Raspberry Season

Raspberries are available year-round in Australia, with peak fresh supply between November and April when production in Tasmania and Victoria is at its highest. The main summer flush runs from December through to February, but the staggered growing calendar (Tasmania and Victoria in summer, Queensland and NSW through the cooler months) means there's rarely a complete gap on the shelf. Prices swing hard with the season. Expect to pay more outside the November–March peak.

Raspberries are in season year-round in Australia, with peak supply in summer.

Raspberries grow on biennial canes. Floricanes (summer-fruiting) produce on year-old growth and primocanes (autumn-fruiting) on the current season's growth. In Tasmania, floricanes flower from mid-October and are harvested December through January. Primocanes fruit through to April. Growers manage timing via pruning, chilling treatments and high tunnels, which also protect fruit from rain at harvest. According to NRE Tasmania's raspberry factsheet, floricane varieties need more than 800 hours between 0°C and 7°C from May to September to break dormancy, which is why cooler southern states dominate production. The crop needs well-drained soil at pH 5.5–6.5 with at least 25 cm depth. Red basaltic Ferrosols are particularly well-suited.

Australia has no commercially meaningful native Rubus species. All commercial raspberries are introduced varieties of Rubus idaeus and related species. The industry started in Victoria's Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges before spreading to Tasmania, Queensland and NSW. According to the NRE Tasmania Raspberry Market Profile, Tasmania is now the largest producing state at around 27% of national output (approximately 2,626 tonnes), followed by NSW at 26% (2,519 t), Victoria at 21% (2,045 t) and Queensland at 20% (1,887 t). Tasmania's main growing areas are the Huon Valley and northern Midlands around Dunorlan and Deloraine, with some Derwent Valley production for processing. Fruit Growers Tasmania reports that Tasmanian raspberries and blackberries together exceed 5,000 tonnes per season, making it the largest Rubus-producing state in the country.