Watch: How to Plant Bare-root Raspberries

1. Keep the plants moist and cool until ready to plant. Wrap roots in damp newspaper and store at 35 to 50 degrees in a plastic bag.

2. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for up to one hour just before planting.

3. In a 3-foot wide raised bed, prepare the soil by adding compost and eliminating all weeds. Make holes 2 to 3 feet apart down the center of the bed.

4. Trim broken and extra-long roots with sharp, clean hand pruners.

5. Spread the roots out in the hole.

6. Hold the plant so that the uppermost root will be covered by about a half-inch of soil and fill the hole.

7. Prune the canes to 4 to 6 inches above the ground. New shoots will grow from the roots.

8. Press soil firmly with hands, making a shallow basin.

9. Water thoroughly to settle the soil.

Photos: Ann Whitman

Last updated: 01/04/2023