Scottish growing tool

Raspberries Variety Selector: Which One For Your Garden

Every recommendation below traces back to our full Raspberries varieties comparison — this page is the fast route to one answer for your specific situation, no clicking through required.

If: Summer-fruiting: crops on last year's canes, needs a full year before it fruits → The strongest all-round summer variety or Summer-fruiting: crops on last year's canes, needs a full year before it fruits → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Autumn-fruiting: crops on this year's new growth, fruits in its first year → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice

Glen AmpleAGM

The strongest all-round summer-fruiting pick: spine-free canes, heavy yields, and Scottish breeding provenance from the James Hutton Institute, named by Hutton itself as "the number one variety in the UK."

If: Summer-fruiting: crops on last year's canes, needs a full year before it fruits → Thorns are a real nuisance

TulameenAGM

Spine-free summer canes with a long harvest period into late summer, well-flavoured and high-yielding. One of two summer AGM varieties, alongside Glen Ample, whose canes are entirely thorn-free.

If: Summer-fruiting: crops on last year's canes, needs a full year before it fruits → Small plot, want a compact plant

Malling JewelAGM

A compact, less vigorous summer variety cropping early to midsummer, suited to a smaller plot; a reliable early cropper.

If: Summer-fruiting: crops on last year's canes, needs a full year before it fruits → Want to extend the summer crop as late as possible

OctaviaAGM

A vigorous summer variety whose cropping window extends into early autumn, bridging the summer/autumn gap with large, uniform, good-quality fruit, the way to push the summer crop as late as possible.

If: Autumn-fruiting: crops on this year's new growth, fruits in its first year → Lowest commitment: thornless canes, easiest picking

Joan JAGM

Autumn-fruiting with spine-free, upright canes, a genuine picking convenience the general summary doesn't flag by variety. Crops in its first year with only one pruning pass a year needed, the lowest-commitment route, alongside Polka.

If: Autumn-fruiting: crops on this year's new growth, fruits in its first year → A standard, easy-to-find autumn crop

PolkaAGM

An autumn-fruiting, primocane variety that crops in its first year and needs only one pruning pass a year; common enough to turn up at general garden centres. Stout, slightly thorny canes carrying red fruit with good keeping quality, and capable of a second, smaller crop from late July before the main autumn flush.

If: Autumn-fruiting: crops on this year's new growth, fruits in its first year → Want yellow fruit

All GoldAGM

The only yellow-fruited AGM raspberry, and can double-crop. Stout, slightly thorny primocane canes with the same cropping pattern as Polka: a smaller crop starting to ripen from late July, then the main flush in autumn, with a sweet flavour.

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Raspberries growing guide →Full Raspberries varieties comparison →