Organic Raspberry Willamette - Rubus idaeus

The 'Willamette' Organic Raspberry is a non-perpetual but productive and rather early variety, which offers a quantity of small, dark red, firm and fragrant fruits. The plant is vigorous, undemanding, resistant to diseases, and easy to grow in many regions. Planting is done from October to March, for a generous harvest from mid-June to mid-July. The raspberry, Rubus idaeus in Latin, thrives in a well-prepared garden soil, loosened and enriched, remaining fresh in summer.

The Organic 'Willamette' Raspberry produces small, dark red fruits, firm and fragrant. To fully enjoy their flavour, raspberries should be consumed quickly after picking, as they do not keep well. If you have a abundant harvest, consider making purees, sorbets, tarts or jams. You can also freeze them. Production reaches its normal level in the third year after planting. One plant can produce fruit for several years, around 10 years.

The 'Willamette' variety is a cultivar originating from Canada. It is vigorous and suckering. It is a non-perpetual variety. Indeed, there are remontant varieties, producing in June on the previous year's branches and then from August to October on the current year's branches, and non-perpetual varieties with abundant harvest around June-July.

The Raspberry is a deciduous shrub with upright stems, forming a bush of about 1.50m (5ft) in all directions over time. The stems or canes are biennial, each having the peculiarity of dying after fruiting. From its roots emerge suckers every year, new canes armed with small, slightly prickly prickers. The Raspberry bears green leaves on the top, white-green and tomentose underneath. The flowering is very nectariferous. The white flowers are small (1 to 2cm in diameter), grouped in small clusters of 10 to 12, and appear in April-May. The fruits are formed of small agglutinated drupes, easy to detach when ripe.

The Raspberry belongs to the Rosaceae family, like strawberries, blackberries and wild roses. The wild raspberry is native to Europe and temperate Asia, where it grows in cool climates alongside elderberry, beech or rowan, especially in mountainous undergrowth, but also in plains.