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Jewel Black Raspberry Plant
Description
Enjoy the rich, full flavor of Jewel Black Raspberries—a favorite for fresh eating, baking, and making preserves. This cold-hardy, self-pollinating black raspberry bush produces high-quality, glossy black fruit on sturdy, upright canes.
A Bristol x Dundee cross and a licensed variety from Cornell University, Jewel is known for its vigorous growth and reliable yields. Expect an abundant harvest in early July—perfect for freezing, sharing, or enjoying straight from the garden.
Jewel thrives in full sun and prefers well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0–6.8. Space plants 3–4 feet apart, and expect a mature size of 4–5 feet tall and 3–4 feet wide. Hardy in USDA Zones 5–8.
Why Grow Jewel Black Raspberries?
- Rich, sweet black raspberry flavor
- Self-pollinating—only one plant needed
- Ripens in early July
- Great for pies, preserves, and fresh eating
- Cold-hardy and productive
- Compact size—ideal for home gardens
- Heavy yields perfect for freezing or sharing
If you’re ready to grow your own sweet, homegrown black raspberries, Jewel is the reliable, easy-care choice trusted by gardeners nationwide.
Note: Do not plant Red, Gold or Purple raspberries within 75-100 feet of Black raspberries. Black raspberries may be more susceptible to viral diseases carried by aphids to and from nearby raspberry plants.
After planting, be sure to prune the bare-root canes back to about 2 inches above the ground. (This does not apply to potted raspberry plants.) Do not skip this step! It is a crucial factor in encouraging the roots to send up new growth during the growing season. It is in the nature of raspberry plants to send up new growth as suckers or basal shoots from below the ground. This means the canes that you plant may not be where you find signs of life or new growth. When it’s time to grow, you will see new sprouts emerge from the ground around where you planted the cane, and this growth is coming from the raspberry plant’s root system.
Survival Guaranteed!
Since 1816, Stark Bro’s has promised to provide customers with the very best fruit trees and plants. It’s just that simple. If your trees or plants do not survive, please let us know within one year of delivery. We will send you a free one-time replacement, with a nominal shipping fee of $9.99. If the item in question is not available, we can issue a one-time credit to your account equaling the original product purchase price or issue you a refund. Read more about our warranty policy.
Characteristics
| Bloom Color | Pink, White |
| Fruit Color | Black |
| Fruit Size | Large |
| Hardiness Zone Range | 5 - 8 |
| Pollination | Self-Pollinating |
| Ripens/Harvest | Early July |
| Shade/Sun | Full Sun |
| Soil Composition | Loamy |
| Soil Moisture | Well Drained |
| Soil pH Level | 6.0 - 6.8 |
| Texture | Firm |
| Years to Bear | 1 - 2 |
Size & Spacing
Mature Size
Recommended Spacing
Zone Compatibility
Pollination
This variety is self pollinating.
Tools & Supplies
Planting & Care
Learn all about how to grow raspberry plants in The Growing Guide. An entire section of our website dedicated to your growing success.
Shipping Information
Arrives when it's time to plant
Questions & Answers
Hi Michael, the Jewel Black Raspberry has thorns.
You should plant raspberries in a container that is at least 24 to 36 inches wide and deep.
Plants can get weighted down with a heavy crop, so you will need to create a simple trellis or fence to keep canes and fruit off the ground and to support the plant for easy harvesting.
The short answer is I don't know. However, I teach soil health and there is a huge difference in soil temperatures if the soil is covered with an organic mulch such as straw (not black plastic). Keeping soil covered with mulch or cover crops, increasing soil organic matter in the soil, and plenty of water help all plants deal with heat stress.
Black Jewel do not produce over the course of the summer. They come on strong for me in late June and go for several weeks. I plant everbearing raspberries that do the same thing as Black Jewel in late June for several weeks, then shut down before kicking back in sometime in August and continue with abundant fruit until the first frost. The ones I have planted are Heritage Red and the Golden one that I think is a mutation of Heritage Red.
Our Jumbo Cellpacks are an ice cube tray like pot that has 3 or 6 sections that will each contain an individual plant. A Jumbo Cell Pack is a bigger version of the divided 6-packs that you may have bought annuals or vegetable plants in, at your local garden center. When shipped these one-year-old plants are new starts about 4-6" tall and should grow rapidly during the next growing season.
No. The plant I purchased was not thornless. Unfortunately I could not bring my plant to maturity. Stark Brothers has excellent service and I love their plants, but I live in very harsh environment and have not learned to allow my plants to survive.
No, they are not thornless, however they are very productive and flavorful.
No, most black raspberries have thorns. If not indicated, they have thorns.
No. However the thorns are not long like blackberries.
Customer Reviews
I have yet to have even a sprout come up.
I raise strawberries, red raspberries, apples, pears asparagus, Christmas trees and have four vegetable gardens.
I follow the instructions to the letter but dont know what I am doing wrong.
The plants are healthy, they just dont grow.
No fault of Stark Brothers, they are my wifes favorite, please let me know what I am doing wrong.
Thanks.
We had black Raspberry at a previous home and want to establish a bed of black Raspberry at our new home.
Unbelievable. Shipping and billing are reversed. Coupon code for 10% off not applied. Your site sucks. Can you e mail me a number to call?
Because they are like old backcaps that are native to western washington, and they are getting hard to find
Bought these previously for mom and they did well.