Raspberry

These shrubs frequently require support. They are resistant to frost. Shoots of certain varieties have spikes. Flowers are white, small and fragrant. Most often, raspberry fruits are red, however they can be also yellow and black. Raspberries prefer permeable soils (they are not tolerant to flooding); if manured and watered appropriately, they can grow even on sands. The plants prefer sunny areas. They produce a lot of rhizomes.

There are two main types of raspberry depending on the fruit-bearing period: varieties which bear fruit in summer (in July) and so-called autumn varieties which bear fruit from August until the first frost. In summer raspberries bear fruits on two-year-old shoots (during the first year the plants grow shoots which form flower buds in the following year). Every year raspberries of the autumn type produce new shoots at the ground level which bear fruits in the same year.

The fruits are great for making desserts and preserves. They are excellent when raw and great as preserves. They have been used for treating colds for a long time. Fruits are rich in pectin, sugars and acids.