Josephine can fruit alone, but it still benefits from a partner. Red and yellow raspberries are self-fertile and fruit well alone, but a second variety of the same type can improve fruit set and extends the harvest window. It flowers in bloom group mid-summer, which is mid summer, which is worth knowing if you add a second tree later. Usually grown in USDA zones 4-8.
No single variety stands out as the obvious partner, but that is not a problem here: Brandywine, Latham, Nova, Anne, and Autumn Bliss all bloom close enough to work. There are 6 more in the list below. Pick whichever your nursery actually carries. Raspberries are insect-pollinated and self-fertile, so companion plants nearby boost pollinator activity rather than providing essential cross-pollination.
To put that into practice: at a minimum, one plant will produce fruit. For an ongoing bed, plan for at least 3 to 6 plants per person. Better still, mix one summer-bearing and one fall-bearing variety for harvests from early summer through first frost. Any single raspberry variety is fully productive. Poor crops are almost always due to site, pruning, or pest issues rather than pollination.
