When to harvest Raspberry (autumn-fruiting) in the UK
Raspberry (autumn-fruiting) is planted rather than sown from seed, so the dates below are harvest dates.
Harvest dates by region
Raspberry (autumn-fruiting) shows the same dates across the whole UK, so every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Harvest |
|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early August to mid October |
| South Coast and Channel | early August to mid October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early August to mid October |
| South East and Home Counties | early August to mid October |
| East Anglia | early August to mid October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early August to mid October |
| Wales and West Coast | early August to mid October |
| Northern England | early August to mid October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early August to mid October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early August to mid October |
| Northern Ireland | early August to mid October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early August to mid October |
Growing notes
The easiest raspberry for a small garden: it fruits in its first year, from August often into October, and needs only one simple prune in February. Support is useful but a short row can be grown free-standing.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 50 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 175 cm
- Plants per m²
- 2
- Yield per plant
- 1 kg
- Eventual height
- 150 cm
- Eventual spread
- 60 cm
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 30 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 40 cm
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Pruning: what to avoid
Cut ALL canes down to ground level in February; autumn raspberries fruit on canes grown the same season. Do not prune them straight after fruiting like a summer raspberry, and do not leave the canes standing in the hope of a bigger crop unless you are deliberately double-cropping.
Pruning group
autumn-fruiting raspberry
Bare-root season
Bare-root stock is lifted and sold while dormant, from early November to late March. Container-grown plants can go in at other times of year, but bare-root is cheaper and establishes well.
How long until it crops
Expect the first worthwhile pick about 1 year after planting, and a productive life of roughly 10 years.
What usually goes wrong
- raspberry viruses
- raspberry beetle
- grey mould
- birds
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for raspberry (autumn-fruiting).