Raspberries in United States

Three main types of raspberries: red, black and purple. The purple varieties have been produced by cross breeding the red and black varieties. Raspberries grow on canes the second year after planting, and since the canes produce fruit only once, they must be pruned each year.

The European varieties of the cultivated raspberries, black and purple raspberries was early brought to America by colonist from Europe, and prior to the middle of the nineteenth century was the only raspberry commonly cultivated in this country, as many as sixty-seven varieties being described in 1867. Raspberries are grown over most parts of the United States, but they are sensitive to both extreme heat and extreme cold. Therefore, in certain areas, the plants may need some type of protection from extremes of weather.

Because of their delicate structure, raspberries must be handled carefully during their harvest and processing. They are generally harvested into shallow trays, to prevent crushing, in which they are transported to the plant.

North America produces 16% of the red raspberry tonnage in the world. The United States has about 11,000 acres, mostly in Washington State, but significant production also occurs in Oregon and California.

The only countries reporting significant acreages of black raspberries are China and the United States from a total world production of 485 tons from 1350 acres. In 2014, California, Oregon and Washington produced a combined total of 8.28 million pounds of black raspberries
Raspberries in United States