Raspberries are a real culinary delight. But how do you know without trying whether they have already developed their sweetness and are ripe for picking?
the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is one of the most popular summer fruits with its strong colors and refreshes on hot summer days with its sweet-fruity taste. The special thing about raspberries from your own garden is that they can be picked when they are optimally ripe, when they develop their full flavor. We'll tell you how to recognize raspberries that are ripe for harvest.
The harvest time of the raspberry differs depending on the variety. While most summer raspberries can be harvested between the beginning of June and the end of July, the harvest of the fall raspberries can extend from mid-August into autumn. So-called “Twotimer” raspberries usually produce a smaller amount of fruit in both summer and autumn. For both summer and autumn raspberries there are early, mid-early or medium late and late varieties. Depending on the course of spring and the weather conditions, the harvest of the early ripe summer raspberries begins around the end of May to mid-June. The late-ripening summer raspberries only bear fruit a little later. The procedure for autumn raspberries is the same. From the early autumn raspberry varieties such as 'Autumn Bliss', ripe raspberries can be harvested from August, depending on the course of the year.
The later autumn varieties, which should be protected from the autumn rainfall with a rain roof, sometimes only ripen in September and sometimes until October. If you have a large garden available and you can create it skillfully, you can grow some plants of all varieties and thus supply yourself with the delicious raspberries from June to autumn.
An overview of the various Raspberry varieties You will find here.
When are raspberries harvested?
Because the ripening time of raspberries is strong, regardless of the variety, depending on the weather conditions can fluctuate, it is unfortunately often not possible to refer to the general dates for the harvest leaving. It is better to find out the perfect time yourself. In general, it can be said that raspberries are ripe when they can be easily removed from the bush without much pulling or crushing. After all, you want to harvest the raspberries without involuntarily producing raspberry juice.
When raspberries ripen, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- Strong and even color of the berries
- Raspberries are easy to remove from the bush
- There is a slight scent of raspberry
If all of these points apply, then you can trust yourself to try some raspberries from the bush. If the raspberries taste aromatic and sweet, then the first specimens are probably ripe for picking. There are of course differences in taste: some of the most popular varieties tend to have sweeter fruits and some varieties have a balanced sweet and sour taste.
Tip: The size of the raspberries does not determine whether the fruit is ripe or not. After all, the size depends mainly on the raspberry variety as well as the water supply and the pruning measures of the plant.
When the first raspberries are ripe for harvest, a certain greed for the sweet, long-awaited fruits is easy to understand. Still, be patient and only pick the fruits that come off the bush easily. The others will taste even better in a few days.
Tip: The right soil is essential for a rich and aromatic harvest. We recommend the Plantura Organic tomato & vegetable soilthat is not only peat-free and sustainable, but also optimally nourishes your berries.
