Clockwise, starting bottom left: Tulameen raspberries 1) in my garden mid-July, 2) swimming in homemade ice cream, 3) sharing counter space with a pint of golden raspberries and 4) calling me to breakfast in the company of cream and sugar.
It may be our ‘gift’ of cloudy skies or the loamy soil kindly left behind by thousand of years of glaciers not staying put, but whatever it is the Pacific Northwest is berry country–a region so well-suited to growing cane fruit, that my blackberry hedgerow is an impenetable wall, formidable enough to block deer and puncture tractor tires. On the kinder, gentler side of berry genetics is the raspberry, an upright cane tame enough for an urban garden and delicious enough that one berry is ample reward (every ten seconds).
What’s the best raspberry to plant? My favorite variety (hands down) is Tulameen. It grows in a clumping fashion, has minimal thorns and produces berries the size of cherries that yield to a gentle pull when harvested. They keep and freeze well, but in my kitchen lack of willpower keeps them a stranger to cold storage. They seem just as delicious on ice cream as on whipped cream as on your palm awaiting to be plucked up and popped into your mouth. If your garden is missing Tulameen raspberries, you’re missing an opportunity for a juicy summer treat.
29 responses so far ↓
1 Linda // Mar 3, 2009 at 3:31 am
Those raspberries so delicious, and easy to pick. I can almost taste them as I look at the pictures. They have a distinctive sweet taste all their own. The combination of ice cream, raspberries, amd short bread was alittle slice of heaven. I can’t wait till summer.
Enjoy !
2 Annette // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:29 am
Thanks for posting this. I was researching fruit & berries to grow in Seattle when I checked in with you and saw this – perfect timing!
3 Eileen // Mar 3, 2009 at 2:35 pm
What beautiful berries! I remember on my only visit to Oregon many, many years ago, the incredible berries in the farmers markets. I am jealous…
4 Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener // Mar 6, 2009 at 1:52 am
they look so good. How long do they produce for you? How many plants do you have?
I need to check that cultivar to see how it might fare on the East coast. I do not remember hearing it before.
5 Tom // Mar 6, 2009 at 2:37 am
According to my photo records they start as early as June 22 and go for about a month, tapering off at the end of July. I have 20 plants and they clump nicely with about 5 canes per clump and the canes reach up to 6-7 feet if not trimmed. I’d give them a try if you have a place with real good drainage.
6 Easter Wears a Slicker // Apr 13, 2009 at 12:55 pm
[...] do bring May flowers. Not sure what May, June and July showers bring. Oh wait , I do; glorious berries. The good news is we broke a rain record yesterday and still had a glorious day and spirited easter [...]
7 JanaB // Jun 1, 2009 at 3:36 am
where can you buy plants that will get past CA Ag?
8 Dan D // Jul 22, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I so agree! Just picked a bowl myself. What a great site you have here Tom! Beautifully done but that’s really no surprise to me. I’m just beginning to enjoy your writings here and I’m sure I’ll find it a great resource when I finally get an orchard going. Stay well!
9 michael // Dec 9, 2009 at 5:16 pm
i have just recived tulameen raspberrys,for the first time,iv planted them on my allotment,do i cut them down,to around 6inch,or leve them at the hight of 6 ft
10 tom | tall clover farm // Dec 9, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Hi Michael, I’d just trim them to about four feet and make the cut just above the closest bud.
1. You’ll get fruit off of that cane in the coming season as well as new shoots.
2. At the end of the season when dormant, cut this year’s producing canes to the ground, as they are dead wood.
3. Trim the new season’s growth (again when dormant) from 3-4 feet.
4. From the buds will emerge new 1-2 foot shoots and small flowers that will produce the berries for the coming season.
Bottom line: trim out dead wood and very light pruning on new wood.
11 Marline Zee // Feb 1, 2010 at 3:53 pm
My sister lives in Gig Harbor, WA and bought some Tulameen raspberries a few year ago. She loves their ease of care. (She just turned 78.) However, I live in the middle of Missouri (Lake of the Ozarks) and I’m not sure if Tulameen would make it through the hot summer. What do you think? If not, can you recommend the same type of raspberry for this area? Thanks.
12 Tom // Feb 2, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Hi Marlene, good question. Raspberries and serious heat and humidity aren’t well suited, generally speacking. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try. I’d check with your local nursuries and see what they recommend. This time of year they are likely to stock inexpensive bareroot raspberry canes that are chosen with your climate in mind.
Here’s some great information and some suggested varieties from Missouri State University: Growing Raspberries in Missouri and also from the University of Missouri: Fruit and Nut Cultivars for Home Planting
Then again, you also have the option of visiting your sister in early to mid-July, just about the time Tulameens are ready for picking…and eating.
13 Houseplant Clivia: Tough as Nails, Pretty to Boot // Feb 27, 2010 at 4:51 pm
[...] What I was blogging about one year ago: Raising Canes: Tulameen Raspberry a Juicy Choice! [...]
14 Sustainable Eats // Jul 4, 2010 at 6:52 am
Tom, why do you trim the new season’s growth? and OMG they are amazing. I am completely sated. In life. Just these berries, me and a pint of whipping cream in my house slippers. I’m out there for about an hour each day in complete heaven. I planted 30 canes. I’m picking a colander a day right now. Neighborhood kids are raiding, neighbors are raiding, my son is selling and I could care less. I’m thinking of ripping out the rear lawn and planting more. I could just sit here all summer, eating Tulameen raspberries…kids be damned. Wipe your own bottoms, I’m busy in the berry patch…
15 Tom // Jul 4, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Hi Annette (Sustainable Eats), I wait until the canes are dormant and about a month before the buds swell, say around February or March around here. I was finding canes got top heavy and would break at the base in heavy rain or wind. Because I use minimal trellising (something I may have to change) I found by trimming off the top of the new cane by a foot or two would send out more vigorous shoots from the remaining buds. I found the best berries were shaded by the cane leaves and this created a lush canopy–and also hid some of the berries from snitching birds (and neighbors). Loved your comment and your raspberry glee!
16 Tom’s Top Ten Reasons to Grow Raspberries // Jul 24, 2010 at 3:57 pm
[...] Okay, so I went over with my alotted top ten, but I assure you once you start growing raspberries, you’ll be adding to my list. By the way, my favorite variety for the Puget Sound area is Tulameen. [...]
17 Late Season Raspberries: Falling for Fall Gold & Caroline // Oct 7, 2010 at 6:38 pm
[...] window for my Tulameen raspberries is all too brief, so brief in fact that my sister plans her visits based on picking time. (And [...]
18 Jean // Jan 28, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Hi, Tom,
Is there any chance Tulameens will grow in high desert plateau regions if they are watered daily? We live in Reno and would like to try these here.
Thank you!
19 Tom // Jan 29, 2011 at 8:16 am
Jean, I think that would be a real stretch for a plant that loves cool weather and mild winters. You may get a few berries at first but I doubt the plants would thrive in you climate and eventually die off.
20 One Green World Nursery Delivers the Goods // Feb 19, 2011 at 1:00 pm
[...] Gold and Caroline raspberries are pictured above, and I also recommend Tulameen for an earlier crop of equally large, sweet [...]
21 Pruning Raspberries: Gardening’s Who’s on First? // Mar 8, 2011 at 9:50 am
[...] Raising Canes: Tulameen a Juicy Choice! [...]
22 Bonjour Monsieur Cyrano de Raspbergerac // Aug 20, 2011 at 7:41 am
[...] can’t finish off the week without one more nod to a produce proboscis. With the last of my Tulameen raspberries gracing but a few stems, I felt the need to have one also grace the end of my nose; and thus Cyrano [...]
23 Mary Lou // Aug 30, 2011 at 6:48 pm
I am in zone 5 and just purchase Tulameen raspberries. Should I wait until it cools off to plant these plants or should I plant them now. It is still around 90 degrees here. I have other berries there that were given to me in the spring. They are not making it so I need to pull them out.
24 Tom // Aug 30, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Hi Mary Lou, I would plant them now and keep them well watered. Let the soil dry a bit between watering, but only a day or two. Raspberries like good drainage. I would mulch over the crowns too, to keep them insulated over the winter. Good luck these as you know are my favorites.
Tom recently posted..Preserving Tips: How to Thicken Jam
25 ptn // Oct 13, 2011 at 9:57 am
I planted Tulameen two years ago. Last y ear I did not get any berries. This year I have many long canes, but only got less than a dozen berries. The foliage looks great, but fruitless. They are in the coolest spot in the yard-not fully shaded but the patch is surrounded with shade at different times of the day. My Autumn Brittan are giving me lots of big berries; they are right next to the Tulameen. What could be my problem? Would pruning the canes encourage blooming? Thanks for any help you can give me.
26 Tom // Oct 13, 2011 at 10:01 am
Hi ptn, I remove the dead canes and prune the fruiting canes in the late winter to about 4-5 feet high. I do find it promotes bigger better berries in my opinion. Give that a try. Good Luck! And maybe thin out a few shade branches so they get a bit more sun.
27 Tom // Oct 13, 2011 at 10:02 am
PTN, by the way, where are you growing these raspberries?
28 ptn // Oct 13, 2011 at 10:44 am
Sorry. I meant to say that. We live about 45 minutes north of Salt Lake City and just west of Ogden, Utah. Our summers are usually hot, but this year was a mild summer with more rain than usual. We do have drip irrigation for our garden & the shade is from a nearby peach tree and shrubs to the south in the neighbor’s garden. Thank you for your reply.
29 Tom // Oct 13, 2011 at 11:44 am
ptn, then I don’t think it’s the shade. I’d just prune them to 4 feet high and mulch with some compost (but not on the crowns of the plant, around them instead).
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