[sclarke624]

My Autumn Bliss has fruited nicely and some are blushing with one or two red and ready to pick.  It was gorgeous, sweet, juicy and just nice.  And I don't even like raspberries. 

[Jome]

Wow that's really early, mine haven't even flowered yet. Lucky you!

[Jamie Butterworth]

Sorry to sound realy stupid, but arent they suposed to fruit in autumn And also sclarke, have you seen how many posts you have, 2010, freaky

[mumofstig]

O lucky you!
The flowers on my JoanJ autumn raspberry are just beggining to open, so mine will be a while yet

[DD.]

I've just brought enough back home to make some jam.

It's not a brag, it's due to the fact that owing to illness at the critical time of year, they never got pruned back.

These are off last year's canes and are of far inferior quality to usual, although the taste is fine. Good enough to fuse together in a jar with some sugar though!

[mumofstig]

Raspberry jam...YUM!

Hurry up raspberries

[Livinhope]

I've grown Autumn Bliss for many years and they are supposed to crop twice, once in July and again about six weeks later.

[DD.]

That's odd. I've grown them for quite a few years and this is the first time they cropped twice, (I'm anticipating the later crop) and I know full well it's only because they didn't get cut back.

[PennyS]

That's odd. I've grown them for quite a few years and this is the first time they cropped twice, (I'm anticipating the later crop) and I know full well it's only because they didn't get cut back.

I've got some raspberries put in this year which I was told were autumn and they're all about to ripen now.  So I might get a second crop?  That would be fantastic!  Do I cut back straight after the first flush or have I misread you, DD?

[JayG]

DD's not online at the moment Penny, but hopefully he will agree with this:

Don't cut anything down yet; your summer crop will have been produced on whatever was left of last year's canes, the autumn crop will appear on the new canes which grew this year.

I always leave the strongest 1 or 2 canes on the plants in autumn (the others are cut off just above the soil); it is these canes which will produce next year's early crop (which in my case I have to share with the sparrows!)

This is probably not such a good idea with new plants as they need a season to really establish themselves, but then again if yours absolutely insist.................. 

[DD.]

Just back from the plot, 3 1/2 hrs in already!

That's about it, I assume there were some old canes left in and like mine, have fruited. Hoepfully you also have new growth and it's on this that you should get ther later crop.

Despite getting an earlier crop, I'm still blitzing the lot to the ground at the end of the year. This flush are far inferior to the usual crop and I don't know how they are going to affect the quantity & quality of the normal crop.

[JayG]

Good point, well made DD! 

In the back of my mind (apart from sheer greediness!) is the thought that it might weaken them a bit because they are threatening to take over both my and the neighbour's gardens!

[sclarke624]

ha ha I knew that would start some controversy just like last year.

I cut some low mid winter and leave some, it did tell you how to do this on the RHS site for two crops but it doesn't seem to be on there any more.

Jamie.........if I get me a Tardis I can keep going back to 2010 LOL. hmmmm! but do I want to.