There are two types of raspberry, Chris - summer fruiting and autumn fruiting. I don't live in the UK, so I expect my summer fruiters start a little earlier than they would be in the UK, but I start picking fruit in the first weeks of June, and can still find appreciable amounts towards the end of July. Autumn fruiters start round about the end of August and go on, depending on the weather and the actual strain of raspberry, until the end of September. I believe there are strains that fruit for even longer.
Welcome to GoY, by the way!

You are right Gattina. My summer rasps start in early July and my autumns about a month later. Depends really on the variety and I think mine are pretty average but this year, after the mild late year weather, they were still fruiting at Christmas.

Over the years I have experimented with both, and ended up with the autumn bliss variety. Their thorny stems are a deterrant to birds, and I grow mine openly, without having to cage them. The occasional blue-tit or sparrow has a go, but they never try again! They are also excellent heavy tasty croppers, and love the sun - sunny days produce sweeter crops, like some of the blackberries. In mid-winter I chop them down to the ground, thin out any excess which is passed on to friends or customers, and that is it in terms of maintenance! For how to plant ... I planted mine in a 2m square plot -One in each corner and one in the middle. Four stakes bashed in on the outside, 1m of chicken wire (or any other mesh you have to keep rabbits and cats out) stapled to the posts, then as the raspberries get taller four tall 8ft canes, 2ft into the ground, in each corner with string between them to stop the raspberries flopping out too much. It is big enough to allow the berries to spread, but small enough that I can reach in for cropping from all sides. They do like weekly ericaceous feed with plenty of potash, and watering.

Do you find trouble with a lot of suckers with that arrangement Avkg? My autumn fruiters want to take over.

You have to be really ruthless with the suckers, Steragram, but of course, if you want to dig 'em up and plant 'em elsewhere, this is the way to increase your stock. I started out with 6 mixed canes, bought as a bargain bin bunch from Woolworths before they closed down, and so have no idea what kind they are, but there was obviously at least one autumn fruiter in there, which was not particularly good at fruiting, nor did it have a specially nice flavour, so I rooted out all the canes and suckers and gave them away to anyone who wanted them. Six years on I have a very large area of summer fruiting canes which gives me an amazing crop, and because we have so many cats around the place, I never have to net them. It takes a bit of time and effort to keep the suckers under control each year, but friends are always happy to take them off my hands and plant their own beds. I want to get some loganberry canes to plant alongside them this year, to give a bit of variety, and extend the fruiting season, and, who knows, there may be some cross-pollination! We feed ours with the occasional sprinkling of woodash, which seems to keep things ticking over nicely.

OOOh loganberries - gorgeous

I hope I can find some!

I bought a Tayberry for £1 at Poundland last week. I already have a Loganberry but that was bought on eBay and cost about £10 I think including delivery. But they are delicious.

I've discovered a company down in Cornwall(?) I think, who sells all sorts of fruit canes/bushes for about £3.50 a time, so I think I shall give it a whirl. I've just been checking with OH that he will have room in his suitcase to bring everything back! If I got them to post stuff out here, the cost of the postage alone would outweigh the advantages. A Tayberry for £1, Sarra? That's astounding!

Hello, Steragram ... Yes, I get suckers but they are easy to pull up and keep on top of. Suckers are inevitable with either of the varieties. Keep the main root base down to new shoots, so next crops are guaranteed, and by keeping on top of the suckers any feed and growth is kept for the main plants. In the winter I cut down my autumn raspberries to base, then 'weed' out the branches that have suckered. Every 3 years or so, I replace the main stems completely with new potted-on suckers for lots of new vigour and growth.

Sounds very organised - I must get out there and tidy up!