Incorporating berries into backyard landscapes is an excellent way to support biodiversity while adding a sweet, edible harvest. Many berry crops grow well in Alberta, including saskatoons, haskap berries, strawberries, and raspberries. This article focuses on raspberries because they are well suited for prairie gardens, produce generous yields with proper care, and are a practical choice for home gardeners.
Did you know there are two types of raspberries: primocane and floricane? Primocane raspberry varieties fruit on first-year shoots and can be fully pruned back. Floricane raspberry varieties produce vegetative canes in the first year and fruit the following year, so they must be selectively pruned.
Here are a few tips to help your raspberries thrive:
- If disease is present in raspberry canes, remove and burn the affected canes in late summer or early fall. If disease is not present, leave the canes until the following spring and prune them then.
- When pruning canes, leave about nine to ten sturdy canes per meter.
- Canes with winter tip injury can be pruned back to live wood during spring pruning.
- New canes should not be pruned back after July 1st, as new growth after July 1st may not harden off properly for winter.
- Fertilize raspberry rows in early spring.
- Reduce winter injury by protecting raspberries from prevailing winds.
- Withhold watering from mid-August to late fall, then give one final watering after the leaves have dropped to help prepare raspberries for winter.
For more information on raspberries, please see this Raspberries in Alberta Factsheet and this University of Saskatchewan resource.
References:
Government of Alberta. (2016, December). Raspberries in Alberta. Agriculture.alberta.ca; Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. open.alberta.ca
University of Saskatchewan. (2025). Raspberries: Grow with USask. gardening.usask.ca
