Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) make a suitable fruit crop for gardeners within U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 4 to 8, since they require a climate offering moist, somewhat cool conditions. Most commercially available raspberry shrubs are propagated vegetatively, but gardeners can successfully grow the plants at home using fresh seeds. Seed-grown raspberry plants possess the same potential for fruit production as those grown from cuttings, but with more variable results in the abundance and quality of the fruit. Nonetheless, it is a simple and effective means of creating a new shrub when fresh cuttings are unavailable.
1Place fresh, ripe raspberries in a mesh colander. Set the colander in a sink. Crush the berries against the side of the colander while running water over them.
2Pick out the tiny, light-brown seeds from the crushed flesh. Drain the raspberry seeds on a sheet of paper towel while you prepare the planting container.
3Fill a 2-inch-deep nursery tray with sterile, low-nutrient seed-starting compost. Spray the compost liberally with a water-filled spray bottle until it feels moist throughout.
4Space the raspberry seeds 1 inch apart on the surface of the seed-starting compost. Press the seeds firmly onto the surface of the compost with your palm. Cover them with a very thin layer of medium-grit sand.
5Place the nursery tray outdoors in a ventilated cold frame that stands against a shaded, north-facing wall. Leave the tray under those conditions for the winter months to cold stratify, which will break the seeds' dormancy.
6Maintain light moisture in the seed-starting compost with the water-filled spray bottle. Avoid letting the compost dry out for longer than a few hours since very dry conditions sometimes cause raspberry seeds to go dormant again.
7Remove the nursery tray from the cold frame in spring once daytime temperatures reach 60 F. Place it on a garden bench under light, dappled shade. Continue to water whenever the compost feels dry.
8Watch for germination four to six weeks after removing the nursery tray from the cold frame. Transplant the raspberry seedlings into individual 4-inch pots filled with potting soil once they grow to 1 inch in height and produce a set of mature leaves.
9Grow the young raspberry plants under dappled shade for their first summer and in the ventilated cold frame over the winter. Transplant them into a sunny or partially shaded bed with mildly acidic, draining soil the following spring after soil temperatures warm to 60 F.
Things You Will Need:
- Mesh colander
- Paper towel
- 2-inch-deep nursery tray
- Seed-starting compost
- Spray bottle
- Medium-grit sand
- Cold frame
- 4-inch pots
- Potting soil
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