On the canes of the raspberries, thorns of different lengths form in the leaf axils, depending on the variety, soft or hard. When picking raspberries, the spikes can be quite annoying. There are now some raspberry varieties that hardly have any thorns.

Plant raspberries without spikes

The spines of the raspberry plants are much softer than those of blackberries. However, they still interfere with harvesting. Scratched hands and arms cannot be avoided when picking the thorn-resistant raspberry varieties.

Some people are even allergic to being touched by the thorns.

Raspberries without thorns have been on the market for a number of years. You can obtain thornless summer raspberries, autumn raspberries and two-timer raspberries from specialist retailers.

Thornless summer raspberries

  • “Glen Coe” - purple fruits
  • “Framita” - dark red fruits
  • “Glen Ample” - red fruits
  • “Balder” - dark red fruits
  • “Borgund” - bright red fruits

Thornless autumn raspberries

  • "Autumn Amber" - apricot-colored fruits
  • “Alpengold” - yellow fruits
  • "Tulameen" - red fruits, almost thornless, early variety

Popular two-timer breed "Sugana"

The "Sugana" variety has become one of the most popular varieties in recent years. This is because it grows very upright, bears twice a year and is suitable for pot planting.

The spikes were almost completely bred away in "Sugana". Only very small remains are still present on the rods. But you can hardly feel them when you pick them and they don't hurt your skin.

Tips for picking spiked raspberries

If you grow old raspberry varieties in the garden that have many thorns, you should protect your hands and arms from scratches when picking.

Wear long-sleeved outerwear. Solid materials that the thorns cannot easily pierce are well suited.

Gloves made of soft rubber material not only prevent you from scratching your arms when picking. The hands stay clean too. Disposable gloves are practical because they can be easily disposed of after harvest.

tips and tricks

Newer breeds of raspberries have another advantage. Their fruits often only have very soft and small seeds, which are not so annoying when eating. However, most thornless and seedless cultivars are not quite as aromatic as the old varieties.

Category:

Vegetable garden