Everbearing (Primocane) Raspberry Varieties
An everbearing raspberry fruits on primocanes, the canes it grew this same season, and that one trait changes how the whole planting is managed. Summer-bearing types carry their crop on last year's canes, which must survive the winter and then be picked out from the new growth at pruning time. A primocane type can simply be cut to the ground every late winter: no winter injury to worry about, no pruning decisions, no overwintering cane borers, and a clean fall crop from August until frost.
The cost is timing. A fall crop needs a long enough season to ripen, and the latest varieties here, Nantahala above all, want a Southern autumn. Heritage is the benchmark and the one every extension guide starts with; Caroline is the better-flavoured successor with more root-rot tolerance, and that matters because Phytophthora root rot is what kills raspberries on heavy ground. Double Gold and Crimson Night, both Cornell releases, carry real resistance to it. Anne and Double Gold are the golden ones, Niwot the only primocane black raspberry, and Bababerry the low-chill pick for hot, mild-winter regions. Every one of the 9 is self-fertile. Sorted by the first month each one fruits.
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| Variety | Ripens | Zones | Chill hrs | Disease resistance | Notes | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bababerry | June-July, again Sept-Oct | 6-10 | 200–400 | good; heat- and sunburn-tolerant | large, firm, sweet berries; good freshA low-chill raspberry (developed in California) for hot, mild-winter regions; give it afternoon shade to prevent sunburn. Everbearing habit and exact chill figure are not well documented. | Browse growers |
| Crimson Night | Late June floricane crop and September primocane crop | 4-8 | — | resistant to Phytophthora root rot and common leaf diseases | conical, glossy, very dark red berries; firm and juicyA Cornell primocane red with red-tinted canes, ornamental enough to sit in a mixed border or a large container, and root-rot resistant. Stays compact in the north. No sourced chill figure. | Browse growers |
| Niwot | Late June floricane crop and late August primocane crop | 5-8 | — | — | very large glossy black berries with very small seedsThe only primocane-fruiting black raspberry there is, so it is the one way to get a fall black-raspberry crop or to double-crop a black. Bred in Colorado; can fruit in its first fall after planting. No sourced chill figure. | Browse growers |
| Double Gold | July floricane crop and September through frost on primocanes | 4-8 | — | resistant to Phytophthora root rot and common leaf diseases | peachy-gold to coral berries, tender, juicy, sweetA 2012 Cornell introduction and the rare gold raspberry with real Phytophthora root-rot resistance, which is what usually kills gold varieties on heavy or wet ground. Berries are tender, so it is a garden fruit rather than a market one. No sourced chill figure. | Buy $25.99 |
| Caroline | Aug through frost | 4-9 | 200–500 | good; more root-rot tolerant than Heritage but drought-sensitive | large berries with rich, intense flavor; among the best-tasting fall redsBest flavor of the fall-bearing reds and more root-rot tolerant than Heritage, but it needs steady moisture and well-drained soil. Widely adapted, low effective chill (nurseries cite ~200 c.u.). | Buy from $29.99 |
| Heritage | Late Aug through frost | 4-9 | 400–800 | moderate; susceptible to Phytophthora root rot on wet soils, so needs well-drained ground | medium firm berries, mild-sweet; excellent for freezing and jamThe benchmark fall-bearer: mow all canes to the ground in late winter for one easy, reliable primocane crop. As a primocane-fruiting type its effective chill requirement is low; published chill figures for raspberries are inexact. | Buy $39.00 |
| Joan J | Aug through frost | 4-9 | 500–900 | good; vigorous and productive | large, sweet, firm berries — Spine-free canes and heat tolerance make it an easy-picking, high-yield fall raspberry. Primocane-fruiting; chill figure approximate. | Browse growers |
| Nantahala | Very late fall crop, mid-August to early September until hard frost | 6-9 | — | resistant to late leaf rust and leaf spot under minimal fungicide; virus susceptibility unknown | very large, light-coloured berries with intense flavourNC State's first red raspberry release in over 50 years, bred for mountain sites with long seasons, mild summers, and enough winter cold to satisfy dormancy. It ripens later than any standard primocane type, so it needs a long autumn - in a short-season zone the crop simply will not finish. No sourced chill figure. | Browse growers |
| Anne | Sept-Oct | 5-9 | 400–800 | moderate | pale-gold berries, sweet with an apricot note; dessert qualityPrized sweet golden dessert berry; a late-fall primocane type whose canes may need winter protection at the cold edge of its range. Low effective chill; figure approximate. | Buy $25.99 |