Raspberry and Blackberry Production Guide

Growing raspberries and blackberries is not easy. To succeed, you must be a good
horticulturist, labor manager, pest manager, and marketer. Below are some questions to
consider before embarking in the bramble business. The information in this guide will help
you answer the questions.
1. How do you plan to market the berries? (Perhaps the biggest cause of failure among growers is not
lanning adequately for marketing the berries.)
2. Are your facilities adequate for the type of marketing you plan to do? For example, do you have
cooling facilities for wholesaling or a parking area for pick-your-own customers?
3. Is the soil in your area appropriate for growing berries? Can it be amended to support berry
production?
4. Is the soil sufficiently drained?
5. Do you have a large enough water supply for irrigation?
6. Does your land slope enough to allow for air drainage, but not so much that it is difficult to work?
7. Do you have sufficient capital resources to invest in berries, about $5,000 per acre for fall
aspberries and $7,000 per acre for summer raspberries? (Keep in mind that a return on investment will
be many years away.)
8. Do you have the personal skills necessary to manage laborers and greet customers?
9. Where will you obtain labor during the busy picking season?
10. Do you have land for future expansion and crop rotation?
11. Is your family willing to commit to berry production? (Growing brambles may entail foregoing a
summer vacation; working during harvest; and, if retailing, opening the farm to the public.)
12. Have you checked local ordinances regarding zoning, parking, signs, noise, riparian rights, etc., to
see if they might conflict with your plans for berry production?
13. Are you set up to keep track of input expenses, payroll, pesticide applications, employee records,
yield records, and perhaps customer mailing lists?
14. Have you started a library of resources?
15. Are you certified to apply pesticides?
16. If retailing, have you evaluated your farm’s location in relation to population centers, offroad
parking, visibility, and competition? Will customers be able to find your farm easily?
17. Have you inquired about membership in state or province and national grower organizations ,for
example, the North American Bramble Growers Association?