How to harvest raspberries quickly and correctly, harvest timing

Young and novice gardeners ask how to harvest raspberries correctly and quickly. The berries have a wonderful taste, and their beneficial properties are well known. This crop also grows in the wild. Raspberries are often found in forests. Wild raspberries are believed to have a richer vitamin content. However, cultivated varieties have no less beneficial properties for the human body.

Raspberry harvesting times

The berry harvest is determined taking into account the variety, growing region, and weather conditions.

Depending on the variety

Raspberries are divided into varieties with different ripening periods:

• early ripening;
• mid-season;
• late-ripening;

They bear fruit once per season. Early varieties begin to ripen in mid-July, mid-season varieties by the end of July, and late varieties in early or mid-August. The bushes fruit for about 20 days.

Everbearing raspberry varieties have also been developed, producing fruit twice a season. Each flush lasts two weeks. Depending on the variety, the first or second flush is more productive.

Depending on the growing region

The ripening period also depends on the growing region. Raspberries are heat-loving plants. Fruiting and ripening significantly increase in hot weather. In the south, harvesting begins in late June. In temperate regions, harvesting continues from late July until the end of summer. In the north, berries are picked from early August until the end of the fruiting season.

Important! Rainy weather slows down the ripening process of berries.

Signs of berry ripeness

The ripeness of the crop's fruits is determined by certain characteristics:

• the berries acquire a characteristic bright crimson color;
• the fruits are easily separated from the stalk;
• Raspberries give easily when squeezed.

The main indicator is color. Many experienced gardeners can easily determine the ripeness of a crop. This requires experience, which is acquired over the years.

How to harvest crops correctly and quickly

For beginning gardeners, there are several rules to follow when harvesting:

• Cleaning is done in dry, sunny weather.
• The best time is in the afternoon, after the morning dew has evaporated.
• In rainy weather, berries are collected in case of prolonged, continuous rains.
• The fruits are removed from the bush with part of the stalk.
• Raspberries must be ripe, as unripe berries will not ripen completely.
• Harvesting is carried out regularly, every 2–3 days. In dry and hot weather, every 1–2 days.
• Rotten and spoiled fruits are thrown away so as not to spoil the entire harvest.
• Wet berries are processed on the day of collection.
• If you keep the stalk, the shelf life will increase by several days.
• Black, golden, and purple raspberry varieties are harvested based on fruit firmness.
• To prevent the container from interfering with the process, it is better to tie it to your belt with a string.
• When examining a bush for fruit, it's worth looking under the lower leaves; the largest berries are usually hidden under them.

Important! It's crucial to pick berries on time. If you pick unripe raspberries, the next harvest won't have time to develop. If you stop picking, the overripe berries will fall off.

Choosing the right container for fruits

To harvest raspberries, you need to choose the right, suitable container. The berries are quite fragile and easily bruised and damaged. This can be prevented by using the right container. Deep containers are not the best option for raspberries, as the fruit will become bruised and begin to leak at the bottom of a bucket or long container. This significantly reduces the shelf life of the harvest.

Experienced gardeners prefer to use wide containers, no more than 2-3 cm high. It's best to prepare them in advance. Suitable containers for this purpose include:

• shallow enamel bowls;
• plastic containers;
• Cake and cookie packaging.

The thinner the layer of berries, the longer they will last. If using a deep container, place a thick layer of cardboard between the two layers of raspberries. This will help save space in the refrigerator and reduce the amount of containers used.

Do raspberries need to be washed?

Raspberries are fragile berries; when exposed to water, they become soggy and runny, turning into mush. Wet berries should be processed as soon as possible. Because raspberries release a lot of juice, they become soft. This facilitates the entry of bacteria, their growth, and subsequent fermentation.

You can rinse a cup of berries before eating. However, you shouldn't soak the entire harvest, especially if you need to preserve it for a while. The berries don't touch the ground, so they won't get dirty. If the plant is located near a road, dust will settle on it. In such cases, it's recommended to rinse the berries before eating and processing.

Duration and storage conditions of berries

Fresh raspberries can be stored in a flat, elongated container for no more than 2-3 days. Store in a refrigerator at 2°C. If a suitable container is unavailable, arrange the raspberries in two layers, then cover with a piece of thick cardboard and repeat the layering.

In the refrigerator, the fruit will keep for 3 to 5 days. During this time, the berries should be sorted daily, removing any damaged or rotten ones.

When one spoiled berry gets in, the entire harvest begins to spoil.

Wet berries picked during or after rain cannot be stored. Such a harvest is processed immediately after picking. The raspberries run, turning into a homogeneous mass. The only way to preserve them is to make jam.

IN frozen raspberries Store for more than six months. To do this, it is crushed and frozen in a labeled container. The name of the crop and the harvest date are indicated.

Many housewives prefer to freeze fruits whole.

It's also a good idea to use sugar for freezing. Blend the raspberries with sugar, then pour into containers and freeze. This will keep for up to 1 year.