Wild Raspberries

Question Our property has very large patches of raspberries. What is the best way to stop the raspberries from spreading further into the garden and woods?
Answer First we would suggest going around the perimeter and using a shovel to cut off all the underground roots that are spreading the patch and pull them out. Wear heavy gloves. Then cut them all off at a height that gives enough cane length to grip them. Then dig them up and pull. Persistently cutting off the canes at ground level will not eventually defeat them. I have done this at my property and they come back. They do taste great, but not an efficient use of space if they are wild. They do like sun and have found that they do not want to grow in the shade of the forest but will grow in other sunny areas of your property. When you rid yourself of the raspberries canes you could try growing other native shrubs and or small hardy fruit bearing shrubs. We are zone 4 and have acidic soil. Check out our article under Resources Shoreline Restoration.