I mentioned earlier that I had planted some heritage rasberry plants and only one of the three survived. And since April when I planted them, they've grown a lot despite having to compete for space in my garden with a mammoth cherry tomato plant which I call Igor.

Finally, the plant which I purchased in April from Walmart started flowering in mid September here in zone 5, followed by the early stages of recognizable fruit in early October.

So I have learned this - if you purchase the smallest size heritage rasberry plants from Walmart (or Lowes, or Home Depot...) in the quart to half gallon size pots, and if you plant them in April or so, then you can have fruit the very same year.

Oh, and I must mention something unfortunate that happened..

Only one of the canes of my heritage rasberry produced any fruit. I was very excited to taste them sometime by early November, but one morning, while trying to gather as many cherry tomatoes from the neighboring cherry tomato plant, I broke off the end of the cane which held the developing berries.

Bummer.

But to make a long story short, you can plant the smaller sized heritage rasberry plants in the spring and get a (small) crop of rasberries in the fall.

I'm looking forward to spring when more rasberries will come.

So yes, I got to see that the berries did start to develop on the plant after the first year, but I never got to eat any.