Summer-bearing red raspberries bear their fruit from late June to August. They have the typical biennial life cycle of a bramble, so their canes die after fruiting. Primocane-bearing types such as Heritage fruit during the first year, and therefore are the exception to the life cycle outlined above. Also called everbearing raspberries, they will fruit again in the spring on the buds below those that fruited the previous fall. They are the most winter hardy of the raspberries.
Black raspberries initiate new canes from the crown of the plant rather than from root suckers.
They require summer tipping, unlike red raspberries, because individual canes will grow to unmanageable lengths. Black raspberries bear their fruit in late June through July, and are the most winter tender of the raspberries. Purple raspberries initiate new canes predominantly from the crown, but may sucker between plants as well. They are grown essentially as black raspberries are, and have intermediate cold hardiness. Gold raspberries also are available, although they are not widely grown.