The sweet, sweet taste of raspberries
Raspberries were much more widely grown in the Nelson region than they are now, with extensive plantings in Tapawera and Tadmor valleys.
There was even a raspberry carnival and special buses used to take workers to Motueka on a Saturday night. The pickers were mostly women and many out-of -town girls ended up marrying a local lad and raising a family.
The raspberry is of the same Rubus family as blackberries , boysenberries and logan berries. Their delicious sweet flavour still keep raspberries at the top of the list of preferred fruits.
Fruiting mainly in December and January, with some varieties also producing fruit in autumn, raspberries are very high in fibre, vitamin C , folate and high in antioxidants.
Planted in autumn or spring when still dormant , raspberries should be set out in an open sunny position at a spacing of about 800mm in rows about 1.8 m apart and you will need about three plants per person.
Nelson is a good climate for raspberries as they need some winter chill to set the fruit. They will tolerate some wind unless it is salt-laden.
The ideal soil for raspberries should be rich in organic matter and definitely well-drained. The plants are fairly surface rooting so raised beds will improve conditions if the soil is a bit soggy.
Mulching will improve the moisture content of the soil in periods of drought when plants need regular watering. A dressing of compost each winter and an application of general garden fertiliser in the spring will help ensure good crops of fruit.
After fruiting the old stems or canes as they are known, wither and die leaving fresh new canes which have suckered that season. The old dead canes should be cut off at ground level, leaving about 10-12 strong new canes per metre of row.
Raspberries are often trained against a supporting trellis or a fence posts and strained wire. Often suckering some distance from the mother plant and mowing between the rows will keep these unwanted growths in check
Fungal diseases can be controlled by spraying when the buds are starting to expand and on dormant canes. Birds, especially blackbirds, are the biggest pest so the covering of the plants with bird netting is essential if you want any for yourself.
Some gardeners grow their crops in a completely covered ‘‘fruit cage’’in order to protect them from the ravages of the local birds.
Traditionally pinkish-red in colour , some modern raspberries are black and golden yellow in colour. The black and yellow forms taste exactly the same as the usual coloured fruits. They should be picked when ripe when the colour intensifies and if not eaten straight away stored in the fridge where they will keep for up to a week.
Do not wash the fruit as this causes them to deteriorate. Raspberries freeze well and you can free flow them by freezing on a tray and then putting them in plastic bags.