Heritage Red Raspberry

Species: Rubus sp.

History: Heritage raspberries were developed by Cornell University in New York and introduced in 1969. It is one of the most widely grown raspberry varieties in the world due to the quality of its fruit and its extended bearing season. This variety is considered the standard for everbearing varieties and in 2004 it even received the Outstanding Fruit Cultivar Award from the American Society of Horticultural Sciences.

Why We Grow It: On top of the accolades mentioned above, these medium-sized red berries can also be harvested within the first year! You can enjoy them fresh or in baked goods, or freeze, dry, or preserve them to enjoy in the winter months. We find these to be sweeter than Nova, but with a milder flavour and slightly crumbly texture. You can cut down the canes in the winter for a large fall crop, or enjoy a more spread out crop from June to September. We have found cutting the patch down annually also helps with borer problems.

Canadian Hardiness Zone: 2

Soil Preference: Loam and sandy loam, prefers soils that are moist but well-drained

Growth Habits and Disease Resistance: Canes get about 1m tall, vigorous and hardy with an upright and spreading growth habit. Generally disease resistant.

Class: Primocane, this is an ever-bearing variety which produces fruit on the first and second year growth

Thorns: Yes, fairly prickly

Sun/Shade: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

Pollination: Self-pollinating, this variety will produce fruit without a different raspberry variety but will produce more and better fruit if one is present    

Bloom Colour: White

Ripens: June to September

Storage: Keeps less than a week when stored in the fridge

Recommended Use: Fresh eating, freezing, baking, drying, preserving

Height Above Soil Line: 30cm+

The second product photo shows Nova (right) compared to Heritage (left).