Cutting back raspberry canes, time to cut out old wood on rapsberry bushes

Now is a good time to cut back the summer fruiting raspberries that have finished fruiting. Do not cut back the Autumn fruiting rapsberry canes yet, this is important as if you do you will be reducing your crop.

Looking at the raspberry canes that have finished fruiting on my plot I can see that there are two sorts of canes growing. The first sort are the ones that have produced fruit this year, they are the ones that look 'woody' (1) and the leaves are less fresh and green looking, beside them are this years new shoots they are the second type.

Summer fruiting raspberries will produce the fruit next year on these nice new fresh canes, they need to get the sun to them (if we ever get any).

This means that if you cut out the old fruited woody canes (1st type 1. described above ) back to the ground then the light and air can get to the new canes which will help you get a good crop of raspberries next year, looking forward to that already. 

However we are not without raspberries for all of those months in between, because in the Autumn time my Autumn fruiting raspberry canes will be providing me with bowls full of delicious raspberries, which are delightful with ice cream, cream or yogurt. you can make them into a compote with other fruit if you wish and raspberries go well with lots of other fruits.