tart berries. Both have their merits, and the better choice might hinge on whether flavor intensity or berry productivity is more important to you.
Sources
BBC Good Food. (2020) Raspberry Recipes. [online] Available at: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/raspberry-recipes [accessed 23/07/24]
