Carolina Raspberry

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

4-6 Feet

Mature Spread

4-6 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 8

Everbearing Raspberries are the best kept secret in the fruit garden. They will give you a small crop of berries in the early summer and a full crop later in the summer heading into fall. Caroline is a much heavier cropper than the traditional varieties of everbearing raspberries. It also has giant, juicy fruit that has an intense berry flavor.

Carolina Raspberry will produce fruit in both late June and August from the second year after planting. The sturdy, stout canes need very little staking compared to other types of berry.The plants are very fast growing and produce fruit that stays firm longer than other varieties. Caroline is a good variety for selling at Farmers Markets or keeping in the fridge at home.

Caroline Raspberry Care

The perfect site for Caroline Raspberry will have rich, free draining soil that is on the acidic side. Full sun aspect or shade only early and late in the day. An area where the canes can multiply and spread without bothering other plants. Raspberry canes are very drought tolerant after getting established. Until then, extra irrigation will be needed on a consistent basis. The use of soaker hoses or drip irrigation in the Raspberry bed make regular watering a much easier task.

Pruning Everbearing Raspberries is simple after a couple of seasons. The early fruit grow on the bottom half of the canes from the previous year. Fall is the best time to prune Caroline Raspberry. Cut out completely any canes that are dead. Cut back half the canes that just fruited in the fall. Called Floricanes. Leave any new canes that have grown during the summer. Called Primocanes. 

Caroline Raspberry Spacing

Caroline raspberries will grow quite quickly, needing to have a decent amount of space per plant to send up new Floricanes each year. The overall width and height of Raspberries are 4-8 feet. If planted in a raised garden bed that is 4 foot x 8 foot, 4 plants will fill the bed. Plant the canes 4 feet apart, center on center.