Fruit Tree Planner

Brandywine is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, jam, and freezing, but skip it if you want the firmest, most transportable berry. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Jewel is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, this is one of the richest-tasting options. Choose it for fresh eating, premium jam, and the best-flavored black raspberry on the market, but skip it if you want extreme cold zones below zone 4 - Jewel is not as cold-tested as some older selections. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Bristol is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, this is one of the richest-tasting options. Choose it for fresh eating, jam, baking, and any use where the unmistakable black-raspberry flavor is the point, but skip it if you want to mix red and black raspberries for cross-pollination - black and red raspberries do not cross-pollinate; black varieties need a same-species companion. It usually ripens around mid to late June, earlier than most of the others shown.

Josephine is sweet with light acidity and aromatic lift, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, this is one of the sweetest and richest picks. Choose it for fresh eating, farmers markets, and large impressive summer berries, but skip it if you want extreme cold zones - Josephine is rated to zone 4 and less tested in zone 3 than Boyne or Nova. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Latham is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for cold gardens that need a dependable crop regardless of soil quality or neglect, but skip it if you want the best eating quality - Latham tolerates poor conditions admirably but modern varieties like Killarney or Joan J surpass it on flavor and size. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Nova is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the firmest choices, so it handles baking, slicing, or holding its shape better. Choose it for cold-climate gardens (zones 3 to 5), u-pick operations, and mixed plantings where thornless canes are valued, but skip it if you want the boldest possible flavor - Nova is reliable and mild, not intensely flavored like Boyne or Bristol. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Anne is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for adding variety to a raspberry planting, children's gardens, and two distinct flavor profiles from one plant, but skip it if you want the heaviest possible fall harvest - Anne's two-crop habit means smaller individual flushes compared to a dedicated fall-only primocane variety. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Autumn Bliss is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the firmest choices, so it handles baking, slicing, or holding its shape better. Choose it for Pacific Northwest gardens, early fall harvests before Heritage, and UK-influenced home gardens, but skip it if you want very cold winters - Autumn Bliss is better proven in zone 6 to 9 Pacific Northwest climates than in extreme continental cold. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Boyne is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for zones 3 and 4 where most raspberries struggle; jam, juice, and fresh eating where intense flavor outweighs size, but skip it if you want large, firm, shippable berries - Boyne is cold-hardy and intensely flavored but small and soft. It usually ripens around mid to late June, earlier than most of the others shown.

Caroline is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, farmers markets, and anyone who wants a better Heritage with bigger sweeter berries, but skip it if you want zone 3 gardens where Heritage's proven cold hardiness gives it the edge in the coldest winters. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Fallgold is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating, children's gardens, and pairing with Heritage or Caroline for a colorful mixed fall harvest, but skip it if you want the highest possible yield per plant - Fallgold produces reliably but not as heavily as Heritage or Caroline on a per-cane basis. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Heritage is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, jam, and freezing from late summer through frost; the go-to standard fall-bearing variety, but skip it if you want the largest possible fall berry or the earliest fall start - Caroline and Autumn Bliss beat Heritage on size and earliness respectively. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Joan J is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for a completely spine-free fall raspberry experience with premium berry size, but skip it if you want zone 3 reliability - Joan J performs best in zones 4 to 8 and is less tested in extreme cold than Heritage. It usually ripens around early July to mid August, later than most of the others shown.

Killarney is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the firmest choices, so it handles baking, slicing, or holding its shape better. Choose it for fresh eating, u-pick, and mid-climate gardens where disease resistance and reliable crops matter, but skip it if you want extreme cold zones where Boyne's hardiness is the only option, or a very large firm berry. It usually ripens around mid to late June, earlier than most of the others shown.

Prelude is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating, early-season jam, and gardens where getting the first raspberry of summer is the goal, but skip it if you want a high-volume fall harvest - Prelude's main crop is a brief early-summer burst; the fall primocane crop is light. It usually ripens around mid to late June, earlier than most of the others shown.