Autumn raspberry · Albany, New York, United States
When to plant autumn raspberries in Albany
Main outdoor window
19 Oct - 16 Apr
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
30 April
In Albany, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Aug - 31 Oct
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Albany
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Plant canes
19 Oct - 16 Apr
Any time the plant is dormant and the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged: after leaf fall in autumn, or at the end of winter before growth restarts.
Harvest
1 Aug - 31 Oct
Autumn raspberries through the year
Against the frost risk in Albany
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Albany
October has the highest average precipitation (123 mm); February has the lowest (72 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Albany
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | -10°C (13.9°F)13.9°F (-10°C) | -1.6°C (29.1°F)29.1°F (-1.6°C) | 29.5 |
| February | -9.3°C (15.2°F)15.2°F (-9.3°C) | -0.1°C (31.8°F)31.8°F (-0.1°C) | 27.4 |
| March | -4.9°C (23.2°F)23.2°F (-4.9°C) | 5.1°C (41.2°F)41.2°F (5.1°C) | 26.5 |
| April | 0.8°C (33.5°F)33.5°F (0.8°C) | 12.6°C (54.7°F)54.7°F (12.6°C) | 13.5 |
| May | 7.5°C (45.5°F)45.5°F (7.5°C) | 19.3°C (66.7°F)66.7°F (19.3°C) | 1.0 |
| June | 12.9°C (55.1°F)55.1°F (12.9°C) | 23.9°C (75°F)75°F (23.9°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 15.8°C (60.5°F)60.5°F (15.8°C) | 26.9°C (80.4°F)80.4°F (26.9°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 15.2°C (59.3°F)59.3°F (15.2°C) | 26.6°C (79.8°F)79.8°F (26.6°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 11°C (51.8°F)51.8°F (11°C) | 23°C (73.3°F)73.3°F (23°C) | 0.1 |
| October | 4.8°C (40.7°F)40.7°F (4.8°C) | 15.6°C (60°F)60°F (15.6°C) | 4.5 |
| November | -1.1°C (30.1°F)30.1°F (-1.1°C) | 7.9°C (46.2°F)46.2°F (7.9°C) | 19.4 |
| December | -6°C (21.1°F)21.1°F (-6°C) | 1.4°C (34.6°F)34.6°F (1.4°C) | 28.2 |
For autumn raspberries, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing autumn raspberries for Albany
- October is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 123 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant autumn raspberries
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
- Check the cultivar’s winter chill requirement with a local nursery. Hardiness zones measure winter cold, not chill hours; this site does not calculate a local chill-hour total.
- Check mature size, drainage and cultivar suitability before choosing a permanent position. A suitable planting window does not guarantee long-term survival or fruiting.
Use the pruning method that matches your raspberry harvest
Choose a cultivar that can finish ripening before your season turns unsuitable. The label autumn-fruiting describes a growth habit, not a guaranteed harvest month everywhere. Keep the row drained and supplied with moisture during active growth.
Thin crowded weak growth and contain suckers beyond the row. A double-cropping system retains portions of old canes and requires different pruning; use it deliberately on vigorous established plants rather than accidentally leaving a tangle of old stems.
What to record this season
Did most fruit ripen before cold or wet weather ended the picking season? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: RHS raspberries growing guide . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The RHS reference is written for UK growing conditions. Use its cultivation advice with local seasonal guidance; UK sowing months are not worldwide planting dates.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Choose a cultivar that can finish ripening before your season turns unsuitable. The label autumn-fruiting describes a growth habit, not a guaranteed harvest month everywhere. Keep the row drained and supplied with moisture during active growth.
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
Autumn raspberries are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Albany is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.
Albany is zone 5b, within the crop's general range. This is an initial cold-hardiness check; cultivar, exposure, drainage and unusual winters can still change the outcome.
The general establishment guide is around year 1, under suitable conditions. This is not a prediction for this location; cultivar, winter conditions and care determine whether it crops reliably.
Nearby
Autumn raspberries in places close by
Also in Albany
Other fruits to time
Growing autumn raspberries in Albany
Can I grow autumn raspberries in Albany?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. October is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 123 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant autumn raspberries in Albany?
Aim for 19 Oct - 16 Apr in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 6 Oct - 1 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might autumn raspberries be ready to harvest in Albany?
The estimated period is 1 Aug - 31 Oct, based on 50 to 70 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will autumn raspberries tolerate?
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.