How to Grow and Cultivate Wild Raspberries in Your Backyard

Maybe you remember the tasty raspberries you ate from the wild as a kid. Or maybe you know raspberries as the source of the purple stains on your children's hands, clothes, and mouths. Growing and cultivating these wild raspberries is really simple. Here is what needs to be done in order to improve crop
yield and restore order to a berry patch.

What area is best for growing raspberry plants? They prefer a mostly sunny to partially shaded area that is on the moist side but not sopping wet or bone dry. They will grow almost anywhere, but adding organic matter and fertilizer will greatly improve the yields. An area off to the side would be ideal for the plants if the image is a matter of concern, as raspberries can look a little ugly at times. But then again if you really pride yourself in all the food that you grow, then the purple or sometimes yellow raspberry canes can be complimentary to the landscape.

The first step is to procure the wild raspberries. Do you have raspberries growing wild in the backyard? Or does a friend or relative have some growing? Wild raspberries are easy to spot, just look for arching, purple vines that are thorny. Wild raspberries grow from two to four feet high, then arch over and sometimes root into the earth.

There are five varieties of berry plants you may encounter in your searches. Red Raspberries have purple-red canes that arch but are generally more upright. Red raspberry bears red berries in June, however yield is thin and the berries don't always fill out. I would recommend a cultivated variety if you are looking to grow red raspberries. Black Raspberries have the arching purple canes. This is the most common variety of raspberry and it bears black berries prolifically in early summer. The third type of wild raspberry plant is a variety of raspberry that looks like a black raspberry with orange berries. This plant has the yellow canes throughout the winter, which turn to purple in April.