With the arrival of spring and the beginning of summer, everyone is looking forward to the ripening of raspberries. This is not only a tasty berry, but also a very healthy one, as even children know, who often ask the question: when will raspberries ripen? Its flowering and ripening depends on the variety and region of growth.
- Fruit ripening time
- When raspberries begin to ripen (table)
- When can you pick berries from early varieties?
- Medium ripening
- Beginning of harvesting fruits from late-ripening crops
- In what months are remontant varieties harvested?
- When do wild raspberries ripen in Russia?
- How to properly pick raspberries from bushes?
- Accessories for quick harvesting
Fruit ripening time
Raspberry is a deciduous shrub that can grow in wild natural conditions on forest edges, in clearings, near the coast, and is also grown in gardens and farms. Some varieties of polydrupe raspberries have been known since the 16th century.
It is divided into several types:
- traditional, multiplies quickly, bears fruit once per season;
- remontant, reproduces slowly, bears fruit 2 times per season;
- large-fruited, the berries are particularly large in size;
- standard, bushes with branched shoots similar to small trees.
- forest, growing near rivers and in forests, the berries are small but very fragrant.
Each species has its own varieties, which have different raspberry ripening times. In Russia, wild raspberries ripen when the temperature reaches more than 23 degrees, starting from the end of June, mid-July, depending on the climate zone.
When raspberries begin to ripen (table)
The growing season for raspberries begins in April, but depending on climatic conditions and the region of growth, the ripening period of the same varieties may be delayed by 5-15 days.
Varieties are classified by age into main and intermediate:
- Basic: early, middle, late.
- Intermediate: mid-early, mid-late.
| Classification of varieties | Period |
| Early | From the 2nd half of June until the end of the month |
| Mid-early | From the 3rd ten days of June to the 1st ten days of July |
| Average | From the beginning to the end of July |
| Mid-late | From the 3rd ten days of July to the 2nd ten days of August |
| Late | From mid-August to first half of September |
Harvesting lasts for 1-1.5 months, after which the biennial shoots dry out or are cut off.
When can you pick berries from early varieties?
The growing season of raspberries begins from April to mid-May, flowering lasts 1.5-2 weeks, late May - early June, after which polydrupes are formed, the ripening of which occurs in mid-June - 1st decade of July. The harvest lasts about 1-1.5 months, until the end of July. The most popular varieties of early raspberries: Solnyshko, Cumberland, Scarlet Sails.
Medium ripening
In raspberry varieties with an average period, the ripening period begins from the first days of May to mid-June, the first flowers appear in the 2-3rd decade of June.
The first harvest of fruits occurs in the 1st decade of July:
- Mid-early: News Kuzmina, Izobilny, Luck, Balm, Ugolek, Hussar, Pride of Russia, Arbat, Yellow sweets.
- Middle term: Brigantine, Latham, Shy.
- Middle-late: Tarusa, Peresvet.
Beginning of harvesting fruits from late-ripening crops
The growing season of late varieties of raspberries begins at the end of June - mid-July, color appears in the 3rd decade of July - 2nd decade of August. The harvest begins from early August to September. Late varieties include: Sputnitsa, Arabesque, cut raspberry.
In what months are remontant varieties harvested?
Remontant raspberries have special ripening periods, which can bear fruit twice during the season. It is also classified by timing, starting with the first fruiting, the second occurs after pruning, the formation of young shoots and flowering after 1-2 months and can last until the first frost.
In the Northern regions, the 2nd fruiting often does not occur due to a sharp change in weather conditions:
- Early: Yaroslavna, Morning Dew, Penguin.
- Mid-early: Lilac mist, Yellow giant, Golden domes.
- Middle: Hercules.
- Mid-late: Diamond, Orange Miracle, Golden Autumn, Bryansk Miracle.
- Late: Kalashnik, Apricot.
When do wild raspberries ripen in Russia?
Summer residents and travelers who explore forest areas are concerned with questions: when can you pick raspberries in the forest, in what month will raspberries in the forest begin to ripen? The harvest of ripe forest raspberries occurs in mid-July and until the end of August; sometimes in September you can find thickets with ripe fruits in the south of the country.
Forest raspberries have a two-year life cycle; in the first year, young green shoots grow with a large number of sharp thorns, light green leaves above, white-green below, slightly pubescent. Flowers form on woody shoots of the second year of life from late June to late July, depending on the region.
On the territory of Russia, common red forest raspberries are widespread in the forest and forest-steppe zones, on the edges of forests, swamps, and river edges.
How to properly pick raspberries from bushes?
To properly pick raspberries and not crush them during transportation, you must follow the following rules:
- The container and hands are thoroughly washed before collection. Raspberries are very delicate, wrinkle and drain quickly, so it is not recommended to wash them. To avoid excess dirt and bacteria, keep your hands and container clean.
- The time for harvesting raspberry fruits depends on the variety; usually after flowering it takes 1.5-2 weeks for the polydrupe to ripen. It is better to collect in dry weather, in the morning after the dew has dried or in the evening, then the berries will drain less. After the first harvest, raspberries are harvested every 2-3 days.
- The container should be shallow, then the raspberries placed in it will lie in 2-3 layers and will be less likely to choke under their own weight.The container is tied to the waist or placed on the ground so that two hands are free. Hold a branch of a raspberry bush with one hand, and carefully remove the berries with the other. The mature one is easily removed, leaving a white receptacle on the bush.
If the place where raspberries are processed is far away or they are going to be sold, then you can cut them off with the stem, but this method is more labor-intensive. Especially if it is collected for processing, you will have to spend time removing the stalk with a white receptacle.
Accessories for quick harvesting
For the industrial harvest of raspberry multidrupes, special combines are used; they work on the principle of shaking the bushes, thanks to rotating mechanisms on which thin rods are attached. A machine crushes the fruits onto a conveyor from both sides of a row of raspberry bushes. For such combines, bushes are planted at a distance of 2-2.5 m and mounted on horizontal trellises. To operate, you need 3 people, 2 assemblers and 1 driver.
This method saves time on collection and the cost of attracting workers. The only disadvantage of raspberry harvesters is their high cost.
Popular models for picking raspberries:
- Oxbo 9120;
- Korvan;
- Natalka;
- Joanna.
To collect berries in ordinary garden plots, homemade devices or manual harvesters, similar to a rake with a box, are used. Processing the bushes with a manual harvester occurs by grasping the bushes with a rake, and light shaking movements knock the berries into a special box.
The timing of raspberry fruit ripening in Russia may vary, especially in the middle zone and in the northern regions due to sudden changes in weather conditions. It is important to choose the right variety and high-quality seedlings for the region in order to obtain a harvest in large quantities and on time.
