← Plant Guides

How to Grow Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss

Wikimedia Commons

Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss

Rubus idaeus 'Autumn Bliss'

fruit

Autumn Bliss is a premium everbearing red raspberry cultivar that produces fruit twice yearly—a light summer crop and a heavy fall crop. Known for its large, firm berries with excellent flavor, it's ideal for fresh eating and freezing. This thornless or nearly thornless variety is a favorite among home gardeners for its productivity and manageable cane growth.

When should you plant Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss in your zone?

Get a personalized planting timeline — when to start seeds, transplant, and harvest — based on your USDA zone and local frost dates. Free to start.

Get my Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss timeline →

Example Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)

  1. Plant Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss

    Around Apr 17

    Near Pittsburgh's average last spring frost.

  2. Tend & protect

    Late spring–summer

    Watering, feeding, and pest-watch reminders.

  3. Harvest Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss

    Around Aug 15

    ≈ 120 days after planting

Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss dates for your own zip code.

Growing Conditions

☀️
Sun: Full sun, 6-8 hours daily minimum; 8+ hours ideal for best fruiting
💧
Water: Deep watering 1-2 inches per week; keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. More frequent watering during fruiting and hot summers. Drip irrigation recommended.
📏
Spacing: 24 inches
📅
Days to maturity: 120-150 days from planting to first fall harvest (planted spring)
🌱
Planting depth: Plant canes at same depth as nursery pot; set crown 1-2 inches below soil surface

Soil

Type: Well-draining loamy soil rich in organic matter
pH: 6.0-6.5
Amendments:
Compost aged manure peat moss perlite for drainage

Growing Zones

Find your zone →

Zones 4-8; performs exceptionally well in zones 5-7

4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a

Sign up free to see if Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss grows in your zone — and get a personalized planting timeline.

Get my Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss timeline →

Growth Stages

1

Establishment

4-6 weeks after planting

New canes emerge from the crown and establish root system. Slow vertical growth as energy focuses underground.

Keep weed-free and well-watered. Remove any flowers first year to encourage cane development. Mulch with 2-3 inches of wood chips.

2

Cane Development

8-12 weeks (spring through early summer)

Vigorous upright cane growth, 4-6 feet tall. Canes are green and herbaceous. Lateral branches begin forming on upper portions.

Install sturdy support system (T-trellis or hedgerow). Thin canes if overcrowded—space 6 inches apart in rows. Water consistently.

3

Summer Flowering & Light Fruiting

4-6 weeks

White flowers appear on upper portions of first-year canes. Light fruit set in June-July on primocanes.

Provide consistent moisture during bloom. Light harvesting only—allow most flowers to develop on fall crop. Monitor for pests and diseases.

4

Fall Fruiting (Main Crop)

8-12 weeks (August-October, variable by zone)

Heavy production of large red berries (12-15g) on upper canes from August through frost. Berries are firm and flavorful.

Harvest every 2-3 days. Ensure consistent watering—moisture stress reduces berry size. Fertilize lightly in August if canes appear weak.

5

Dormancy & Cane Pruning

November-March

Canes harden off as temperatures drop. Leaves turn yellow and drop. Some canes die back naturally after fruiting.

After final frost kill, cut all canes to ground level or 12 inches above soil. Completely remove and destroy old cane material. Fertilize with balanced fertilizer in late winter.

Companion Planting

Plan your garden →

Plant with:

Borage garlic chives tansy nasturtium marigold comfrey

Avoid planting near:

Potatoes tomatoes peppers eggplants fennel strawberries (different disease pressures)

Common Pests

  • Remove and burn infested canes. Maintain good cane spacing for air circulation. Insecticidal soap at tight cluster stage.

  • Hand-pick early morning. Use pheromone traps at distance from plants. Neem oil spray. Milky spore for soil grubs.

  • Harvest ripe berries immediately. Fine netting around plants. Spinosad spray during fruiting. Remove fallen fruit.

  • Remove infested leaves. Insecticidal soap or neem oil. Encourage beneficial wasps.

  • Remove and destroy canes with wilted tips. Prune out infested canes below damage point. No chemical control needed for home gardens.

Uses

🍳

Fresh eating and preserving

Culinary

Autumn Bliss berries are excellent eaten fresh, with a balanced sweet-tart flavor and firm texture that holds up well during handling. They freeze excellently for later use in jams, desserts, and baking, retaining flavor and structure better than softer varieties. [source]

🍳

Baking and desserts

Culinary

The firm berry structure and flavor make Autumn Bliss ideal for tarts, pies, cakes, and pavlovas. Their consistent size enables even distribution in baked goods. [source]

💊

Herbal tea and health benefits

Medicinal

Raspberry leaf tea, made from the foliage (not fruit), has traditional use as a women's health tonic and contains ellagic acid, a polyphenol with potential antioxidant properties. Leaves can be dried for winter tea preparation. [source]

🏠

Natural dye production

Household

Fresh berries and leaves can be used to create pink, red, and purple dyes for fabric and fiber crafts. The color varies depending on fiber type and mordant used. [source]

🦋

Pollinator and wildlife habitat

Wildlife

Raspberry flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators in summer. Ripening berries feed birds and beneficial insects, supporting local biodiversity while the thorny canes provide shelter. [source]

This is not medical advice. LizPlants is not a medical resource. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before using plants medicinally.

Harvest Tips

Autumn Bliss produces two crops: a minor summer harvest in June-July, and the main fall crop from late August through frost. Harvest only fully ripe berries (deep red, slightly soft) every 2-3 days; they do not continue ripening after picking. Berries should pull off easily when ready. Morning harvest in cool temperatures preserves flavor and firmness. For maximum fall yield, many growers remove summer flowers or pick only lightly, allowing energy to concentrate on the superior fall crop.

Fun Facts

  • 🌱 Autumn Bliss was bred in Scotland in the 1970s specifically to produce a high-quality fall crop, making it one of the few everbearing raspberries worth growing in northern climates.
  • 🌱 The variety is nearly thornless, making harvesting much more pleasant and hand-injury-free compared to traditional prickly raspberry varieties—a significant advantage for home gardeners.
  • 🌱 Because Autumn Bliss produces heavily on first-year canes (primocanes), the entire plant can be cut to the ground each winter, simplifying maintenance and reducing disease carryover compared to traditional floricane raspberries.

Gardening Terms

New to gardening? Learn about terms used in this guide:

Crown Cultivar Full Sun Mulch Trellis
Shop Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss plants and related plants at Plant Addicts →

Join 30,000 gardeners planning their gardens with LizPlants.

Get your personalized Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss planting timeline

Tell us your zip code and we'll calculate exactly when to start Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss seeds, transplant seedlings, and harvest — based on your USDA zone and local frost dates. Includes calendar reminders and printable task lists. Free to start.

Get my Everbearing Raspberry Autumn Bliss timeline →