The raspberry ‘Bleu Nuit’ (Rubus sp.) is a variety to discover. Recently introduced to the trial. It fruits in very decorative bouquets whose large fruits ripen in August, one by one, changing from red to dark blue, creating a palette of purplish shades. Firm, its texture is melting and somewhat crunchy with grains clearly present under the tooth. The black raspberry bush does not sucker. It is less likely to become invasive than other raspberry bushes, provided however that you prune its stems of a pretty blue with clearly visible thorns, at least twice per season, to about 75 cm to 90 cm in height. They can become excessively long. If you do not prune them, you will have to train them heavily, but the harvest will be earlier, from July, ahead of all the others. Otherwise, they will fall back and then take root where the stem touches the ground, leaving a mega mess in the fall.

Collect the tender shoots that you can eat like asparagus, raw or cooked, or in sweet herbal tea. Growing in partial shade seems possible, but production then reduces. Even if the plant fortunately survives, the harvest will be juicier if it does not suffer from drought. Enjoy picking raspberries that are ripe at the right time, from varieties selected for their flavor, sweeter than in stores, and cut the prices, which are increasingly high due to the labor-intensive picking time. Available perhaps only at some farmers’ markets or for self-picking, this is a raspberry color that is rarely encountered.

The production of the raspberry ‘Bleu Nuit’ begins in the 2nd year, and can decline due to diseases after 7 or 8 years of good harvests. Self-fertile.