Raspberry Lowberry Baby Dwarf - Rubus idaeus

The Lowberry Baby Dwarf Raspberry is the smallest variety on the market, reaching a height of 50 cm at maturity, with very short internodes. It is ideal for container planting and for harvesting at a child's height, as well as for creating a low hedge. Baby Dwarf bears fruit on both the current year's and the previous year's canes, so from the second year onwards, it produces from June to October. Its fruits are small, aromatic and sweet, with a hint of acidity. They appear after a decorative and nectar-rich white flowering in late spring. Hardy and resistant to diseases, it is easy to grow and requires little maintenance, just give it a sunny position on a humus-rich and acidic substrate.

Rubus idaeus, commonly known as the Raspberry, is native to Europe and temperate Asia, and belongs to the Rosaceae family, like strawberries, blackberries, and wild roses. In its native habitat, it grows in cool climates in association with plants such as rowan, elderberry, or beech, with which it forms a symbiotic relationship. Optimal production starts from the third year after planting. The lifespan of the raspberry plant is about ten years. Two categories of raspberries can be distinguished: remontant varieties that provide a harvest from July-August until frost, and non-remontant varieties that have a bountiful harvest around June-July.

Rubus idaeus Lowberry Baby Dwarf is part of a range of small fruit trees and is certainly the smallest among them. It is not a high-yielding variety, but rather one to enjoy tasting on the plant for several months. It forms a bushy and very compact shrub of 50 cm in all directions. Its deciduous foliage is borne on upright canes. The canes of this variety are annual and biennial, ensuring a very remontant character. It is self-fertile but combining it with other varieties of raspberries will enhance production by staggering harvests and diversifying tastes and culinary uses. The Raspberry leaves are green on the top, whitish-green and downy on the underside. The flowers are very nectar-rich. The white, 1 to 2 cm diameter flowers, are grouped in small clusters of 10 to 12 from April-May until August. The fruits are composed of small clustered drupes, easy to detach when ripe.

The small size of the Baby Dwarf Raspberry allows it to be grown even in a planter or hanging basket on a balcony. In a small garden, it takes up little space and delights children, who can pick the fruits themselves. You can also create a small edible hedge in the vegetable garden, spacing each plant 60 cm apart. This remontant variety offers the advantage of staggered harvests for many delicious pickings. The Raspberry is a delicate fruit that needs to be carefully picked, it can be lightly rinsed with water and it keeps better in the refrigerator. Harvesting is easy and it is very enjoyable to taste the fruits on the spot, or to pick them for various culinary uses: sorbets, coulis, jams, tiramisu, crumble, not to mention the traditional raspberry tart. Low in calories, but rich in minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron), vitamin C and K, fibre, and antioxidants, raspberries, like other small fruits, contribute to a balanced diet.