Rubus idaeus 'Prelude' (Early-season)
Prelude Raspberry, Summer-bearing Raspberry, Early-season Raspberry
- Main interest:
- earliest ripening summer red raspberry, very good flavour, occasionally everbearing
- Exposure:
- full sun to partial shade
- Soil humidity:
- moist soil
- Flower colour:
- white
- Fragrance:
- Non-fragrant
- Flowering period:
- May
- Foliage:
- green
- USDA Hardiness:
- zone 4a: -34.5 °C (-30 °F) View Zone Map
- Mature height & width (max.):
- height: 6 ft (1.8 m) width: 5 ft (1.5 m)
- Use:
- fruit production, edible garden, fence, trellis, low hedge, patio, container, foundation, specimen
Prelude Raspberry (Rubus idaeus 'Prelude') is a vigorous, hardy, summer-bearing raspberry and early-season raspberry selection with strong, self-supporting canes. It is self-pollinating; and the earliest fruiting raspberry variety for the East Coast and Great Lakes regions. Mature plants will reach up to 6' tall with a 5' spread. It is intolerant of wet soils, which can cause root rot.
Prelude Summer-bearing Raspberry plants feature their first crop of fruits in mid-June to early July. It could also be considered as "Everbearing Raspberry" as it occasionally set fruit on the new/current year canes (primocanes) and so, produces a second, smaller crop in late summer to early fall. Early fruiting is on previous year’s canes; and fall fruiting is on this year’s canes.
'Summer-bearing Raspberry' is also known as Summer-fruiting Raspberry, Summer Raspberry, Floricane-fruiting Raspberry or Floricane-fruiting Raspberry
The canes have an open growth habit and tend to have few (and very visible) thorns, making fruit easily accessible, and harvesting easy. Prelude Summer Red Raspberry produces excellent, firm, deep red fruit that is 0.75" wide. Berries are mildly tart; and are suitable for eating fresh, freezing, or making jams and jellies.
Raspberry roots are perennial but the leaf and fruit-bearing canes are biennial - each cane living only two growing seasons before dying. To encourage fruiting and high yields, prune out canes in summer immediately after fruiting to encourage the production of new canes. New shoots will develop and, Prelude Summer Red Raspberry will produce fruit on the tips of these shoots in the fall. In late winter, remove any canes damaged by winter. Cut back the tips of canes that fruited last fall, but leave the rest of the cane for summer fruiting.
$13.99 - $35.99
- Main interest:
- earliest ripening summer red raspberry, very good flavour, occasionally everbearing
- Exposure:
- full sun to partial shade
- Soil humidity:
- moist soil
- Flower colour:
- white
- Fragrance:
- Non-fragrant
- Flowering period:
- May
- Foliage:
- green
- USDA Hardiness:
- zone 4a: -34.5 °C (-30 °F) View Zone Map
- Mature height & width (max.):
- height: 6 ft (1.8 m) width: 5 ft (1.5 m)
- Use:
- fruit production, edible garden, fence, trellis, low hedge, patio, container, foundation, specimen
Synonym(s): Rubus 'Prelude'
Also known as: Summer Red Raspberry, Summer Raspberry, Summer-fruiting Raspberry, Summer-fruiting Red Raspberry, Floricane Raspberry, Floricane Red Raspberry, Floricane-fruiting Raspberry, Floricane-fruiting Red Raspberry, Prelude Red Raspberry, Prelude Early-season Raspberry, Early-ripening Raspberry, Early-fruiting Raspberry