The Eco-Garden Project is not only focused on the discovery of plants on the property surrounding my home and studio. It is also a “back-to-the-land” endeavour. Rather that caring for a lawn that is purely ornamental, I’d rather turn it into a source of food.
My first acquisition in 2020 was a red raspberry plant.
At the time, I wasn’t thinking about whether a fruit or vegetable acquisition was a native variety. The point was to grow food. So I purchased this “Everbearing Heritage” cultivar which is most likely a mix of the European and American red raspberry varieties.
I know raspberries can be quite invasive so I did some homework and found that a root barrier can prevent the underground runners from spreading.
So I dug a three-foot hole (which took most of the day since my soil is mostly clay!) and installed the barrier.
I planted these late summer, so I don’t expect to see any fruit until next year. Pleased with my efforts.
And Now for the Science…
Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus). This genus has two main varieties, Rubus idaeus var. idaeus (European raspberry) which is native to Eurasia and Rubus idaeus var. strigosus (American red raspberry) which is native to a large part of North America. These two cultivars, or a cross of both, are typical of commercially grown raspberries.
TAXONOMY
Sources: North Carolina State Extension Gardener, Wikipedia
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