Bristol Black Raspberry Plant
Description
Bristol Black Raspberry Plant – Sweet, Juicy & Cold-Hardy
The Bristol Black Raspberry is widely regarded as the best-tasting black raspberry variety available. This all-purpose berry is large, firm, and bursting with rich, sweet flavor, making it perfect for fresh eating, freezing, or homemade preserves. A licensed variety of Cornell University.
Why Choose the Bristol Black Raspberry?
- Superior Flavor & Texture – Sweet and slightly tart, with firm berries that hold up well for storage and freezing.
- Vigorous, Low-Maintenance Growth – Upright canes require no staking, making care easy.
- Cold-Hardy & Reliable – Thrives in cooler climates, producing heavy summer harvests.
- Mid-Summer Bearing – Expect juicy berries in July each year.
- Self-Pollinating – No additional plants are needed, but yields improve with multiple bushes.
Growing & Care Instructions
- Sunlight: Requires full sun for the best fruit production.
- Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil with good moisture retention.
- Spacing: Plant bushes 3-4 feet apart for proper airflow and growth.
- Pruning: Trim after harvest to encourage strong cane development for the next season.
Order Your Bristol Black Raspberry Plant Today! Enjoy the rich, homegrown flavor of black raspberries right from your backyard.
Note: Do not plant Red, Gold or Purple raspberries within 75-100 feet of Black raspberries. Black raspberries may be more susceptible to viral diseases carried by aphids to and from nearby raspberry plants.
After planting, be sure to prune the bare-root canes back to about 2 inches above the ground. (This does not apply to potted raspberry plants.) Do not skip this step! It is a crucial factor in encouraging the roots to send up new growth during the growing season. It is in the nature of raspberry plants to send up new growth as suckers or basal shoots from below the ground. This means the canes that you plant may not be where you find signs of life or new growth. When it’s time to grow, you will see new sprouts emerge from the ground around where you planted the cane, and this growth is coming from the raspberry plant’s root system.
Survival Guaranteed!
Since 1816, Stark Bro’s has promised to provide customers with the very best fruit trees and plants. It’s just that simple. If your trees or plants do not survive, please let us know within one year of delivery. We will send you a free one-time replacement, with a nominal shipping fee of $9.99. If the item in question is not available, we can issue a one-time credit to your account equaling the original product purchase price or issue you a refund. Read more about our warranty policy.
Characteristics
| Bloom Color | White |
| Fruit Color | Black |
| Fruit Size | Large |
| Hardiness Zone Range | 4 - 8 |
| Pollination | Self-Pollinating |
| Ripens/Harvest | July |
| Shade/Sun | Full Sun |
| Soil Composition | Loamy |
| Soil Moisture | Well Drained |
| Soil pH Level | 6.0 - 6.8 |
| Texture | Firm |
| Years to Bear | 1 - 2 |
Size & Spacing
Mature Size
Recommended Spacing
Zone Compatibility
Pollination
This variety is self pollinating.
Tools & Supplies
Planting & Care
Learn all about how to grow raspberry plants in The Growing Guide. An entire section of our website dedicated to your growing success.
Shipping Information
Arrives when it's time to plant
Questions & Answers
Make sure you only leave 3-4 new canes per plant each winter.
These plants produce similar harvest weights no matter how many canes they have between 4-15 canes, but more canes = many small seedy fruits while fewer canes make larger sweeter fruits of commercial quality.
Other important pruning factors are:
-cut tips off canes once they are 8-10 feet long, as this results in better nutrient allocation and also provokes side shoot formation, which means better fruit quality and more fruits respectively
-cut tips off side shoots when they get to 16-18 inches, this again significantly raises fruit quality and size
The only time you would let a plant keep all its canes is if you were going to use that plant to propagate with tip layers... all you do is put the tip of the cane into a 1-2 gallon pot of garden soil. After a few months it will have a good root system and you will still have plenty of time to plant them in fall for overwintering and expanding your patch!
I am actually due for this pruning myself, will; be doing some dramatic pruning to 6 feet on my wild black raspberries to see what kind of fruit quality I can achieve with them.
To achieve the best size and quality, berry plants prefer full sun: at least 6-8 hours of it. I'm not sure how old your canes were at your last house, but my berries performed a lot like your third-year plants: The fruit seemed smaller than expected, even though the flavor was there. Then the following year, the fruit was much bigger and still flavorful. I attributed it to the weather (much more rain than previous years) and the fact that the plants seemed to hit their stride. As if the previous fruitful years were just practice. It was a welcome surprise!
Well, raspberries are pretty darn tough, so you might get away with less that great soil as long as you keep em watered, but if you want good production on vigorous plants, I'd suggest regular applications of top dressed compost, over a high quality soil mix, plus a good think layer of mulch to tuck everything in.
Yes you can plant black raspberries with blackraspberries.. the rule of thumb is Do not plant Red, Gold or Purple raspberries within 75-100 feet of Black raspberries. Black raspberries may be more susceptible to viral diseases carried by aphids to and from nearby raspberry plants.
Not exactly, but fairly close. I have both. Black caps are smaller and taste more like true blackberries. Bristols taste more like a cross between a red raspberry and a true blackberry.
We appreciate you reaching out to us. Because weather and soil conditions vary so much from year to year and even within your zone, it's best to think of your planting time as a range of favorable conditions instead of an exact time.
You can plant new plants and trees:
1) when the ground is not frozen.
2) when daytime temperatures are above freezing (32ºF) and below 90ºF.
3) when extreme weather (blizzard, hail, torrential rain, etc.) is not in the forecast. Be sure to keep plants watered if you're transplanting in warm and/or dry weather.
If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!
We appreciate you reaching out to us. This variety is a floricane.
If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!
Yes but they are easy to work around when pruning or picking.
Carole B. I planted a bunch of different raspberries and black caps a few summers ago. They produced great plants w/ berries within months. I love blackcap jam. Don’t plant close to raspberry beds, they don’t like each other. I’ve move mine to grow along a fence in front yard and they are just coming on. Looking forward to a good batch, also I order a few different brands.
Yes you can, the rule of thumb is Do not plant Red, Gold or Purple raspberries within 75-100 feet of Black raspberries. Black raspberries may be more susceptible to viral diseases carried by aphids to and from nearby raspberry plants.
Customer Reviews
I love raspberries, but black variety is never available for sale in my area. So I'll grow my own and freeze them.
My new home did not have raspberry and it reminds me of home
Looks good
Heat tolerant. Great black rasberry flavor