A sunny day

It's been a dreary, cold & rainy week. It was fun to go out and dig potatoes today and see this sunny reminder of summer still holding on.

Raspberries

Raspberries are definitely a jewel in my garden. They are also a great example of how I have come from being a totally clueless gardener to well....I guess a slightly less clueless gardener. I still have much to learn but the successes keep me going.

First raspberry attempt: Latham- A spring bearing variety. They had a few berries on them in their third year (last year) but I'm not impressed. We will probably give them one more year to prove their worth. The plant remained small for the first three years. I trimmed it to the ground last year (knowing that it would not produce this year). It really grew this summer so we will see if there are berries next year.

Autumn Britten- Awesome! It is "everbearing". We trim it to the ground in the fall and it produces large amounts of berries starting in early August. They are huge and have the classic sweet with a hint of tang raspberry flavor. This is our second year and it produced lots for fresh eating, giving away and winemaking as well. We are still picking a fair amount and will until a hard frost. The quality deteriorated slightly in September (a less tender texture) but the taste is still quite good.

Jaclyn- We planted these last spring. They have not performed as well as the Autumn Britten did in their first year but I have high hopes for them. They are also an "everbearing" variety. The plants are small and the production has been quite low but the taste is excellent. They produce a dark colored, sweet berry. They are my husband's favorite. I miss the tart flavor raspberries usually have. These are more candy-like (in my opinion). I enjoy them but most will go to my husband if they do well next year.

Unfortunately we are running out of room for berry bushes. I'd love to plant more. Maybe it's time to look for a bit of land!