Autumn Bliss®

History

Autumn Bliss was developed in Kent and released in 1974.

More about raspberry canes

Raspberries are easy to grow and by choosing a mix of different varieties you can enjoy fresh raspberries throughout the summer and autumn.

The key to success with raspberries is the simple once-a-year job of pruning the canes correctly. There are two main types of raspberries, summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting. Summer-fruiting raspberries fruit on canes which are two years old (known as floricanes), typically from June to August. Autumn-fruiting raspberries fruit on canes which are one year old (primocanes), usually from August to October. In fact they can also fruit again the following summer (as floricanes) so you can potentially get two crops per year, but if you want an easy life it is better to let autumn-fruiting raspberries fruit just once a year.

For summer-fruiting raspberries you remove the second-year floricanes altogether once the fruiting has finished in the summer. Then look for the new one-year primocanes and thin them out to leave the strongest. These will go on to fruit the following year. It is a good idea to prune the longest-primocanes in spring as well, to encourage branching.

With autumn-fruiting raspberries all you need to do is cut all the canes down to ground level in late winter. If you just want to get started with a few raspberries, the autumn-fruiting ones are easier.

Raspberries will grow in most situations but do best in full sun in well-drained slightly acidic soils. They are hardy and can be grown throughout the UK, and are well-suited to the UK climate.

Raspberries can be planted about 50cm-60cm apart in rows 1m-2m apart. It is best to install posts at the end of each row and run a couple of wires along the row, this helps the canes to grow upwards rather than trailing on the ground. A good row of raspberries will provide enough fruit for fresh raspberries in season. If you want larger quantities for jam-making then you might need several rows. It is also worth extending the season by planting separate rows of summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting varieties.

Raspberries are a healthy fruit, they have high levels of Vitamin C and dietary fibre, and the anthocyanin pigments which give raspberries their bright colours are a good source of anti-oxidants, including ellagic acid.