Plant dessert first this spring

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

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Say "fresh from the garden" and most people think vegetables. But what about dessert? For a dependable, delicious, delightful contribution to home garden fare, plant raspberries this spring.

Besides their excellent flavor, raspberries are a nutritious food, contributing vitamins A and C to the diet. In addition, raspberries contain a natural substance called ellagic acid, which is a cancer-preventing compound. Fresh raspberries are also low in calories - one cup of berries contains about 60 calories, and raspberries add fiber to the diet.

The best way to have a successful raspberry patch that will produce for up to a decade is to start with disease-free plants and soil well-mixed with organic matter. Raspberries also need adequate drainage.

Do not establish a raspberry patch in an area recently planted with tomatoes, peppers or potatoes to avoid verticillium wilt, which these vegetables can carry, and raspberries can catch.

Harrison Hughes, professor of horticulture at Colorado State University, recommends fall-bearing plants to avoid pest problems like crown borers and stem girdlers. The canes of these plants should be cut to the ground and removed in late fall so that insect pests have no place to spend the winter.

For red raspberries Hughes suggests the varieties Heritage, Redwing, Dinkum and Autumn Bliss. For yellow raspberries, Fall Gold appears to be the best choice for local gardeners. Its downside, however, is that it fruits late and can be damaged by frost.

Black and purple raspberries, as well as blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries and dewberries, require special winter protection and are not recommended for Colorado.

"Raspberries should be grown in an area protected from the wind but not shaded," Hughes said. Raspberries also like sandy loam soil and light, frequent watering.

Hughes likes to start with bare rootstock by soaking the roots in a bucket of water at least an hour. Once in the ground, he cuts the stems back to one or two buds above the soil. This gives the roots a chance to establish themselves so they can pull water into the plant as it grows.

Raspberries, Hughes explained, are native to areas with higher humidity and cooler temperatures, so they require a little more care in Colorado.

Raspberries can be successfully grown at elevations up to 8,500 feet. Gardeners should plan on relocating their patch every eight to 10 years and planting fresh stock.

The optimal soil pH for raspberries is 6.2 to 6.8, Hughes said. This is best accomplished by adding organic matter to the planting bed. Iron chelate is another good soil amendment, but expensive, Hughes said. He uses 1 pound per 1,000 square feet.

Gardeners should maintain soil fertility with a spring application of 4 pounds of ammonium sulfate and 2 pounds of treble super phosphate per 1,000 square feet. The fertilizers should be scattered among the canes and cultivated into the soil.

Red raspberries are commercially propagated by rooted suckers. Plant them in the spring, 2 to 3 feet apart in rows 5 to 10 feet apart, depending on the width of cultivating equipment. A frugal gardener, however, can plant just one potted raspberry and it will spread several feet in all directions within a few years. Suckers should be thinned to 6 inches.

By the third year, a 25-foot hedgerow of red raspberries should yield 15 to 20 pounds of fruit per year under optimum conditions. After this, productivity will decline.

Once a raspberry patch is producing more fruit than a gardener can eat while picking, the juicy morsels can be used in almost any berry recipe. Fresh berries on cereal are a good way to start the day.

Raspberry yogurt is another healthy idea that helps one avoid the overly sweetened commercial product. Simmer 1/2 cup raisins in 1/2 cup of apple juice for 5 minutes. Cool raisin mixture and puree in blender with 1/2 cup raspberries and 1 cup of yogurt. Stir in another 1/2 cup of berries and 2 more cups yogurt. This recipe from University of Missouri Extension makes about 5 cups.