Raspberries are usually found in most food gardens because they make the most incredible garden snack. There are two types of raspberry bushes: red-fruited and black-fruited. Both varieties bear fruit on one-year-old wood (the branches that the bush developed before last winter), and they never bear fruit on the same branch twice. If you have not done it already, quickly head outside and cut off any branches that have already produced fruit (now that you know they won’t be bearing again). Other than removing the branches that the fruit has been picked from, black and red raspberries have very different pruning needs.
Black raspberries respond well to severe pruning, producing the most fruit when heading each stem back to about 5 - 6 inch high. Many gardeners don’t cut back as harshly and leave too many longer stems, resulting in smaller fruit. Keep in mind that the fruit grows out of one-year-old stems (the stems that you are currently cutting back), so be careful while pruning.
Red raspberries don’t respond well to severe pruning; they need much gentler trimming. Heading back (removing the tops of branches) is reserved only for very vigorous branches and only take off a small portion. You want to look for thin, straggly branches - cut these off completely to focus the growth on healthier, more vigorous branches. Again, keep in mind that you are removing potential fruiting sites, so trim carefully.
