They're biennial in the sense that they fruit on last yrs canes. But the planting can go on for years by growing new canes each year. I think you could plant them now if you think there is time for them to get well rooted before winter. Otherwise you might wait until early spring.

The Fruitnut

Hi Whiteapple-
Are you positive that they are black raspberries and not blackberries? Often, people get them confused. I have wild types of both around here, and the wild varieties can not compare to the cultivated ones in neither flavor nor size. Buying great cultivated varieties online is very inexpensive. One of the best places to get them (other here will back me up) is at Nourse Farms.com. When you consider the planting effort, and the time investment, $5 per plant is a worthwhile investment.

Fruitnut is right of course. Starting in your 2nd year, you'll get berries every year. It's just that they'll be on the previous year's growth. If you went with an everbearing (fall) red, you even get berries the first year. I would think you would be ok planting them now. For the cultivated ones, I do indeed use a trellis.

Good luck,
-Glenn

Here is a link that might be useful: Nourse Farms

glenn,
I am sure they are black raspberries they have a crown shape, I wish they were blackberries I love them more. I'm going to visit my local nursery they were selling blackberry plants last time I was there. The only thing is that our usual frost date is in less than a month and will they have time to take root.

I am planning on setting up the trellis as well my raised beds for veggies next week. I have already put up one trellis for Concord grapes. Which I didn't know until after I bought the plants that some sort of Concord type Grape was growing wild in the field behind my house and on some of the fence in the back. Question about trellis I should have it going north to south in my flat yard or east - west. My grapes are going north - south.

Oh I just wanted to say I really like this forum already this is my first day on here and my second question I asked and both of them were answered promptly, nicely, and concisely!

Black raspberry plants are not massive enough to require a trellis, although it doesn't hurt to have one, especially if you are going to grow blackberries also.

The simplest method would be to pound some stakes, preferably metal, in a row, spaced maybe 2 or 3 feet apart and just tie up any blackcap canes that grow near the stakes to the stakes.
The canes will naturally arch away from the stake above the tie-on point.

whiteapple,

I concur with glenn in questioning that they are raspberries. Are you sure they're not dewberries?? I have a large population of these on my propterty across the river in IL; they ripen in late June and resemble black raspberries, which I also grow. IMO, they have a milder, less pronounced rasp. flavor. Still, I love them. They should transplant well. I would also stake them as Larry described.

Good luck,
Brook

Well I looked up some images of dewberries, blackberries, and raspberries. And now I am confused. I am pretty sure the leaves of some of the plants look just like raspberry (or dewberry) ones and there one growing into the fence that looks like blackberry. I guess I never gave much thought what they were, I was told by my dad they were raspberries so I thought they were. I might take some pictures of the leaves to see what you guys think. But I still want to grow them because they are good. And I want to trellis them so save space and have a little more order in my garden. How far should I space them? I was thinking a foot. When I planned my garden for next year I didn't plan on berries, I'm now going to redraw the plan.

It's actually quite common for people to get them confused. At least telling a raspberry from a blackberry is easy: With a blackberry, the berry comes off the the stem clean. With a raspberry, it leaves behind a white conical stem on the plant, and there is a corresponding conical hole in the berry. Does that help?
-Glenn

Well I guess I never looked much at them. I saw 'em called 'em raspberries and ate them. I wish I did observe them this is making me confused and frustrated. But I am sure one plant that is growing into the fence is blackberry because of the shape of the berries. I saw the berries and thought they looked weird (not circular of like a crown). But some that grew wild next to my house I hope to transplant the berries were more of a circular crown. If it helps those had berries in early spring time (May-Junish) and the blackberry like ones had berries on them during late summer like mid July.