First summer basket
Harvest begins in late June and continues through July.
1
Rubus idaeus ‘Malling Promise’ 13cm
Normal price
€10,00
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Rubus idaeus ‘Malling Promise’
A dependable cultivar with a generous early crop 🍓🌿
- Early summer harvest
- Large aromatic fruit
- Strong reliable growth
- Very good cold hardiness
Rubus idaeus ‘Malling Promise’ opens the raspberry season with the familiar, full flavour that belongs to summer. Its red berries have a lively aroma and juicy flesh, delicious fresh, in a simple dessert or in homemade jam. Early cropping is its particular charm, arriving before later cultivars reach their own peak. A classic choice for filling that first summer basket with fruit from your garden, and enjoying the small pleasure of picking it yourself.
Long canes and fruiting side shoots bring a light, cottage-garden character to the edge of a vegetable plot. A raspberry row can quietly define the space, with white spring flowers and red fruit taking their turn against the green foliage.
What makes it special
‘Malling Promise’ delivers classic soft summer-raspberry flavour together with early dependable cropping.
Classic aromatic fruit
Large red berries have soft texture, juicy flavour and clear raspberry aroma.
Strong renewal
New canes rise each year to carry the following summer crop.
Why you will love it: It delivers familiar home-grown raspberry flavour early and responds clearly to one simple annual pruning routine.
In the garden & on the terracePositioning & plant combinationsA bright row with two wires, free access and cool roots.
Ideal position
Give sun or bright partial shade and 60–80cm between plants. In very hot areas morning sun protects soft fruit from scorching.
Compatible combinations
Low aromatic and flowering plants attract insects beyond the new-cane zone.
- Allium schoenoprasum — Purple flower heads attract bees and narrow clumps stay clear of the crown.
- Calendula officinalis — Early orange colour and easy annual growth suit the foreground.
- Borago officinalis — Blue flowers attract bumblebees and are easily removed after flowering.
Care at a glance
Light
Sun or bright partial shade; afternoon protection during intense heat.
Water
Even moisture from flowering until the end of harvest.
Climate & hardiness
Very good winter hardiness, suitable for cold areas and exposed gardens with proper support.
Safety
Wash fully ripe fruit before eating.
Detailed careComplete care guideSoil, watering, support, feeding and cultivar-specific prevention.
Soil & roots
Plant in deep fertile soil that drains well yet stays cool. Add organic mulch around the roots without covering the cane bases.
Watering
Water deeply when the top few centimetres dry. Even moisture from flowering to harvest helps fruit fill uniformly.
Support & shape
Tie canes to two wires at about 80 and 150cm and retain 6–8 strong canes per metre of row.
Feeding
In early spring add mature compost and a balanced fruit-plant feed according to its label. Avoid excess nitrogen.
Summer care
Mulch the roots, remove weeds by hand and pick frequently. During prolonged heat, provide light afternoon shade.
Prevent problems
Remove fruited canes immediately after picking, thin new ones and water at the base for rapid drying.
From flower to basketFruiting & harvestSimple guidance on pollination, ripening, picking and protecting the crop.
Pollination
It is self-fertile and crops alone. Bees and bumblebees help each fruit fill evenly.
When it ripens
It ripens early, usually from late June into mid-July.
How to harvest
Pick when fruit is evenly red and slips from the white core with a gentle lift.
Fruit protection
Set netting on a separate frame as the first fruit colours and leave side access for frequent picking.
After planting: tie strong canes loosely and keep soil cool with organic mulch.
Clear pruning planHow to prune this fruiting plantImmediately after harvest, with light winter thinning
When to prune
Immediately after harvest, with light winter thinning
‘Malling Promise’ fruits on canes grown the previous year. As soon as picking ends, cut only the fruited canes at the base and tie the new green replacements in their place.
01
Build
New canes
Action: In spring thin weak or tightly crowded new shoots.
Retain: Retain 6–8 strong green canes per metre.
02
Train
Fruit on last year’s canes
Action: During harvest identify the brown canes carrying fruit.
Retain: Keep new green canes intact and tied separately.
03
Renew
Changing generations
Action: After the final picking cut brown fruited canes at the base.
Retain: Tie new green canes to both wires for next summer.
New / productive — retainOld or exhausted woodCut point
Clean tools
Use sharp, clean tools suited to the diameter of the wood.
Winter check
Remove only a broken tip and renew loose ties before spring.
Do not do this: Do not cut every cane in winter; the matured green canes are exactly those that will carry the next crop.
Development over timeHow the plant developsA realistic path from establishment to mature form.
New green generation
Canes rise from the crown beside those due to fruit.
Summer fruit
Short laterals on brown year-old canes fill with red raspberries.
Annual replacement
Fruited canes are removed and new ones take their place on the wires.
Mature habit & dimensions
Mature formHeight 1.5–1.8mRow width 0.6–0.8mUpright row on two wires
Mature ‘Malling Promise’ has brown fruiting canes tied separately from the new green generation.
Form through the seasons
New cane this year · fruit next summerEast MallingSummer fruitingRenews from the crown
New canesNew canes grow taller and are tied to the two wires before their own first fruiting season.
Early harvestThe following summer, side shoots on the previous year’s canes carry red raspberries.
A raspberry cane lives for two years: it grows in the first, fruits in the second and then naturally declines.
What to expect after planting: Canes rise from the crown beside those due to fruit.
History & originCultivar originRaised by N. H. Grubb at East Malling in Kent and introduced in 1944.
‘Malling Promise’ comes from the East Malling Research Station in Kent, England, and the breeding programme of N. H. Grubb. Its cross brought together ‘Newburgh’ and selection EM 30/8, whose ancestry included ‘Lloyd George’ and ‘Pyne’s Royal’.
That work produced the early raspberry introduced as ‘Malling Promise’ in 1944. Soon afterwards, Grubb devoted a separate account to the cultivar in the station’s report for 1945, published in 1946.
It entered British and European cultivation as a summer raspberry with vigorous canes and aromatic red fruit. The Malling name preserves its connection with the place where it was raised, while early cropping explains its enduring place in home gardens.
Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScientific details nobody asked forBotanical detail behind the plant's appearance and behaviour
Biennial cane
The underground crown is perennial, but each cane has a two-year cycle. Flower buds differentiate on first-year wood and open in the second.
One fruit, many tiny drupelets
Each raspberry consists of many small drupelets, developing from separate pistils within one flower. At picking, they detach together from the receptacle, which stays on the plant. This is why a ripe raspberry is hollow in the centre.
Frequently asked questions
Six practical answers for choosing, growing, harvesting and pruning this exact cultivar.
01Does it need another plant?
It is self-fertile and crops alone. Bees and bumblebees help each fruit fill evenly.
02How large does it become?
1.5–1.8m high and approximately 0.6–0.8m wide, with the habit described above.
03Is it suitable for a container?
Yes, in a container of at least 45–50 litres with a firm two-post support and consistent watering.
04When is the fruit picked?
Late June–mid-July, when red fruit slips easily from the white core.
05How do I know what to cut?
After harvest cut the brown canes that carried fruit. Green non-fruiting canes remain for next summer.
06When should it be pruned?
Fruited canes are removed immediately after harvest; winter brings only light thinning.
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